Throughout 2015, AARP has been fighting for you and your family in states across the country, focused on the key issues you’re facing in your daily lives. Because of this work, millions of family caregivers have more support and millions of workers will soon have a way to save for retirement through their job.

We couldn’t do this work without the state legislators and other elected officials who write, support and move legislation, who work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get things done, and who come together to pass those critical votes that turn bills into law.

To recognize these leaders, AARP announces:

• The second bipartisan class of Capitol Caregivers, those who have fought to bring more support to family caregivers and their loved ones
• The inaugural class of Super Savers, those who have fought to help Americans retire with confidence
  
  

Capitol Caregivers
Every day, 40 million Americans help their older parents, spouses and other loved ones live independently at home — where they want to be. They provide transportation, cook meals, manage finances, perform complex medical tasks, help with bathing and dressing, and so much more.

While caregiving is a labor of love, family caregivers face huge responsibilities. That’s why AARP is fighting for commonsense solutions to make these big responsibilities a little bit easier — and we’ve seen real progress in states across the country.

AARP’s 2015 class of Capitol Caregivers includes the state elected officials who were integral to the passage of key caregiving legislation this year. The inaugural class of Capitol Caregivers was announced in 2014. This year, AARP recognizes 79 state legislators, 2 lieutenant governors, and 8 governors from 25 states who helped family caregivers by:

• Passing the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act to support family caregivers when their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home
• Expanding nurse scope of practice so they can heal to the full extent of their authority
• Increasing services that allow family caregivers to take a hard-earned break
• Passing a bill to help working caregivers balance responsibilities at home and work
• Creating a registry of home care workers to allow family caregivers access to private-pay workers who can help provide care in the home
• Passing the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protect Proceedings Jurisdiction Act to ensure adult guardianship laws are consistent and honored from state to state
• Passing power of attorney legislation to help protect vulnerable adults and provide their caregivers with the tools they need to make important financial decisions
  
  

A list of AARP’s 2015 Capitol Caregivers and the legislation they championed can be found here.

Super Savers
Today, 45 percent of working-age households have zero saved for retirement. At AARP, we believe you should retire with confidence. That’s why we’ve been fighting for Work and Save, a convenient way to save for retirement through an easy payroll deduction at work — a tool that increases savings rates by 15 times.

AARP’s inaugural class of Super Savers includes those elected officials who were integral to the passage of Work and Save plans in 2015. The class includes six state legislators and two state treasurers from three states who helped their residents save for the future.

A list of AARP’s 2015 Super Savers and the legislation they championed can be found here.

More work to do
In 2016, AARP will continue to work with elected officials in state capitols across the country and fight for the issues that matter to you and your family.

______________________________________________________________________
Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

Also of Interest

• AARP urges U.S. Senate to pass RAISE Act to support family caregivers
• Foods you should avoid before going to bed
• Contact AARP Foundation’s Housing Solutions Center for free foreclosure prevention counseling
• Join AARP: savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.

By Nancy LeaMond

The president’s actions following his final State of the Union will have an impact on Americans 50-plus in the many years after he finishes his second term. Here are four takeaways for you and your family to keep an eye on in the future:

The Important Rule That Could Save Consumers $17 Billion a Year

On Tuesday night the president, said, “For everyone else, especially folks in their 40s and 50s, saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher. But they shouldn’t lose what they’ve already worked so hard to build.” One of the most immediate pending action items for the president is the proposed rule to close the loophole on conflicted investment advice. The rule would require financial advisers who don’t already do so to adhere to a standard that demands advice in the best interest of their client. The White House estimates closing this loophole could save retirement savers $17 billion per year, which all Americans, especially those trying hard to save for the future, can use.

It is our belief that the proposed rule will move ahead in the president’s final year to give Americans better access to the advice they deserve.

Quiz: What problems do low-income older Americans face?

Social Security and Medicare

While the president did not discuss specifics around Social Security and Medicare, he said, “That’s why Social Security and Medicare are more important than ever; we shouldn’t weaken them, we should strengthen them.”

Medicare and Social Security are two of the most popular and successful government programs ever created. Our next president will need to take steps to strengthen these programs, and in particular we are asking candidates to take a stand on how they’d update Social Security to ensure its solvency and adequacy. Our volunteers and staff will be working hard to get the presidential candidates to talk about Social Security and provide specifics during the campaign.

Retirement Accounts

It’s no secret that Americans aren’t saving enough to be able to afford a comfortable retirement, and one reason for this is lack of easy access to retirement savings vehicles. Right now 55 million Americans don’t have a workplace savings plan, and we’re working to change that on the state and federal levels. The president said, “And even if he’s going from job to job, he should still be able to save for retirement and take his savings with him. That’s the way we make the new economy work better for everyone.”

We agree with the president that Americans should have portable vehicles that they can take with them from job to job and want to see increased access to savings vehicles. Another pending proposed rule will encourage greater efforts to expand coverage at the state level.

Contact AARP Foundation’s Housing Solutions Center for free foreclosure prevention counseling

Working Together

The president spoke a great deal about compromise and working together. AARP will continue our efforts to work with the president and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to get things done, especially in the key areas of financial and health security. With the support of our members, volunteers and the public, we’ll continue to advocate for those policies that help all Americans as they age, in 2016 and beyond.

The president said, “There are a whole lot of folks in this chamber who would like to see more cooperation, a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the demands of getting elected. I know; you’ve told me. And if we want a better politics, it’s not enough to just change a congressman or a senator or even a president; we have to change the system to reflect our better selves.”

One example of how we’re bridging party lines for our “better selves” is AARP’s continued work on family caregiving. AARP is working with governors, state legislators and community partners to help older Americans live independently — and fight for the family caregivers who safely help them stay in their homes as they age. We’re also celebrating those who help older parents, spouses and other loved ones to remain in their homes with I Heart Caregivers.

Also of Interest

• AARP announces 2015 Capitol Caregivers and Super Savers
• Blocking unwanted phone calls
• Over 50 and looking for a job? BACK TO WORK 50+ can help.
• Join AARP: savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.

With 2015 behind us, it’s the season of “best of 2015” and “bold predictions for 2016” lists. Consider this a hybrid.

Looking back, there were seven important happenings and victories for older Americans and their families in 2015. They happened in Washington, D.C., state legislatures and communities across the country and will help improve the lives of millions of people.

In some cases, we solved long-standing challenges, including protecting seniors’ access to their doctors. In other areas, like supporting family caregiving, we created important momentum — and will continue advancing the issue in 2016.

Quiz: What problems do low-income older Americans face?

1. Supporting family caregivers became a legislative issue. Elected officials at the state and federal levels have started to take commonsense steps to support America’s 40 million family caregivers — who help their older parents, spouses and other loved ones to live independently at home — and moved this deeply personal and family issue into a bipartisan legislative arena. In 2015 alone, 31 states passed 40 bills to support more than 27 million family caregivers; in the U.S. Capitol, the bipartisan, bicameral Assisting Caregivers Today (ACT) Caucus launched to bring greater focus to family caregiving; and the U.S. Senate passed the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act, to create a national strategy to support family caregivers.
   
   
2. Seniors’ access to doctors was protected. Every year (and sometimes more often) Congress has scrambled to prevent Medicare patients from losing their doctors due to a flawed doctor payment system. This annual “doc fix” had created an environment of uncertainty for doctors and their patients. But last year, Congress finally acted to replace the system with one that emphasizes fair payment, quality and value without forcing seniors to pay more. This commonsense solution will help ensure doctors deliver the best care for seniors.
   
   
3. There was progress on closing a retirement savings loophole. For decades, a dangerous loophole has made it easy for some financial advisers to tell you where you should put your money based on what’s best for their pocketbooks. The result? Americans end up in riskier investments with higher fees and lower returns — and Wall Street makes billions. Up to $17 billion in retirement savings every year is lost, according to some estimates. That’s why AARP fought for a new U.S. Department of Labor standard that, if it goes into effect, will hold anyone who gives investment advice genuinely accountable for helping you choose the best investment for you and your family. But Wall Street special interests and their allies in Congress are still trying to stop it, so AARP will keep up the fight in 2016.
   
