In today’s fast-changing, roller coaster policy environment, effective advocacy is more important than ever. As hundreds of LeadingAge members prepare to head to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Lobby Day, Wednesday, April 9—the last day of this year’s LeadingAge Leadership Summit—members and state partners from around the country share their insights into and examples of innovative approaches to advocacy engagement that resonates with decision makers.

Get to the Innovation Table with Relationships, then ‘Bring the Solve’

Building strong relationships with elected officials—while being seen as committed to innovation to solve challenges—is a strong foundation for ongoing advocacy. LeadingAge member Goodwin Living, Alexandria, VA, has such a relationship with Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), demonstrated when Warner’s staff asked Goodwin to host an October 25, 2024 roundtable on the challenges of growing numbers of older adults living with dementia.

The 19 roundtable participants joining the senator—academics, researchers, state and local officials, and other health care leaders—gathered to discuss needed changes in funding, workforce recruitment, and regulation to better serve those living with dementia and their families. Also discussed were the effects of the NAPA Reauthorization Act and the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Reauthorization Act. Total attendees numbered more than 70, including other health care leaders and Goodwin Living residents.

President and CEO Rob Liebreich, who moderated the roundtable, says, “Every year, we invite [lawmakers] to the celebrations of our citizenship program,” he says. “You’re not just trying to communicate to that legislator in the moment, but welcoming them into something that’s an important part of the story of the organization.” It was at Goodwin’s 2024 citizenship celebration that an aide of Sen. Warner (who lost his mother to Alzheimer’s after a decade-long fight), suggested the memory care roundtable.

Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Lindsay Hutter shares important advocacy lessons Goodwin Living has learned: “Prioritize. Three to five issues is the most you should focus on. And do your homework; you’re going to need to know what [the lawmaker] is on record saying about your issue.” She also says not to be afraid of suggesting big solutions. “We all know we have a shortage of housing and a shortage of staff. We can suggest a ‘Marshall Plan’ that may seem big, bold, and audacious, but then lawmakers start to see providers as solution agents. The organizations that are most successful are those that really do ‘bring the solve’ forward.”

Direct Advocacy Keeps Legislators’ Attention

A group of LeadingAge South Carolina members mobilized to hold remote meetings over two weeks in February with all seven of their U.S. House representatives and both U.S. senators (or their staff members), to influence federal aging services policy. “We felt a sense of urgency,” says CEO Kassie South. She and 12 members of the board executive committee and its public policy committee shared their concerns on issues including repeal of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) nursing home staffing mandate, Medicare Advantage prior authorizations and denials, use of civil monetary penalty grants to fund technology projects, the impact of certified nurse aide lockouts, and more.

“The staffing mandate is something we were really hoping to turn over in the budget reconciliation process and bring a lot of attention to,” says South. She worked with LeadingAge’s national policy team in advance to prepare talking points. In one example of successful provider input, Sen. Tim Scott’s office asked them for questions he could ask in the March 2025 Senate confirmation hearings for Dr. Mehmet Oz to be CMS administrator.

South urges members to share their experiences and find opportunities to bring lawmakers into their communities. “Tell your own story. And we hone in on that in our advocacy meetings: What is the staffing mandate? How much have you had to [spend] to recruit staff? How long [do] your job openings last? It’s all about relationships … telling your story and having them [visit] in person.”

Public Advocacy Publicizes Threats to Medicaid

Lutheran SeniorLife, Mars, PA, hosted a March 17 public event, “Medicaid Works for Butler County,” to spotlight the potential effects of large cuts to Medicaid funding that may occur as a result of this year’s federal budget reconciliation process. The event at St. John Community was hosted in partnership with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging (SWPPA), a network including LeadingAge members, area agencies on aging, health associations, and other community organizations.

“St. John has a very high population of residents on medical assistance … and our programs are very much in the crosshairs of any reductions to Medicaid,” says Lutheran SeniorLife President and CEO David Fenoglietto, explaining why his organization jumped at the chance to host the event and discuss the potential harm large cuts could cause.

The 50-plus attendees included a representative for Sen. John Fetterman, local elected officials, and other community groups, along with St. John residents and other older adults from the surrounding community. Speakers included St. John Executive Director Samantha Rapuk, SWPPA President Joe Angelelli, and a representative of LIFE VieCare, Lutheran SeniorLife’s PACE.

SWPPA plans to hold similar events in all 10 counties in its footprint.

The event attracted media attention, including articles in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Butler Eagle that shared the stories of older adults in attendance, worried about how cuts could impact their lives. Pittsburgh television station WTAE broadcast a report (not available online). Lutheran SeniorLife also reports excellent reach to its social media follow-up: $250 spent on a Facebook boost helped produce over 22,000 views and over 1,600 interactions.

“It’s important to do this type of event,” adds Rapuk. “When people hear Medicaid cuts, they don’t immediately think of long-term care. But we are one of the heaviest hit when there are changes to Medicaid, so people need to know who we are and who our residents are. If we’re not getting out and telling them, nobody else is.”

Photo: U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, left, makes a point at an October 2024 roundtable on public policy to meet the challenges of a growing population of older adults living with dementia. Photo courtesy of Goodwin Living.

Do you have a story of innovation to tell? Use the LeadingAge Story Collector, powered by Greystone, to tell us your best new practices in advocacy operations, technology, workforce development, service delivery, and more. Try it now.