Following a series of national news reports (New York Times’ Dying Broke and Washington Post’s Memory Inc.) focused on access to care, workforce needs and costs of aging services and, in particular, assisted living, the Senate Special Committee on Aging on January 25 hosted “Assisted Living Facilities: Understanding Long-Term Care Options for Older Adults.” The committee has not held a hearing focused specifically on assisted living in 20 years, according to Senate Aging chairman Robert Casey (D-PA).

Ranking Member Mike Braun (R-IN) and Casey expressed strong interest in understanding the impacts of workforce on resident care and what policies and supports are needed to ensure that all older adults can afford care. Braun also highlighted two bills LeadingAge supports, S. 2853, the Train More Nurses Act, recently passed by the Senate, which would call for the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor to conduct a study and issue a report on grant programs to support the nursing workforce, and S. 2442, the PELL Act, which would increase access for low-income borrowers to participate in short-term training programs.

Other topics covered by the committee members and witnesses included challenges in accessing affordable assisted living services; the need for more recruitment and training programs, particularly in dementia care; and the importance of greater transparency for consumers. Many of these issues were reflected in LeadingAge’s written testimony submitted to the Committee in advance of the hearing, as well as LeadingAge’s public statement following the hearing.

Finally, the hearing included a request from Democratic Senators for the Government Accountability Office to study assisted living costs and transparency for consumers, and a call for stories from families on their experiences with assisted living.

LeadingAge will continue to monitor any developments that follow.

Access our media resources, including tips for press engagement and talking points, in this December 18, 2023 bulletin: Updated: More PR Insight as Assisted Living Gets National Media Attention.