   
4. Crossing the street became safer. Every two hours, a pedestrian is killed because of unsafe streets and crosswalks. The demand for safer streets is growing, and many states and communities have adopted Safe Streets policies and redesigned their streets to help prevent these deaths. In 2015, Congress recognized this demand by requiring the secretary of transportation to encourage states and regions to adopt Safe Streets design standards that make streets safe and convenient for all users of the road, including pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. This year, it’s time to act on this federal guidance and create safer streets, because crossing the street shouldn’t mean crossing your fingers.
   
   
5. Huge spikes in Medicare costs were stopped. Millions of seniors almost saw huge increases to their Medicare costs. Fortunately, the year-end budget agreement reached by Congress protected seniors’ hard-earned money and stopped this huge spike.
   
   
6. Social Security disability benefits protected. Without action, 11 million people could have seen devastating cuts of 20 percent to their Social Security disability benefits. But, in that same year-end budget measure I just mentioned, there was a bipartisan agreement to prevent those harmful cuts, ensure the Social Security Disability Trust Fund remains sound until 2022, and reduce fraud and abuse in the disability program.
   
   
7. States led the charge in helping workers retire with confidence. At the start of 2015, 55 million Americans lacked access to a retirement savings plan at work — a tool that increases saving rates 15 times. Now, thanks to historic legislation passed in three states last year, 4.2 million workers will soon have a way to save for their future at their job. And the federal government issued guidance which will hopefully lead more states to consider these plans in 2016.

In 2016, AARP will continue to work across the country — fighting for you and your family — to help workers save toward a more secure and independent retirement, give family caregivers the support they need, make communities more walkable and livable, ensure Social Security is financially sound for future generations, protect Medicare from harmful cuts and more.

Contact AARP Foundation’s Housing Solutions Center for free foreclosure prevention counseling

Photo: iStock/Cathy Yeulet

Also of Interest

• 4 State of the Union Takeaways for People Age 50+
• Blocking unwanted phone calls
• Over 50 and looking for a job? BACK TO WORK 50+ can help.
• Join AARP: savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.

If someone asked you, “What will have a major impact on our economy in the coming years,” what would you say? Probably not, “Our aging population,” right?

But, yes, our economy is being shaped by our aging demographics in a big way. You may not even notice the changes, but they’re happening.

Here are seven things you need to know about intersection of the economy and our aging society:

Quiz: What problems do low-income older Americans face?

1. There will be a lot more older adults. According to the U.S. Census, there are nearly 46 million people age 65-plus today; that number is projected to increase to 73 million by 2030. By then, fully one out of five people in the country will be age 65 and older.

2. Out-of-pocket health care costs for older adults are increasing. Currently, the average out-of-pocket health care cost for a person with Medicare is roughly $4,700 a year. And, looking forward those costs are expected to increase.

3. It is difficult to save enough for retirement. Today, just about half of American households do not have a retirement account at all. And almost half of baby boomers & Gen Xers will lack the income to meet basic retirement expenses and health care.

4. Communities across the country are all aging. According to the Census, between today and 2030, every state will see the percent of its population age 65-plus increase.

5. There will be more 50-plus people in the workforce. In 2002, 25 percent of all workers were 50-plus. But, by 2022, 35 percent of people in the labor force will be age 50-plus.

6. The 50-plus will continue to be a dynamic economic force. Oxford Economics recently calculated that $7.1 trillion is the estimated economic activity of people 50-plus in the United States. By 2032, that number is expected to be close to $13.5 trillion.

7. 80 percent of people 45-plus want to receive care in their homes, not costly institutions. This will drive new focus on the roughly 40 million family caregivers who provide the majority of that care. That unpaid care is currently valued at $470 billion to our nation’s economy. That is more than the total money donated to charities by people and companies in 2014.

Importantly, behind each of these numbers and facts are everyday people – taking care of mom and dad, going on their daily walk around their neighborhood, starting their first business at age 58, and checking their 401k statement to see how much they have saved for their future.

Contact AARP Foundation’s Housing Solutions Center for free foreclosure prevention counseling

There will be some challenges that we will face and there will also be plenty of positives. But without a doubt, our aging population will have profound effects on the economy.

Photo: iStock Georgijevic

Also of Interest

• 7 Legislative Happenings for Older Americans
• Blocking unwanted phone calls
• Over 50 and looking for a job? BACK TO WORK 50+ can help.
• Join AARP: savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.

A voter casts her primary ballot at the town hall in Canterbury, N.H.

In Iowa, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton squeaked out a victory — the closest margin of victory the Iowa Democratic caucus has ever seen — over Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. On the Republican side, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas won, stunning Donald Trump. Fast forward a week to New Hampshire and we find that the “second-place winners” of the caucuses claimed decisive victories. The “Firsts in the Nation” set us up for a really interesting race in both the Republican primary in South Carolina and the Democratic caucus in Nevada. Across all of these races, a big reason that each winning candidate won — in each state — is the same: the age 50-plus vote.

• This year the Iowa caucuses had the largest turnout of voters ever — 180,000 eligible voters. Of those, approximately 63 percent of Republican caucus-goers and 58 percent of Democratic caucus-goers were 50 or older. And both Cruz and Clinton owe a large part of their victories in Iowa to the 50-plus.
• The same is true in New Hampshire — which might surprise some considering Sanders’ appeal to younger voters. Fifty-seven percent of Republican primary voters and 51 percent of Democrats were 50 or older — encompassing over one-half of Trump’s total votes and nearly one-third of Sanders’ total.
• In South Carolina, Trump, who led early in polls, beat out Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida by 10 percent of the vote. His win was largely due to the 50-plus vote, which made up for 63 percent of his total vote.
• And in Nevada, Clinton beat out Sanders by 6 percent of the total vote. While the other races were heavily influenced by the 50-plus, Clinton’s win in Nevada was especially linked to her turnout of this segment — which encompassed 74 percent of her total vote.

That is an amazing amount of support on both the Republican and Democratic sides from one age group! And it goes to show just how engaged and powerful 50-plus voters are this election cycle.

AARP is encouraging all of the candidates to #TakeAStand and state their plans for Social Security. Our members, and the nation as a whole, deserve to know what each candidate has in store for this important program.

Our volunteers are hard at work to hold the candidates accountable.

• In Iowa, our volunteers attended more than 95 events, and placed close to 35,000 calls.
• In New Hampshire, we hit 94 events and made close to 50,000 calls.
• In South Carolina, our staff and volunteers hit 70 events and made over 44,000 calls

Every candidate should have a stance on Social Security. Does yours? Sign our petition here »

Looking forward, we expect the trend of high 50-plus participation in this election to continue — and our volunteers will be out in full force asking the candidates for their specific plans on Social Security! Based on the results in South Carolina especially, we could see the same sort of turnout throughout the so called SEC primaries on March 1.

While no result is a sure bet, one thing is certain: Our members view having a Social Security plan as a test of leadership and will push the remaining candidates to #TakeAStand on Social Security, if they haven’t already done so. There are a lot of twists and turns on the road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but ultimately, 50-plus voters will need to be a big part of any candidate’s coalition in order to win.

For more information on the candidates stances on Social Security, please visit Take A Stand.

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Also of Interest

• Discussion: Is Social Security progressive or regressive?
• 10 Items you should rent instead of buy
• Fighting hunger among older Native Americans
• Join AARP: savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.

President Obama at AARP headquarters a year ago.

We all rely on advice — from friends, family and, at times, complete strangers. Sometimes you get good advice and other times you get advice that is not in your best interest. But if you get advice from a professional like a doctor, a lawyer or a financial professional, you should be able to rely on knowing that it will always be in your best interest.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case when it comes to financial advice. While some financial professionals are held to a standard that requires them to give advice that is in your best interest, others are not held to that same standard. Because of this, some may put their clients’ hard-earned retirement savings into investments that may have higher fees or give higher commissions to the adviser. The White House estimates that this costs millions of retirement savers about $17 billion per year.

