As summer Congressional recesses approach, now is the time to arrange visits from your members of Congress to your aging services community. In an on-site visit, lawmakers can see firsthand the quality of care and services you provide, and hear directly from residents and clients, their families, and staff, all critical constituencies—and they vote!

Most opportunities will be in August and October; as lawmakers’ schedules fill up, don’t miss a chance to get your organization on their calendars.

We hope that by opening the doors of providers of all types, we’ll give members of Congress a glimpse of what aging services providers do each day, the challenges they navigate, and the quality of care they deliver.

To get started, review the Congressional schedule and find the contact information for your members of Congress. Next, use our step-by-step checklist for congressional visits—from explaining the “why” of your meeting to developing your plan and nailing down the details, we help you to ensure an impactful event. So take advantage of the great opportunity summer recess provides!

As members who a few months ago visited with their representatives here in DC know, in-person meetings are also a unique opportunity to uncover shared experiences and build relationships with policymakers.

“We … talked about the need for service coordination and why it’s so important to help people stay in their homes, and safely age in place and delay premature entry into a higher level of care, which is very expensive for this population. I think that resonated with some folks,” said Diane Smith, national finance & development manager, CSI Support & Development, Warren, MI, after April visits with Michigan congresspeople. “What was interesting was many of them related [these issues] to their own retirements; one woman had a grandmother who was in affordable housing and who lived there until she was 96.”

So, whether your invitation includes a ribbon-cutting event, a tour of your organization, or simply a discussion of key issues—we know those who experience aging services organizations firsthand have a more positive perception of the sector.