2000 Monthly News
December
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2000 Monthly News
December
Gout is more than a rich man’s
disease!!
State awards Long Term Care Ombudsman recognition
Dear Reader:
Elder Services Hails Older Americans Act Reauthorization
From the Director
It’s storming! Will my meal be delivered?
Elder Services Hails Older Americans Act Reauthorization
On October 25th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a reauthorized Older Americans Act (OAA), and the following day the U.S. Senate unanimously agreed to forward the bill to President Bill Clinton’s desk for signing. The original Older Americans Act was passed in 1965.
In just two days, Congress did what elder rights groups have been waiting for since 1992 - reauthorization of key legislation for senior citizens that dates back to 1965. Tucked into the OAA bill is the authorization for a new, $125 million appropriation for a "Family Caregiver Support" program, which will translate into roughly $3 million for the Commonwealth.
According to Elder Services of Berkshire County Executive Director Catherine R.
May, the Family Caregiver Support program will provide grants to states based on their percentage share of the 70+ population. Massachusetts has roughly
637,000 people over the age of 70, and will get about 2.5% of the new funding, or just over $3 million; 2.7% of that is the Berkshires’ usual amount. The funds can be used for information to help family caregivers, counseling on long term care options, respite care, and other direct services.
"This funding comes at a time when more and more baby boomers are asking: ‘When did my parents get old?’ Thousands of families that never had to deal with an aging crisis are now finding themselves in the thick of this complex problem." May said. "This new funding can help them find their way through a very complex and challenging system." May said that the Family Caregiver Support program has broad bipartisan support, yet the overall OAA bill had languished in committee for years. May added that the caregiver funds were a top priority of Rep. John Olver and Senator Ted Kennedy. "Senator Kennedy’s staff called Elder Services to tell us of the reauthorization. President Clinton is expected to sign the bill."
The $3 million in new appropriations will help hundreds of Baystate families make more informed decisions about how to keep an elderly relative living independently at home.
Last year, the Older Americans Act became mired in legislative wrangling, and never reached the reauthorization stage. "Reauthorization breathes new life into
the Older Americans Act", May concluded, "and just in the nick of time. This is a law Baby Boomers are going to turn to for everything from Meals on Wheels to medical transportation. It’s really the workhorse of federal legislation for older people."