How to achieve your retirement goals

Taking action on this $17 billion problem, one year ago today, President Barack Obama came to AARP to join members of the Save Our Retirement Coalition — including the Consumer Federation of America, Better Markets, Americans for Financial Reform, the Pension Rights Center, AFSCME and the AFL-CIO — to announce a proposed rule to close this loophole and protect workers’ and retirees’ hard-earned retirement savings.

On that day, the president said, “There are a lot of very fine financial advisers out there, but there are financial advisers who receive backdoor payments or hidden fees for steering people into bad retirement investments that have high fees and low returns…. They might even recommend investments with worse returns simply because they get paid to recommend those products.”

The rule that was proposed nearly a year ago would require financial advisers to do one simple thing, if they don’t already do it — ensure any advice they give is in the best interest of their client. In doing this, it would also update the regulations covering retirement advice that were enacted in 1975 — a time when more people were covered by defined benefit pensions and the IRA and 401(k) plan were just coming on the scene.

While it’s easy to get caught up in inside-baseball terms like “fiduciary,” fundamentally this rule is about protecting everyday workers who are saving their hard-earned money for their future and stopping a drain on their accounts that many weren’t aware of.

Since the rule was proposed, the Department of Labor has received more than 3,000 comments and 300,000 petitions from people representing every state in support of regulations to close the loopholes in current law.

Quiz: How much do you know about credit and debt?

After nearly a year of deliberations and thoughtful responses to comments, AARP is hopeful that the proposed rule will be finalized soon, helping Americans get access to the financial advice they deserve. They should know that the $100 they put away each paycheck is being invested with their best interest in mind, not Wall Street’s.

Go here to tell your member of Congress to support the Department of Labor’s regulations to close the loopholes in current law.

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

Also of Interest

• How to get the best financial advice? Ask the right questions
• Social Security changes in 2016
• Donate to help fight senior hunger
• Join AARP: savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.

The story of David and Goliath is usually told when someone who is facing daunting odds and isn’t supposed to win does just that — wins.

Whether it’s an underrated Cinderella story in March Madness, the Cubs and the World Series — if they ever get there again — or when Wall Street actually loses to “we the people.” These stories are sadly all too few. But today we scored one for the little guy: The Obama administration finalized the proposed conflict of interest regulation, which will require advisers to always put the interests of their clients first. It seems like common sense, but until now it wasn’t the law of the land — proving that common sense is not that common after all.

Fortunately, in this case, common sense has prevailed and will help protect people from an estimated $17 billion lost to conflicted advice every year.

Once the regulation goes into effect, we have the ability to go to a financial adviser and trust that the advice that they provide is in our best interest, all the time. Because at the core of any type of advisory situation, you want to know that you can trust that person. And while not all advisers are untrustworthy, the ones that are can no longer hide behind this loophole. At the end of the day, it’s your money and it’s your future. You tirelessly focus on trying to get ahead, maybe even retire someday. You should be able to invest your hard-earned money with the confidence that your investments are in your own best interest — because you earned it. We heard this refrain across the country, as more than 26,300 individuals sent in petitions to the Department of Labor and Capitol Hill urging action on this loophole. Another 100,000-plus committed AARP activists contacted their members of Congress in support of action. Their efforts have paid off.

So, yes, we are taking a moment to celebrate this victory for millions of Americans.

It’s this type of situation that brings out a large theme that we hear during election years — that the system is broken or stacked against the little guy. I’m not saying that the system is completely fixed — we have a long way to go before that can be said. But David has now reminded Goliath who was really in charge of people’s money — the people. Today, millions of Americans across this country can finally trust that our money stays just that — ours.

En español | You may have played dodgeball as a child. If you didn’t, the premise is pretty simple: Dodge any ball that is hurled in your direction while trying to throw balls at other players to knock them out of the game. The last two people in the game usually square off in some form of “chicken,” and the last person standing wins.

Sounds eerily reminiscent of our political process for the presidency too, doesn’t it? Avoid specifics and instead hurl volleys at the other players.

Voters deserve better. That’s why AARP launched Take a Stand — a national campaign to press the presidential candidates to lay out their plans to make Social Security financially sound and ensure it provides adequate income for future generations. We did this in hopes of avoiding the dodgeball game.  But when asked where they stand on the future of Social Security, most of the candidates are still playing a game of dodgeball.

So we commissioned a nationwide survey of likely voters 50 and older to ask, among other things, what qualities the next president should have. Not surprising, one of the top characteristics mentioned: leadership.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why 86 percent of people said leadership as a very important quality; after all, the president is the leader of our government. But right now, the candidates for president are not leading the policy debate, especially when it comes to Social Security.

America needs the candidates to prove that they can lead. A key component of that is having a Social Security plan. In total, 82 percent of 50-plus voters view having a Social Security plan as a basic threshold of leadership. Furthermore, people want specifics about that plan. “Raising the retirement age” or “expanding Social Security” are just sound bites; those statements aren’t specific enough for Americans to understand what a candidate means. Why don’t we talk about how and who is affected if the retirement age is increased? Does that include individuals that are performing hard, laborious work? How do we pay for an expansion of benefits?

To be completely frank, 50-plus voters don’t want a sound bite; they want a candidate’s plan.

And it’s easy to understand why the 50-plus are so concerned about Social Security. Nearly 40 percent of the respondents are dissatisfied with their retirement savings.

That’s especially worrisome because if our leaders fail to update Social Security, future retirees could lose, up to $10,000 a year. When you’re living on a fixed income or what is left of your 401(k), that’s a significant loss. Additionally, with the Great Recession just behind us, financial concerns are also job related. Even in this improved job market, individuals age 50 and older still face uphill battles regarding reemployment. In 2014, 45 percent of unemployed people 55 and older were jobless for longer than 27 weeks, which potentially means delaying saving for retirement or even delaying retirement itself.

But assuming that you are in a stable employment position, the realization that you will need to live off what’s left of savings or what you get from Social Security can be frightening. To put that in perspective, here are a few facts:

• The Employee Benefit Research Institute estimated that 47 percent of boomers and Gen Xers will not meet the basic retirement and health expenses in retirement itself.
• Currently, some 55 million private-sector workers do not have access to retirement savings provisions at their place of work.
• And with the growth in long term care (LTC) costs — a  room in a nursing home costs an average of $80,300 a year, and a home health aide costs $45,760 — cash-strapped 50-plus individuals are just hurt even further financially.

These types of impending costs, coupled with Washington’s lack of action in numerous ways, are weighing heavy on 50-plus voters’ hearts this election cycle. One in three respondents felt that D.C. gridlock seriously affected their financial situation. Instead of the substantive debate that we deserve, we get name-calling and rancor.

You may be thinking, “Why should the candidates care about this poll?” Because Americans 50 and older have been the largest voting bloc in the election so far. Just over half of the votes in the Democratic primaries and nearly 60 percent of the votes in the Republican primaries have been cast by 50-plus voters! If I were running, I’d take the majority of the people electing me seriously; so too should the candidates.

Americans are tired of playing childish games when it comes to the future and the serious challenges that face our nation. I encourage the candidates to Take a Stand and talk about the specifics of their plans for Social Security today, so that the national discussion on Social Security may begin. That is what the 50-plus and the rest of America are looking for in a presidential candidate — the courage to lead.

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

En español | Think for a moment how busy and chaotic everyday life can be: juggling careers, kids, finances and more. Now imagine also caring for a parent, spouse or child with a disability, maybe even around the clock. Every day about 40 million Americans — myself included — care for our loved ones so they can live independently at home and in their communities, where they want to be.

We drive to appointments, prepare meals, manage medications and so much more. We also work, and face financial demands. Yes, the responsibilities of being a family caregiver can certainly be overwhelming and stressful.

Laurie from Maryland cares for her husband, Bill, who suffers from Parkinson’s. She shared her family’s story as part of AARP’s I Heart Caregivers initiative. Laurie retired from her full-time job as a teacher so she could provide more assistance to Bill, but she needed to find part-time work to help make ends meet. She says, “When I retired I lost a lot of income and I lost a lot of future income…. I’m just drawing down my savings.” In addition to a significant pay cut after retiring, Laurie incurs added expenses as a caregiver, including transportation, worsening their financial situation. “My goal is to keep our financial heads above water,” she shares.

