Tag Archives for U.S. Administration for Community Living

Preparedness: Senate Aging Committee Preps for Impending 2025 Hurricane Season

Published in RINewsToday on May 26, 2025

Just days ago, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, predicted above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin for this year. NOAA’s outlook for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, estimates a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season.

“In my 30 years at the National Weather Service, we’ve never had more advanced models and warning systems in place to monitor the weather,” said Ken Graham, Director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, in a May 22 statement. He warned that above-average Atlantic Ocean temperatures are setting the stage for increased hurricane activity. “This outlook is a call to action: be prepared. Take proactive steps now to make a plan and gather supplies to ensure you’re ready before a storm threatens,” he urged.

Over a week before NOAA released its 2025 outlook, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a full committee hearing on Wednesday, May 14, at 3:30 p.m. in room SD–106. Like Graham, the hearing underscored the urgent need for disaster preparedness—particularly for older Americans, who face unique challenges during emergencies. Scheduled ahead of the June 1 start of hurricane season, the hearing emphasized the importance of having a clear, actionable emergency plan in place before disaster strikes.

There is No Alternative to Being Prepared for Disasters

Expert witnesses, at the one  hour and 31 minute hearing, shared firsthand insights and best practices for protecting older adults and people with disabilities during emergencies, aiming to raise awareness and inspire action among seniors, caregivers, and policymakers nationwide.

“I’m no stranger to disasters,” admitted Sen. Rick Scott, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, in his opening statement. During his eight years as Florida’s governor and six years as a U.S. Senator, he has personally witnessed the devastation hurricanes can cause. “If there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that preparedness saves lives. There is no alternative to getting prepared and having a disaster plan,” he said, stressing that possessions can be replaced—but lives cannot.

“We know the risks and we know the statistics, and it’s our responsibility to plan accordingly,” urged Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, in her opening statement. While natural disasters are dangerous for everyone, they pose even greater risks to older adults and people with disabilities, noted the New York Senator.

According to Sen. Gillibrand, research shows that people with disabilities are up to four times more likely to die in a disaster than the general population, and older adults are more likely to die in a disaster than any other demographic group.

She called for the development of accessible shelters and transportation, alerts in multiple languages, and the requirement that long-term care facilities have disaster plans in place before—not after—a crisis occurs. Gillibrand also announced her intention to reintroduce legislation that would establish a nationwide grant program under the Older Americans Act. This program would incentivize and support states in creating strategic plans for aging populations, with disaster preparedness included as a core component.

“In addition to planning, we must also ensure that state and local governments are properly resourced to build accessibility into their disaster and recovery responses,” she said. Gillibrand also emphasized the need to safeguard federal resources provided through agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL).

Sheriff Chris Nocco of Pasco County, Florida—a county with 24 miles of coastline, located just north of Tampa Bay and home to roughly 750,000 residents, 22% of whom are age 65 and over—shared his insights and expertise on preparing for and recovering from natural disasters. He noted that federal and state partnerships, such as the National Guard and Coast Guard, are invaluable during rescue operations. He also urged law enforcement agencies to utilize evolving technologies such as drones for disaster preparedness and recovery.

“I witnessed individuals who had climbed onto roofs to avoid the rapidly rising storm surge. In one instance, a woman, her small child, and elderly relatives had climbed to the roof of their three-story multifamily housing unit and were awaiting rescue,” said Nocco. He stressed that this highlights the critical importance of following emergency management directives—especially evacuation orders—particularly for the most vulnerable in our communities.

With several days’ notice of an impending disaster, Nocco recommends that older adults request extra prescription medications from their pharmacies and remember to bring phone chargers, emergency contacts, credit cards or cash, and extra clothing when evacuating.

“When people are told to evacuate, they trust law enforcement and fire rescue personnel,” said Nocco. “But they also trust their churches to say, ‘Shelter here.” He suggested that churches can serve as effective emergency shelters and proposed that federal resources be used to equip them with generators and hurricane-resistant windows.

Costly Disasters Becoming “New Normal”

“Nearly 20 percent of Americans are in the 65-and-older age group, and the current growth of this population is unprecedented in U.S. history,” said Jennifer Pipa, Vice President of Disaster Programs for the American Red Cross, noting that this demographic shift comes at a time when more frequent and costly disasters are becoming the “new normal.”  Her Red Cross career began in 2004 when she joined the Disaster Action team in Raleigh, North Carolina as a volunteer

According to Pipa, The New York Times reported that following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, nearly half of those who died were age 65 or older. “Sadly, many drowned at home or died from storm-related injuries,” she said.

Pipa also cited other disasters that claimed the lives of older adults. “The 2018 Camp Fire, which burned for 18 days in Paradise, California, resulted in 85 deaths. Many victims were elderly or had disabilities—the average age was 72. In 2023, more than two-thirds of the 102 confirmed victims of the Maui fires were over the age of 60. And last year, Hurricane Helene caused at least 250 deaths in the United States, with many victims being elderly. In North Carolina alone, two out of every three deaths from Hurricane Helene were among adults aged 60 or older,” she added.

