April 23, 2021, Washington, DC—Following is a statement by Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, on infrastructure legislation proposed this week as a counter to the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan that removed all support for America’s aging services infrastructure.

“Older Americans, their caregivers and their families are increasingly stressed, stretched, and financially trapped because our aging services infrastructure has been ignored and underfunded for decades.

Large bipartisan majorities support efforts to strengthen the aging services infrastructure because older Americans need a range of services to grow older wherever they call home. In addition to delivering that critical support for older adults, investing in aging services will create millions of jobs, strengthen wages and boost our economy. Stripping out support for home care, affordable housing and telehealth services is a non-starter.

Meaningful action on our care infrastructure is a down payment on rebuilding America’s patchwork system of aging services. America’s population is rapidly aging. If we kick the can down the road, millions of Americans won’t get the care they need to grow older with health and dignity.”

We represent more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-minded organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we use applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership, which now includes the providers of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, encompasses the continuum of services for people as they age, including those with disabilities. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information visit leadingage.org.