Laurie is not alone. Most family caregivers juggle helping their loved ones while working full or part time. Some have to leave the workforce entirely to focus solely on caregiving responsibilities, putting their own financial security at risk.

Credit for Caring Act
A new, bipartisan bill, the Credit for Caring Act (H.R. 4708/S. 2759) — introduced in the U.S. House last month and the U.S. Senate today — is a commonsense step to help address the financial challenges of family caregivers, helping them stay in the workforce and be more secure financially. The legislation would provide a new, nonrefundable federal tax credit of up to $3,000 for eligible family caregivers who work and use their own money to help care for a loved one.

In a national survey conducted last year, AARP found the strong majority (83 percent) of registered voters age 40 and older support providing a federal income tax credit for family caregivers. Not surprisingly, this support crosses party lines. After all, family caregiving isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue — it’s a family issue.

AARP has endorsed the Credit for Caring Act. We thank the U.S. House sponsors of the Credit for Caring Act, Reps. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) and Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), and the U.S. Senate sponsors, Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), for their bipartisan leadership on this bill.

In addition to easing some financial costs for family caregivers, the Credit for Caring Act tax credit could help:

• Provide relief so family caregivers can take a hard-earned break;
• Help working family caregivers pay for home care or other support so they can continue working while also fulfilling their family caregiving responsibilities.
  
  

Have you used your own money to care for a loved one? 
Share your story and help us fight for caregiving families.

Contact Your Legislators Today
Family caregivers are the backbone of care systems in the U.S. We provide $470 billion in unpaid care annually, helping to delay or prevent more expensive institutional care for older Americans and persons with disabilities — saving taxpayers money.

Please join me in urging your U.S. senators and representative to cosponsor the Credit for Caring Act, a commonsense step forward to support America’s greatest support system: family caregivers.

Contact your U.S. senators and representative now.

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Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

En inglés | Piensa en cuán ajetreada y caótica la vida diaria puede ser, al buscar un balance entre tu carrera, hijos, finanzas y más. Ahora imagina también tener que cuidar de un padre, cónyuge o hijo con discapacidad, quizás las 24 horas del día. Cada día unas 40 millones de personas en Estados Unidos cuidan de sus seres queridos —como yo— para que puedan vivir de manera independiente en el hogar y en sus comunidades, donde desean estar.

Ayuda: Centro de Recursos para el que Cuida

Los llevamos a las citas médicas, preparamos comidas, administramos sus medicamentos y mucho más. También trabajamos y nos enfrentamos con el estrés financiero.  Sí, las responsabilidades de un cuidador pueden resultar abrumadoras y estresantes.

Laurie, de Maryland, cuida de su esposo Bill, quien sufre de la enfermedad de Parkinson. Ella compartió la historia de su familia como parte de la iniciativa I Heart Caregivers (Amo a los cuidadores) de AARP. Laurie se jubiló de su empleo a tiempo completo como maestra para poder prestarle más atención a Bill, pero tuvo que buscar un trabajo a tiempo parcial para poder llegar a fin de mes. “Cuando me jubilé perdí muchos ingresos, al igual que ingresos futuros… Estoy utilizando mis ahorros”, dice.  Además del gran recorte salarial luego de jubilarse, Laurie tiene nuevos gastos como cuidadora, como el transporte, lo que está empeorando su situación económica.  “Mi meta es mantener nuestras finanzas a flote…”, comenta.

Laurie no está sola. La mayoría de los cuidadores (en inglés) familiares tienen que encontrar un equilibrio entre ayudar a sus seres queridos al mismo tiempo que trabajan, ya sea a tiempo completo o parcial. Algunos se ven obligados a abandonar la fuerza laboral para poder centrarse completamente en sus responsabilidades como cuidadores, lo que pone su propia seguridad económica en riesgo.

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Credit for Caring Act (Ley federal de crédito tributario para los cuidadores familiares)
Una nueva ley bipartidista Credit for Caring Act(ley de crédito tributario para los cuidadores familiares) —se sometió en el Congreso de EE. UU. el mes pasado y hoy en el Senado— es un paso razonable para abordar los desafíos económicos de los cuidadores familiares, pues los ayuda a continuar trabajando y a tener más estabilidad económica. La ley ofrecería un crédito tributario federal no reembolsable de hasta $3,000 para los cuidadores familiares que cumplan con los requisitos, es decir que trabajen y utilicenn su propio dinero para cuidar de un ser querido.

En una encuesta a nivel nacional llevada a cabo el año pasado, AARP encontró que la gran mayoría de los votantes registrados de 40 años o más (un 83%) apoyan el ofrecimiento de un crédito tributario federal para los cuidadores familiares. No resulta sorprendente que este apoyo cruza las líneas de partidos políticos.  Al fin y al cabo, la prestación de cuidados familiares no es un problema republicano o demócrata, es un problema familiar.

AARP apoya la ley Credit for Caring Act.  Agradecemos a los patrocinadores de la Credit for Caring Act en el Congreso de EE. UU., los representantes Tom Reed (R-NY) y Linda Sánchez (D-CA) y los patrocinadores en el Senado de EE. UU., los senadores Joni Ernst (R-IA) y Michael Bennet (D-CO) por su liderazgo bipartidista en cuanto a esta ley.

Ahorra en tus compras con los descuentos de AARP.

Además de aliviar algunos de los costos financieros de los cuidadores familiares, el crédito tributario de esta ley puede ayudar a:

• Dar alivio para que los cuidadores familiares puedan tomar un descanso muy merecido.
• También permitirá que los cuidadores familiares puedan costear cuidados en el hogar o algún otro tipo de apoyo que les permita continuar trabajando y cumpliendo con sus responsabilidades como cuidadores familiares.

Comunícate con los legisladores de tu estado hoy

Los cuidadores familiares son el pilar de los sistemas de cuidados en Estados Unidos. Nosotros proporcionamos $470 mil millones ($470 billion) anualmente en la prestación de cuidados no remunerada, lo que ayuda a demorar o evitar cuidados costosos en instituciones especializadas para adultos mayores y personas con discapacidades en Estados Unidos —y les ahorra dinero a los contribuyentes—.

La ley Credit for Caring Act es un paso razonable para apoyar al mayor sistema de apoyo de EE. UU.: los cuidadores familiares.

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Foto: AARP

You may not have been aware, but this week is National Volunteer Week — a time to thank our nation’s more than 62 million volunteers for the experience and passion they dedicate to improving their communities. Those millions of volunteers’ contributions total an annual economic value of $184 billion.

At AARP, we know how valuable those contributions are in making our communities stronger. In partnership with the nearly 60,000 exceptional volunteers who join us every day, we work to improve the lives of people age 50 and over and their families. AARP volunteers advocate for critical issues, such as updating Social Security and supporting family caregivers, and provide direct services and educational programs, like free tax-preparation assistance, helping drivers stay safe on the roads, mentoring struggling students to become better readers and much, much more.

Why do they do it? Last year, we asked, and here’s what our volunteers told us. The top reason AARP volunteers give their time is to make a difference in their local community. 

And we were honored to find that 90 percent strongly or somewhat agree that their volunteer work does make a difference. That tangible difference is what makes all of the effort worthwhile and why 8 in 10 said they were very likely to continue volunteering with AARP this year.

Volunteering at AARP is personal to me, as my parents were members of the AARP chapter in Milburn, N.J., for years. Through their work, I gained a strong appreciation for all those who go out, many in addition to their everyday jobs, and give back to the communities where they live and work. The commitment of our volunteers never ceases to energize me; we are fortunate to have so many dedicated people volunteer their time and brainpower, not only here at AARP, but around the country.

So, during this week in which we honor our nation’s volunteers, please take a moment to reach out to the volunteers in your life. Share your thanks, of course, but more important, let them know that the work they do truly matters. It’s a message they need and deserve to hear. Not just during National Volunteer Week, but year round.

Consider joining their ranks! Visit Create the Good to find causes and opportunities that speak to you.

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

Painting of Will and Ann

One morning six years ago, Ann’s life changed forever.