“The intersection of these trends—an aging population and significantly more disasters—should concern all of us,” Pipa told the Senators.

She emphasized that the impact of disasters on older Americans doesn’t end when the storm passes. “People over 65 make up nearly 10 percent of American Red Cross emergency shelter populations after evacuations are lifted,” she said.

“Our responders often encounter elderly disaster survivors living in severely damaged homes or in dwellings without power or water. These individuals frequently express fear of losing their homes and property if they leave. In some cases, we meet older adults who are physically or emotionally unable to get to a shelter or find safer housing,” Pipa added.

She highlighted several Red Cross programs tailored to help communities prepare for disasters:

·       Be Red Cross Ready: A free national preparedness education program for adults, taught by certified instructors.

·       Home Fire Campaign – Home Visits: Fire safety guidance tailored for older adults—such as keeping mobility aids, hearing devices, and medications near the bed, or relocating bedrooms to the ground floor. Includes installation of accessible smoke alarms.

·       Caregivers Preparedness Checklist: Developed with AARP to help caregivers ensure both they and their loved ones are prepared.

·       Building Your Support Network: Encourages older adults to develop a network of trusted individuals who can assist during emergencies.

·       Emergency App: Offers customized preparedness tips, particularly for households with older adults, focusing on hurricane and wildfire planning.

Disaster Planning with the Community  

Finally, Luis Vance Taylor, Chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services—who is disabled and uses a wheelchair—stressed the importance of inclusive emergency planning. “Forward-leaning emergency management agencies are ending the practice of planning for the community and are choosing to plan with the community,” he said. Taylor advocated for the creation of Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Advisory Committees at the state and local levels to ensure better outcomes.

“Inclusive planning leads to press conferences with American Sign Language interpreters, critical updates posted in accessible formats, and evacuation resources and shelters that are both physically and programmatically accessible,” he explained.

Taylor also warned that cutting or eliminating agencies like FEMA, ACL, or the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response would have devastating consequences—especially for older adults and people with disabilities. “These agencies need adequate funding to deliver the full range of federal resources required to respond to and recover from large-scale disasters that overwhelm local communities,” he said.

Training programs before disasters occur and crucial when there is no time to think of everything to take with you.  “People forget their chargers. You know what charger? They forget their wheelchair charger,” notes Taylor. “So we have to engage them beforehand. And that comes through training,” he says. 

To watch Senate Aging Committee Disaster Preparedness hearing, go to https://www.aging.senate.gov/hearings/preparing-for-disasters-unique-challenges-facing-older-americans.

The Village helps grandparent/kinship caregivers in need

Published in RINewsToday on September 18, 2023

When we dream about our retirement years, these dreams most likely don’t include images of diapers, children’s tantrums, and school buses. However, for some grandparents and other kinship caregivers, their later years include these images, as they become primary caregivers for their grandchildren/kin children.

Nationally, more than 2.5 million children are being raised in kinship families which includes grandparents, other extended family members, or anyone with an existing relationship with the child or family. When these children cannot be with their parents, the next best thing is being placed with kin.

There are many benefits to staying with kin rather than being placed into the state’s foster care system. These can include experiencing less trauma; increased stability, higher rates of permanency; better behavioral and mental health outcomes; more feelings of belonging and being accepted, increased likelihood of living with or staying connected to their siblings, and a greater sense of cultural identity and connections to family.  

Additionally, kinship caregivers save the U.S economy approximately $ 6 billion dollars per year by keeping children out of formal foster care. Across the nation, there is a growing recognition of the importance and value of kinship caregivers. However, all of this comes at a physical, mental and financial cost to the kinship

The challenges of being a kinship caregiver

A new research study, Caregiver Profile: A Closer Look at Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren, by the National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Family Support (NCFS) at the University of Pittsburg, grandparent caregivers are experiencing a litany of adverse effects causing them to become a particularly vulnerable group. Grandparents are facing a higher rate of disability, lower employment, and a greater likelihood of poverty, says the study’s findings. One quarter of grandparents raising grandchildren live below the poverty line.

“Many challenges exist for grandparent and kin caregivers of children when it comes to navigating the legal and custody landscape while supporting their own needs, from physical and mental health to financial and employment security. We think this data [detailed in the 16 page report released in Sept. 2023] showcases the need to move forward on the recommendations developed by the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) and the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Act Family, Caregiving Advisory Council that can help to support grandparent and kin caregivers,” said Meredith Hughes, JD, MPH, Senior Policy Analyst at University of Pittsburgh Health Policy Institute and Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health.”

 It is important to provide supportive services for grandparents raising grandchildren as many of these caregivers lack the necessary resources to fully support the children in their care. Support in areas such as kinship navigator programs that provide a single-entry point for learning about housing, health services, and financial and legal assistance, along with improved household resources and access to mental health services are needed. Rhode Island has a kinship navigator program for families involved with the department, but currently one does not exist for those who are not involved.  For every family involved with the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families, (DCYF), there are 5 who are not.

