April 17, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Sarah Mashburn, AAHSA, (202) 508-9492

Statement from Larry Minnix, President & CEO,

American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) on the Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing, “Caring for Our Seniors: How Can We Support the Frontlines?”

“We commend the Special Committee on Aging for examining the workforce issues that our nation must address to meet the needs of aging society.

It’s no secret that caregiving is at the heart of quality. As we enter the “Era of the Caregivers,” it is time that legislators take on the challenges, as well as the opportunities, we encounter in caring for our country’s must vulnerable citizens. Investing in workforce education and development programs, providing incentives for those who pursue careers in geriatrics, offering more competitive wages and benefits to direct caregivers and encouraging technology applications in caregiving are all ways to move forward the vision of quality in aging services as an automatic public expectation.

We urge the Committee members to create legislation that will advance solutions to the issues raised at the hearing. Working together, we can support caregivers at all levels as they provide the services people need, when they need them, in place they call home.”

---

About AAHSA
The members of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (www.aahsa.org) help millions of individuals and their families every day through mission-driven, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to providing the services that people need, when they need them, in the place they call home. Our 5,800 member organizations, many of which have served their communities for generations, offer the continuum of aging services: adult day services, home health, community services, senior housing, assisted living residences, continuing care retirement communities and nursing homes. AAHSA’s commitment is to create the future of aging services through quality people can trust.