Her husband, Will, suffered a massive stroke while on the job. On that day, Ann became a family caregiver, joining the ranks of 40 million Americans who help their loved ones maintain their dreams of living independently in their homes and communities.

Suddenly, tough new challenges entered everyday life. Ann left her paid job to become Will’s full-time family caregiver. She was responsible for everything from managing his medications and helping with his meals to transportation and personal care.

Just getting Will home from rehab was a challenge in itself, because he needed a wheelchair, and their house had 28 steps in front, 10 in the back. Fortunately, Ann’s son, who is a firefighter, and a helpful neighbor were able to lift Will up the steps.

Family Caregiving 101
“Sometimes I would just lay my head on my desk because I was so worn out,” Ann recently said at a Capitol Hill briefing that was organized by AARP and other national organizations.

Ann at the U.S. Capitol

We named the briefing “Family Caregiving 101” because it is so important for policymakers to understand the needs of family caregivers, what they do, the challenges they face and the limited support that is available to them.

Family caregivers like Ann provide all kinds of assistance to parents, spouses, children with disabilities and other loved ones — often at a major personal cost. Their unpaid labors of love enable millions to live independently and have been valued at $470 billion annually, more than all spending on paid long-term services and supports.

‘Disrupt Aging’ — Read the book that is smashing stereotypes » 

The Family Caregiving 101 briefing highlighted important facts about the challenges family caregivers face, including their varied needs and certain government services they should be aware of:

• “There is no one-size-fits-all policy solution,” said Kirsten Colello, a specialist on health and aging with the Congressional Research Service. Only 1 in 4 family caregivers receives services that directly support them, according to research, she pointed out.
• Ralph Lollar, a director at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, recalled how a woman told him her husband would have been able to die at home instead of in a nursing facility if she had known about available benefits, such as a ramp and vehicle modifications. At the same time, services are not always available where or when a family caregiver needs them, or the caregiver may not be eligible for them.
• Veterans make up 10 percent of family caregivers, as well as 14 percent of those who need caregiving, said Meg Kabat of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Though those caring for a veteran face unique challenges, family caregivers of veterans and nonveterans confront similar issues.
• “I think it’s safe to say that each of the 40 million caregivers in the U.S. has their own unique story to share, and everyone has a different set of challenges they face,” said Greg Link of the Administration for Community Living/U.S. Administration on Aging.
  
  

Are you a family caregiver? Share your story and help us fight for family caregivers.

Family Caregivers Need Support
During her caregiving experience to date, Ann has left her paid job, learned about resources, figured out how to navigate the health system, hired personal care aides to help Will and to give her a break to go get a flu shot or run errands, and put together her own support network of family and friends.

The needs of family caregivers will vary widely and likely evolve over time. For Ann, she feels blessed to have found support and some piece of mind. She wants other family caregivers to have access to the help they need, and so do I.

That’s why AARP is fighting for commonsense solutions to support family caregivers. And we’re starting to see some momentum in the right direction.

First, AARP commends the bipartisan, bicameral Assisting Caregivers Today (ACT) Caucus for taking a leadership role in elevating the conversation about family caregiving, and working to forge an environment and context conducive to reaching bipartisan solutions.

AARP has endorsed bipartisan bills in Congress to support family caregivers including:

• The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers (RAISE) Act, which would create a national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers, and has passed the U.S. Senate.

• The Credit for Caring Act, which would create a federal tax credit of up to $3,000 for family caregivers who provide financial assistance to their loved ones, while also working.

These bills enjoy support from both Democrats and Republicans, which brings up a critical point: Family caregiving is a deeply personal issue; it’s a family issue, not a partisan one. Support for family caregivers is a goal that unites us as Americans.

I urge you to contact your members of Congress and ask them to support America’s
greatest support system: family caregivers. Call 844-259-9351 today.

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

Allen and Chasity

Eleven years ago, Allen returned from Iraq, having survived an IED blast that inflicted both significant physical and emotional harm. This military veteran, husband, and father of two young children now faced a life-changing, long and tough road to recovery.  Standing by him, as she promised “in sickness and in health,” is his wife of 16 years, Chasity. For this full-time teacher and mom, the day Allen came home, injured and anxious, her life was changed dramatically. She was thrust into a new, overwhelming role: caring 24/7 for her husband.

Chasity shares,

“He was injured by a IED blast and suffers from traumatic brain injury [TBI], post-traumatic stress [PTSD] and nerve damage to his hips and back. I help him with his daily activities but most of all I help him with time management and trying to keep his anxiety and anger levels low (not an easy job). I have devoted all my time as a full-time caregiver to my husband when he had a suicide attempt in 2010 after the sudden death of his father. The most challenging part of being a caregiver I would have to say is trying to juggle raising our two daughters and being able to attend all my husband’s VA appointments. The only help I get is from my mother. She lives 30 minutes away and is always there in a moment’s notice to help or just for me to get away for a breather (a.k.a. going to Walmart … alone).”

Are you a family caregiver? Share your story 
and help us fight for family caregivers.

Military Caregivers
Out of the about 40 million Americans who care for parents, spouses and other loved ones, 5.5 million care for our veterans. Just like other family caregivers, these unsung heroes help with medication management, bathing and dressing, meals, driving to appointments and more. But they also help their loved ones with unique challenges, including PTSD, depression and traumatic brain injuries.

Bottom line: Family caregiving of any type — for your parents who are aging, children with a disability or a veteran battling injuries — isn’t easy and can be emotionally, physically and financially draining.

Family caregivers need support
Right now, we have a unique opportunity to take commonsense legislative steps at the federal level to support America’s family caregivers — unsung heroes like Chasity — and help make their big responsibilities a little bit easier.

Specifically, the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers (RAISE) Act, which passed the U.S. Senate in 2015,  is being considered by the U.S. House. This bipartisan bill would create a national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. AARP and 50 national organizations, including Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, have endorsed the RAISE Family Caregivers Act. Now it’s time to act.

This Memorial Day, as we honor the brave men and women who have given their lives to keep our country safe and free, I call for our nation to better support the unsung heroes, the family caregivers, who help keep our veterans — as well as older Americans and those with disabilities — living safely and independently in their homes and communities.

I urge you to contact your members of Congress and ask them to support America’s
greatest support system: family caregivers. Call 844-259-9351 today.

To all those who have served and to all their families — and family caregivers — I thank you. I wish you all a safe Memorial Day.

Resources for Family Caregivers

• AARP: Caregiver Resource Center
• AARP: Support for Veterans’ Caregivers
• Veterans Affairs: Caregiver Support
• Elizabeth Dole Foundation: National Resource Directory
• Family Caregiver Alliance: Caregiving for a Veteran

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

See the box below for how to get this new AARP book for free!

On Monday, we — as a nation — celebrated the 240^th Anniversary of Independence Day. Many of us turned on our grills, took in a parade, watched fireworks or spent the day with family and friends. Where and how we celebrated is in many ways emblematic of our freedom to choose our own path.

Each Fourth of July, I spend some time thinking about the people who came before me and those who have fought for and protected the freedoms we enjoy. This year, in addition to those thoughts, I thought about how difficult it can be for many older Americans to live independently.

I work in Washington, D.C., where we can typically walk to get from Point A to Point B. Walking as a means of getting around is a fact of life. And sure, we do have the D.C. Metro trains and buses, but both require walking (sometimes very great distances) to catch.

Still, those of us in the nation’s capital can walk due to the city having sidewalks and crosswalks and other pedestrian-friendly features. However, walking as a means of transportation or exercise is a huge challenge for the millions of people who have limited options for how to safely get around town. Transportation can be a great challenge for people of all ages in a community — grandparents, grandchildren and everyone in between.

For individuals who don’t live or work in a city, and in some cases for those who do, transportation via car seems almost necessary. Needed destinations such as grocery stores, doctors and athletic centers might not be close to where they live. Distance is a great challenge and some mass transit systems are simply ineffective or can be greatly delayed.

The desire to enable adults age 50 and older, and people of all ages, to live fuller lives is key to AARP working with towns and cities nationwide to foster livable communities. In fact, we have an entire website about livable communities. And one way to help people assess their community’s “livability” is the AARP Livability Index, an interactive tool that allows you to enter most any location in the United States and see how it ranks against other communities.