Grandparenting in the Ocean State

cording to the U.S. Census bureau, over 13,968 children are living with and being raised by their grandparents in Rhode Island, who make up the largest percentage of relative caregivers. Some kin families are involved with the child welfare system when children have to be removed from their home on an emergency basis. Rhode Island is one of the leading states in the nation in finding and placing children with kin. The state’s long-held philosophy is that children do better by living with kin. Of all the children in the state’s foster care system, around 70% are placed with kin.

For families involved with the DCYF, (known as “formal” kin caregivers) while it can be a distressing experience, they do gain access to needed resources and services, as well as receive monthly stipends and other supports to care for the children. For families who have private arrangements and are not involved with DCYF (“informal” caregivers), finding those resources and services can be challenging. Many if not most of kinship families are not involved with the child welfare system and have no idea that there are any resources. Finding and supporting those families has become one mission of the Cranston-based The Village for RI Foster and Adoptive Families (The Village) and the Warwick-based Hispanic Foster and Adoptive Parents Organization of Rhode Island (The Heart Tree).

The Village, established in 2016 by a group of five foster and adoptive families, provides peer support to all RI foster, adoptive and kin families. The Village provides support through peer mentoring, peer-led support groups and family events, as well as running a “Closet” where families both donate and receive material things such as clothing, toys, diapers etc. The Heart Tree, a sister organization, also provides those same supports in a culturally appropriate manner to our Spanish speaking families. The Heart Tree was established in 2021 to meet the unique needs of Spanish speaking foster, adoptive and kin families.

Sixty-three-year-old Laurie Tapozada is a kinship caregiver who sees the value of the assistance provided by the The Village in raising her 8-year-old grandson. “When it first happened and I was suddenly raising a baby at age 55, I didn’t know one single other family like mine, she said.

“My life was turned on its head, I was struggling to manage my hectic work schedule with a baby and dealing with all sorts of messy and painful family dynamics that come with being a kinship caregiver,” says Tapozada.

According to Tapozada, she had to re-educate herself as to how to safely raise a baby without getting support from family and friends who thought she was “crazy” for taking this on. It was overwhelming and distressing until she received a call from a friend who suggested that she “call the Village and they will understand.”  From that point Tapozada has become actively involved in the kinship community and network, “It been a life changer for me,” she says.

Although Rhode Island is recognized as a leader in ensuring that children removed from homes are placed with kin, increasing support for kin families is a pressing need.  In 2022, the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging awarded a grant (through funding from the U.S. Administration for Community Living overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to the Village and the Heart Tree, to identify informal kin families and help connect them to existing resources, and to the growing kinship caregiver community. 

RIOHA’s grant also funded a multi-faceted effort, in person and online activities, and incorporating traditional print, broadcast, digital and social media communication and training.  Throughout the year, exhibit tables were placed at family events, informational meetings and festivals to get the word out about available resource for kindship caregivers. This grant also created a statewide website where these individuals could go and learn more about resources, as well as find out what is happening in the kin community. This website is www.kinshipcommunityconnections.org.

Project Director Shannon Dos Santos, of the Village, sees the value and positive impact of this grant on Rhode Island’s kinship caregiver families. “I have seen the joy on the faces of many Kinship Caregivers aged 55 and over and their families over the last fifteen months as a result of this grant,” she says, noting that reaching out to this population and getting them to engage has been a challenge. “But when they do – it is beautiful to watch.”

According to Dos Santos, many just feel isolated, overwhelmed and alone. “This grant has allowed us to focus on community outreach and engagement as well as provided us with opportunities to enhance what we at the Village do so well – peer support and family activities!  “It has been a blessing to watch these families come together at these events, form relationships with others in  similar situations and feel safe sharing their experiences,” she says.  

The Village’s Chairman of the Board, Sue Babin, who is also full-time employee and a kinship caregiver, too, added, “This exciting grant initiative has provided The Village with an opportunity to continue to do what we do best… peer outreach and support from people with lived experiences.” And, while RI OHA’s grant ends this month, additional funding will extend the program for 12 months, she says.

For info about The Village for RI Foster & Adoptive Families (The Village), go to https://www.rivillage.org/. Or call (401) 481-5483.

For info about Hispanic Foster and Adoptive Parents Organization of Rhode Island (The Heart Tree), go to https://sites.google.com/view/thehearttree/homeinicio?authuser=1.  Or Call (401) 306-9652.

For info about Kinship Community Connections, go to https://kinshipcommunityconnections.org/

WPRI 12’ s Rhode Island Video on Foster Care Month, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhI206EXBfQ.

For a copy of the recently released research study, Caregiver Profile: A Closer Look at Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren, by NCFS at the University of Pittsburg, go to

https://www.caregiving.pitt.edu/caregiver-profile-closer-look-grandparents-caring-grandchildren