March 10, 2022, Washington, DC –  Statement from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, to mark the two year anniversary of WHO declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic: 

“Two years of COVID-19 laid bare the inadequacies of our country’s aging services infrastructure, a patchwork and insufficient system neglected by policymakers for decades. Never have older Americans and families suffered more than during the pandemic: three in four lives lost to COVID-19 were adults 65 plus.

Now, we face a growing crisis in access to care for older people and their families, as the pandemic continues to batter many aging services providers. Workforce challenges across aging services, chronic even prior to COVID-19, have reached new heights. Hundreds of thousands of workers have left long-term care, leaving nursing home residents nationwide at risk of having nowhere to go if providers are forced to close their doors. 

At the same time, home care providers are struggling to keep up with demand for services, and many adult day centers are on the brink of closure from COVID-inflicted staffing and financial pressures. With millions more Americans projected to need professional care and support in the years ahead, these challenges will only get worse.  

Research shows Americans support government investments needed to fund aging services and support the professionals who provide care and services. But, as COVID-19 recedes, will we as a country find the political will to do what’s necessary to ensure the well-being of our most vulnerable Americans? It’s time for everyone who cares about older adults, including Congress and the Administration, to act in honor of the lives lost and address the challenge of accessing critical aging care and services.”

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.