Becoming a livable community — a place that is livable for people of all ages — does take some doing. Community livability requires a commitment and a constant drive to enable all citizens to live life without barriers. The goal is well worth the effort.

I encourage you to think about people who might need some help to live more independently. Our founding fathers dreamed of a  nation where citizens could lead full lives. Let’s keep working to make that dream a reality. Let’s make America more livable for all.

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

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Visit AARP.org/Where We Live for a free book by Nancy LeaMond and to tell us what your community is doing to be livable for people of all ages.

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Through my years of experience advocating in Washington, D.C., and across the country, family caregiving has been one of the more distinctive issues I’ve worked on. First and foremost, family caregiving touches almost all Americans: We are either caregivers now, have been in the past, will be in the future — or will need care ourselves. Family caregiving is also a special issue because it bridges political divides and cuts through partisan politics; family caregiving is not a Democratic or Republican issue — it’s a family issue.

Today more than 40 million Americans care for older parents, spouses, children with disabilities and other loved ones so they can live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible. This unpaid assistance they provide exceeds $470 billion annually.

As my two millennial sons and I care for my husband, their father, who has ALS, I know that I have much in common with my fellow caregivers. Yet, I also know my experience is unique in many ways. Indeed, each of our caregiving experiences is individual, seen through our own personal family lens.

Are you a family caregiver too? Your story matters.
Share it today and help us fight for family caregivers.

On July 6, AARP along with other national organizations held a briefing on Capitol Hill to take a closer look at different types of family caregiving situations, or subpopulations. We heard from experts representing the Alzheimer’s Association, Autism Speaks, Mental Health America and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, all family caregivers themselves. Here is a glimpse at their stories.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Seven years ago, Beth Kallmyer, who is the vice president of constituent services for the Alzheimer’s Association, got a call from her father breaking the news that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“In spite of all of the resources, it was still a devastating experience.”

Until her father passed away in 2015, Beth was one of the nearly 16 million family caregivers who help loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia. She emphasized that the length of time for which they provide assistance can be up to 20 years. This alone can create additional stress, depression and personal sacrifices with significant financial impact.  Today, 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease; by 2050, that number could nearly triple to 13.8 million.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

J-Jaye and Jackson

J-Jaye Hurley’s now 11-year-old son, Jackson, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 2, then mitochondrial disease, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability and a genetic pain disorder; he is nonverbal.

“Jackson’s needs are very intense… he still requires assistance with all activities of daily living. He cannot be left alone at all and requires constant adult supervision.”

J-Jaye serves as the coordinator for the Autism Response Team in the Southeast for Autism Speaks. She shared that family caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities often need to plan for the care of their loved one as they, themselves, get older. Today, more than 860,000 of these family caregivers are over age 60.

Mental Health Needs
Debbie Plotnick is the vice president for mental health and systems advocacy at Mental Health America. Her now adult daughter, Ashley, struggled with mental health needs as a teenager. Debbie is proud to report that Ashley is doing well today, working as a hospice nurse, but getting to this point wasn’t easy — especially since those who help loved ones with mental health needs often don’t receive the same degree of empathy, sympathy, support or understanding as family caregivers in other situations.

“When you are dealing with a teenager who is actively suicidal for four years, like I was, you know, it’s really tough.”

Military and Veteran
One of the 5.5 million military or veteran family caregivers in the U.S., Ann Marie Salvatore-Pacciano, retired from her much-loved career as a teacher to help her husband, Gary, a post-9/11 veteran. His 35 years in the Army National Guard and Reserves resulted in numerous physical and psychological issues, including leg, nerve, back, shoulder and spinal injuries.

“And all of a sudden, knock on the door, my husband was coming home, completely, 100 percent disabled.”

Now a Dole caregiver fellow and Hidden Heroes Caregiver Community Program assistant with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Ann Marie explains that military and veteran caregivers are often much younger than other caregivers, resulting in unique challenges, such as an increased need for workplace flexibility.

What Family Caregivers Have in Common
While each of the family caregivers who participated in the briefing outlined the challenges related to specific subpopulations, the overwhelming commonalities of their experiences strike me as significant.

First and foremost, each expressed the need for more support for family caregivers — help at home, training, workplace flexibility, and especially the opportunity to get some relief from their caregiving responsibilities. I hear this plea echoed from every family caregiver I encounter — including the thousands who have shared their stories on AARP’s I Heart Caregivers.

Family caregivers take on huge responsibilities that I know, firsthand, can be overwhelming, stressful and exhausting. Each day they: help with bathing and dressing, manage medications, drive to appointments, prepare meals, and more.

The RAISE Family Caregivers Act
As we face physical, emotional and financial challenges, commonsense legislative steps — like the bipartisan Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act — can help make our big responsibilities a little bit easier. Passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate last year, and currently pending in the U.S. House, the RAISE Act (S. 1719/H.R. 3099) would create a national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. The RAISE Act would help family caregivers broadly and is endorsed by more than 50 national organizations, including AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association, Autism Speaks and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.

I urge you to contact your U.S. representative and ask them to cosponsor the RAISE Act today to support America’s greatest support system: family caregivers. Call 844-259-9351 today.

Resources for Family Caregivers

• AARP: Caregiver Resource Center
• Alzheimer’s Association
• Autism Speaks: Resource Guide and Toolkits
• Mental Health America
• Elizabeth Dole Foundation: National Resource Directory

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

This has been anything but a normal election year.

Last week, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Donald Trump officially became his party’s nominee. When he first announced his candidacy a little over a year ago, few thought he had a real shot.  Pundits pointed to the roster of current and former governors and senators among the 17 primary candidates as the most likely nominees.

And, just yesterday, Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic nomination in Philadelphia. For the first 143 years of our nation’s history, women didn’t even have the right to vote. Now, for the first time ever, a woman is the presidential nominee of a major political party.

Both candidates are bucking conventional wisdom in their own way.

As unusual as this year’s politics may seem, it really shouldn’t be that surprising. Blazing new trails and defying the odds is part of America’s DNA. As I walked around the convention hall, I talked to a lot of people. Nearly everyone I met believes that the country will change for the better – that today’s conventional wisdom is no match for the innovative ideas that will drive America’s future.

I was particularly struck by a conversation I had with one young woman. When I told her I work at AARP, she said, “I worry about my grandparents.  I know they count on Social Security to make ends meet.” She didn’t ask me whether the trust fund would be there for her when she retires – for someone in their 20’s that seems awfully far away. Like so many of us, her primary concern is for her loved ones. It’s a conversation that I have all across America – how important Social Security is for people to have a secure retirement.

What might surprise you is how often I hear this from Millennials. Like the woman I talked to in Philadelphia, they’re not focused on themselves when they talk about Social Security. In fact, data shows that a little over half of Millennials believe that Social Security won’t be there at all when they retire.  But, this generation is concerned about their parents and grandparents. The same study shows that 60% believe that Social Security benefits should not be cut.

For decades, conventional wisdom dubbed updating Social Security the “third rail” of American politics – too difficult, too dangerous to touch. In this odds-defying year, it’s time to lay that old chestnut to rest.  AARP’s Take a Stand campaign is pushing the presidential candidates to tell voters how they plan to secure the future of Social Security. We’re also asking Congressional candidates to commit to taking action in the next Congress.

In 1935, when Social Security was created, over half of older Americans lived in poverty. Today, thanks to the program, fewer than 10 percent do.

It’s time to push our leaders to take on this issue so we can keep the promise of a secure retirement for the Silent and Boomer generations . . .  and for Gen Xers  . . . yes, for those Millennials.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to prove their conventional wisdom –  that they won’t get any Social Security benefits – wrong?

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

On Aug. 14, Social Security turned 81 years old — an important milestone that had me reflecting on how far we’ve come . . . and how much work we still need to do.

So much has changed since 1935.  Back then, fewer than half of U.S. households had a telephone, and radio was the only mass communication device. Prices seem incredibly low by today’s standards — consumers paid 10 cents a gallon to fill the tank of their new $650 cars — until you realize that the average American earned $1,600 a year.  And the effects of the Great Depression were evident in a sky-high 20 percent unemployment rate.

