September 15, 2020 Washington DC – LeadingAge, the national association representing over 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers, today sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging action on a COVID relief package that includes real assistance for older Americans and the care providers working to keep them safe in this pandemic.

Along with the letter, LeadingAge delivered an updated national Situation Report on Aging Services & COVID-19 that reveals an alarming picture of the impact of the virus on older adults across the country, and how nursing homes and other aging services providers are struggling to cope with the worst pandemic in a century.

In releasing the letter and situation report, LeadingAge’s president and CEO, Katie Smith Sloan, said, “Today we asked Senate and House leaders to move a bill forward with critically needed resources that will protect older adults and the aging services providers who care for them.”

Last week, Senator Mitch McConnell’s “skinny bill”—which did not contain needed relief for aging services providers—failed on a procedural motion in the Senate. “We have continually said that no COVID-19 package should pass without including desperately needed support for older Americans and their care providers,” said Sloan. “Older Americans are bearing the brunt of this virus and they should be prioritized in the next relief bill.”

The Situation Report shows how aging services providers are incurring exorbitant and unsustainable costs for testing, PPE, staffing, and other supplies. Providers caring for older Americans are facing financial ruin, and some are now closing.

Sloan added, “It is imperative that policymakers step up now to save older adults and their care workers from more waves of needless death and suffering. Congress must support our mission-driven, nonprofit providers, who are working 24/7, risking their own lives, and paying escalating costs out of their own pocket. The essential care they deliver to those most vulnerable to the virus is simply unsustainable without a new federal lifeline.”

We represent more than 5,000 aging-focused organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we address critical issues by blending applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building. We bring together the most inventive minds in our field to support older adults as they age wherever they call home. We make America a better place to grow old. For more information: www.leadingage.org