As a result, financial security was hard to come by, with more than half of older Americans living in poverty.

Fast-forward to today, and the world looks much brighter. A smartphone in every pocket is the new chicken in every pot. And while there is still much work to be done, fewer than 10 percent of older Americans live in poverty, thanks in large part to Social Security.

One thing remains the same: We still worry about having enough for retirement.

Today, I moderated a forum in Chicago that focused on the financial challenges faced by women 50 and older — a group of people who are more financially vulnerable than their male counterparts.

On average, women receive lower benefits from Social Security than men.

More women are divorced or never marry. Women are more likely than men to work part time or take breaks in employment to do the important but unpaid task of caring for children, parents and other family members. And they often are paid less than men.

Each of these factors results in lower Social Security benefits.

Yet women live longer than men and are more dependent on Social Security. Bottom line, the program is incredibly important — and that importance will continue to grow.

As we look forward, we need action to update Social Security to ensure that the program remains financially sound for current and future generations while providing adequate benefits and addressing important changes in family structures.

If no action is taken, Social Security benefits could be cut by 25 percent beginning in 2034. That’s a reduction of up to $10,000 a year.

Today’s 50-plus women are keenly aware of how disastrous these cuts would be.

In a new survey that AARP released today, a majority of women age 50 and over in key battleground states — 53 percent — believe that cuts to benefits would have an impact on their lives.

More than a quarter said they’d have to spend less on necessities like food, health care, prescription drugs and utilities.

And due to this, women 50-plus want to see action and leadership from their elected officials.

An overwhelming majority — nearly three-quarters regardless of age, race or party affiliation — want the next president and Congress to address Social Security immediately.

And, yet, the candidates aren’t telling them enough about what they would do and how changes would affect current and future retirees.

Close to two-thirds of 50-plus women say they haven’t seen or heard anything from Hillary Clinton about her plans for Social Security, and nearly three-quarters say they haven’t seen or heard anything from Donald Trump.

We need action and leadership from Washington.

That’s why AARP launched our Take a Stand campaign to demand plans from presidential and congressional candidates.

We also need to understand different options for the program, which was the subject of my discussion in Chicago with experts from the National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare, the Heritage Foundation and the Illinois Policy Institute.

The panelists discussed how important Social Security is to women and ideas to improve the program, such as updating spousal and widow benefits and ensuring that family caregivers get credit for years spent caring for loved ones. While there were different views on the specifics, there were two areas of agreement: first, that Social Security needs to be updated to better serve women; and, second, that our leaders need to take action to update Social Security soon.

Doing nothing is not an option. Every year that our leaders kick the can down the road, finding a solution gets harder — and regular people pay the price.

For more information on our Take a Stand campaign or to see where the candidates stand on Social Security, visit 2016takeastand.org.

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

After Labor Day, when Congress returns from its summer recess, there will only be 33 working days left for the U.S. House of Representatives before the end of the year. That’s not a lot of time to address some of our nation’s biggest challenges. One item awaiting action that should be an immediate priority is the RAISE (Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage) Family Caregivers Act.  This bipartisan, commonsense step to aid America’s greatest support system — family caregivers — is long overdue.

Passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate, the RAISE Act would develop a national strategy to support family caregivers, bringing together stakeholders from the public and private sectors — including state and local officials, health care and long-term services and support providers, employers, federal agencies, older adults, persons with disabilities and family caregivers themselves — to identify specific actions communities, providers, government, employers and others can take, including with respect to: promoting person- and family-centered care in a range of settings; assessment and service planning involving both care recipients and family caregivers; information, education, referral and care coordination; and respite options so caregivers can reset and recharge.

Today, more than 40 million family caregivers care for veterans, parents, spouses, children and adults with disabilities and other loved ones so they can continue to live at home. The unpaid care family caregivers provide — valued at about $470 billion annually — helps delay or prevent more costly care and unnecessary hospitalizations, saving taxpayer dollars.

I know from firsthand experience that caring for a loved one is a tremendous responsibility. While I have much in common with my fellow caregivers, my experience is unique in many ways. Indeed, each of our caregiving experiences is individual, seen through our own personal family lens. Everyday duties can include bathing and dressing; preparing and feeding meals; transportation; handling financial, health care and legal matters; and often complex medical tasks like wound care. Many family caregivers are working full time and raising families. They are often on call 24/7.

That’s why AARP, together with a number of other organizations and family caregivers themselves, is calling for the U.S. House to pass the RAISE Act now.   

One such organization, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, works with military and veteran caregivers. In a recent radio news story, former senator Dole said:

“Five and a half million military and veteran caregivers are caring for loved ones with devastating wounds, illnesses and disabling injuries — visible and invisible. By passing the RAISE Act, we can create an important path forward so military family caregivers, all family caregivers, get the support they need.”

Another group pressing the U.S. House to pass the RAISE Act is Autism Speaks. Executive Vice President of Programs and Services Lisa Goring says:

“Millions of family members are forced to step in as full-time caregivers to keep their loved ones with autism and other developmental disabilities safe and supported. Now is the time for a national strategy to support all family caregivers to ensure their loved ones a better future.”

For me, it’s the stories and experiences of family caregivers that really underscore why the RAISE Act must pass now. Britnee Fergins cares for her father. She says:

“My 91-year-old father, who’s a World War II veteran, requires a lot of attention. I also have a very energetic 3-year-old son — and work 12-hour shifts as a chemist. It’s a constant juggling act, and some days, I’m afraid I’m going to drop the ball.”

Family caregiving is a unique and deeply personal issue that affects just about all of us, wherever we are on the political and ideological spectrum. We are either family caregivers now, were in the past, will be in the future — or will need care ourselves one day.

The RAISE Act would implement the bipartisan recommendation of the federal Commission on Long-Term Care, requiring the development of a national strategy to support family caregivers, similar in scope to the national strategy developed to address Alzheimer’s disease. The need is urgent and time this year is running out.

AARP urges the U.S. House to pass the RAISE Family Caregivers Act now. And I urge you to contact your representative about the RAISE Act today.  Call 844-259-9351 or click here.

The following U.S. representatives are cosponsors of the bipartisan RAISE Act as of Aug. 22:

Lead Sponsors
Reps. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.)

Cosponsors

Rep. Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.)

Rep. Black (R-Tenn.)

Rep. Pascrell (D-N.J.)

Rep. Emmer (R-Minn.)

Rep. Pocan (D-Wis.)

Rep. Deutch (D-Fla.)

Rep. Katko (R-N.Y.)

Rep. Pompeo (R-Kan.)

Rep. O’Rourke (D-Texas)

Rep. Amodei (R-Nev.)

Rep. Duckworth (D-Ill.)

Rep. Chu (D-Calif.)

Rep. Schakowsky (D-Ill.)

Rep. Fortenberry (R-Neb.)

Rep. Gibson (R-N.Y.)

Rep. Pingree (D-Maine)

Rep. Bonamici (D-Ore.)

Rep. Napolitano (D-Calif.)

Rep. Lujan (D-N.M.)

Rep. Hastings (D-Fla.)

Rep. Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.)

Rep. Kuster (D-N.H.)

Rep. Blumenauer (D-Ore.)

Rep. Lofgren (D-Calif.)

Rep. Freylinghuysen (R-N.J.)

Rep. Murphy (R-Pa.)

Rep. Frankel (D-Fla.)

Rep. Dingell (D-Mich.)

Rep. Lee (D-Calif.)

Rep. Brady (D-Pa.)

Rep. Rice (D-N.Y.)

Rep. DesJarlais (R-Tenn.)

Rep. Beatty (D-Ohio)

Rep. Davis (D-Calif.)

Rep. Beyer (D-Va.)

Rep. Roe (R-Tenn.)

Rep. Stefanik (R-N.Y.)

Rep. Courtney (D-Conn.)

Rep. Langevin (D-R.I.)

Rep. Meehan (R-Pa.)

Rep. Kilmer (D-Wash.)

Rep. Takano (D-Calif.)

Rep. Payne (D-N.J.)

Rep. Allen (R-Ga.)

Rep. Ashford (D-Neb.)

Rep. Peters (D-Calif.)

Rep. Matsui (D-Calif.)

Rep. Larson (D-Conn.)

Rep. Denham (R-Calif.)

Rep. Bishop (R-Mich.)

Rep. Hunter (R-Calif.)

Rep. Smith (D-Wash.)

Rep. Meng (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Cramer (R-N.D.)

Rep. Clark (D-Mass.)

Rep. Boyle (D-Pa.)

Rep. Esty (D-Conn.)

Rep. Dold (R-Ill.)

Rep. Thompson (R-Pa.)

Rep. Lipinski (D-Ill.)

Rep. Messer (R-Ind.)

Rep. Jenkins (R-Kan.)

Rep. Moore (D-Wis.)

Rep. Smith (R-N.J.)

Rep. Clarke (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)

Rep. MacArthur (R-N.J.)

Rep. Curbelo (R-Fla.)

Rep. Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)

Rep. Grayson (D-Fla.)

Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.)

Rep. Takai (D-Hawaii)

Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.)

Rep. Cicilline (D-R.I.)

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.)

Rep. Sessions (R-Texas)

Rep. McKinley (R-W.Va.)

Rep. Slaughter (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Simpson (R-Idaho)

Rep. Kelly (D-Ill.)

Rep. Nolan (D-Minn.)

Rep. Holmes Norton (D-D.C.)

Rep. Capps (D-Calif.)

Rep. Zeldin (R-N.Y.)

Rep. Guinta (R-N.H.)

Rep. Miller (R-Mich.)

Rep. Walberg (R-Mich.)

Rep. LoBiondo (R-N.J.)

Rep. Tonko (D-N.Y.)

Rep. LaHood (R-Ill.)

Rep. Lance (R-N.J.)

Rep. Sean P. Maloney (D-N.Y.)

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

Now that our Congressional representatives have returned to Washington, it’s time for them to take action to help America’s greatest support system – our family caregivers.

AARP is joining with more than 50 organizations to urge the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the RAISE Act – bipartisan, common-sense legislation that would bring together a range of stakeholders to help identify actions that will recognize and support America’s 40 million family caregivers.

Find out if your U.S. Representative has co-sponsored the RAISE Act.

To show our unified support for those caring for a family member, neighbor or friend who has limitations in everyday activities, we delivered a joint letter to Capitol Hill. You can read the text of the letter below.

We add our voices to the thousands of constituents who have contacted their U.S. Representatives directly, sharing with them why the RAISE Act is important to families and urging them to pass the bill NOW.

Urge YOUR U.S. Representative to pass the RAISE Act now.  Call 1-844-259-9351 or click here.

September 6, 2016

Chairman John Kline                                                     Ranking Member Robert C. Scott
Committee on Education & the Workforce               Committee on Education & the Workforce
2176 Rayburn House Office Building                          2101 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515                                                  Washington, DC  20515

Dear Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Scott:

We, the undersigned groups, write in support of the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act.  This bipartisan legislation was passed unanimously by the Senate last December, and has been referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce.  We urge the House of Representatives, facing a short legislative calendar the remainder of this year, to make this bill a priority and take prompt action on this important legislation.

Family caregivers are the backbone of services and supports in this country.  They help make it possible for older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans to live independently in their homes and communities.  In 2013, about 40 million family caregivers provided unpaid care valued at about $470 billion to adults who needed help with daily activities, more than total Medicaid spending that year.  About 3.7 million family caregivers provide care to a child under age 18 because of a medical, behavioral, or other condition or disability.  Our country relies on the contributions family caregivers make and should recognize and support them.  By supporting family caregivers, we can help people live at home where they want to be, helping to delay or prevent more costly care and unnecessary hospitalizations, saving taxpayer dollars.

The RAISE Family Caregivers Act (S. 1719/H.R. 3099) would implement the federal Commission on Long-Term Care’s bipartisan recommendation that Congress require the development of a national strategy to support family caregivers.  The bill would create an advisory body to bring together members of the private and public sectors to advise and make recommendations.  The strategy would identify specific actions that communities, providers, employers, government, and others can take to recognize and support family caregivers.

We urge you to support passage of the RAISE Family Caregivers Act in September.  This bill is a commonsense step to help support family caregivers nationwide.  We are committed to working with you to pass and enact this important bipartisan legislation as soon as possible this year.

Sincerely,

AARP

Advance CLASS

Alzheimer’s Association

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Association on Health and Disability

American Geriatrics Society

American Health Care Association

American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR)

American Society on Aging

America’s Health Insurance Plans

Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies

Association of University Centers on Disabilities

Autism Society

Autism Speaks

Caregiver Action Network

Caring Across Generations

Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness, Altarum Institute

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

Easterseals

Family Caregiver Alliance

Genworth Financial

The Jewish Federations of North America

Justice in Aging

Lakeshore Foundation

LeadingAge

Lutheran Services in America

Lutheran Services in America Disability Network

Medicare Rights Center

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA)

National Alliance for Caregiving

National Association for Home Care & Hospice

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)

National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

National Center for Assisted Living

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

National Council on Aging

National Hispanic Council on Aging

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

National Partnership for Hospice Innovation

National Respite Coalition

Oral Health America (OHA)

OWL-The Voice of Women 40+

Paralyzed Veterans of America

PHI

Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, GSW

SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders)

The Arc

The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation

cc:  Members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce   
       The Honorable Paul Ryan  
       The Honorable Nancy Pelosi 
       The Honorable Kevin McCarthy 
       The Honorable Steny Hoyer

Read family caregivers’ stories, from every U.S. state,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands here.

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.

Today, AARP endorsed new legislation that would hold drug companies more accountable for their pricing decisions. Thank you to Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) for introducing the bipartisan FAIR Drug Pricing Act of 2016 calling on drug companies to be more transparent in how they price their products.

As evidenced by the recent uproar over the lifesaving allergy drug EpiPen, exorbitant prescription drug prices and price increases have been all over the news lately. According to the latest AARP report, the average annual retail cost of widely used specialty prescription drugs was over more than $53,000 in 2013. Meanwhile, more and more people are using prescription drugs. Nearly 60 percent of Americans are taking at least one prescription drug regularly, and the average older American takes four drugs every month. These trends have helped push U.S. prescription drug spending to a record high of $425 billion in 2015, with expectations that such spending will surpass $600 billion by 2020.

The relentless increases in prescription drug prices and spending have not gone unnoticed by the public. Affordability is a growing concern as people face ever-increasing out-of-pocket costs for their medications. A 2015 AARP survey of the 50-plus population found that more than 80 percent believe that prescription drug prices are too high, and nearly 90 percent think it is important for politicians to support efforts to reduce prescription drug prices.

AARP believes one way to help address high prescription drug prices and spending is through improved price transparency. Drug manufacturers regularly justify their pricing decisions with the claim that it costs $2.6 billion to bring a new drug to market. However, there is no way to verify this figure. There is also no way of determining how much pharmaceutical companies actually invest in research and development activities. Improved access to such information could help consumers, payers and policymakers assess whether a drug price or price increase is reasonable.

Drug price transparency is also extremely popular with the public; 84 percent of older adults believe that drug companies should publicly explain how they price their products.

The FAIR Drug Pricing Act would require pharmaceutical companies to submit a justification report to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for prescription drugs with a price increase that is more than 10 percent 30 days prior to the price increase’s becoming effective. The report would include a justification for each price increase that took place during the year, manufacturing costs for the drug, net profits attributable to the drug, marketing and advertising spending on the drug, among other information. HHS would make the information from the reports available online with appropriate protections for confidential and proprietary information.

The FAIR Drug Pricing Act represents a step in the right direction that would benefit everyone by shedding much-needed light on drug pricing decisions. We urge Congress to advance this important legislation.

Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer and executive vice president of AARP for community, state and national affairs, leads government relations, advocacy and public education for AARP’s social change agenda. LeaMond also has responsibility for AARP’s state operation, which includes offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can follow her on Twitter @NancyLeaMond.