Joyce De Monnin

This is a guest post from staffer Kathy Klaper

This is a guest post from AARP blogger/staffer Kathy Klaper

Hey it's Jenn from the AARP IL communications team with our Monday caregiving blog post. Here is what's up in my life lately...

On June 29th, the Bronzeville Area Residents' and Commerce Council (BARCC), along with sponsors AARP Illinois, Alderman Burns and Alderman Dowell, will host the 10th Annual Historic Bronzeville Bike Tour. The bike tour beings at 8 AM and ends at 1 PM at 51st and King Blvd. Cyclists will ride a 16-mile course through Historic Bronzeville, complete with music and recorded speeches of famous residents such as Nat King Cole, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Minnie Riperton and Louis Armstrong. Cyclists will also have the opportunity to sample food from local eateries. Join us for this unique opportunity to celebrate historic Bronzeville - and get some exercise too!

This is a guest blog from AARP Illinois staffer Kathy Klaper

Guest post from AARP Illinois staffer Kathy Klaper

This is a guest post from AARP Illinois staffer Kathy Klaper. Check back every Monday morning for more information and resources on caregiving.

This is a guest post from AARP Illinois staffer Kathy Klaper. Check back every Monday morning for more information and resources on caregiving.

AARP applauds the Illinois General Assembly for passing a budget that more adequately addresses the needs of our state’s senior population and recognizes the value and cost effectiveness of home and community based senior services. The budget addresses concerns about the backlog of unpaid bills owed to senior service organizations for the past several years. While the backlog still exists, the budget ensures that no additional bills will go unpaid moving forward. For the first time in a decade, the state’s Community Care Program will be funded more adequately to reflect the true cost of services. The Community Care program enables seniors to stay in their own homes and live independently as they age. The budget allows approximately 10,000 more Illinois seniors to access that program. The budget also means additional funding for critical programs such as the Elder Abuse and Neglect Program, the Adult Protective Services Program and home delivered meals. We all understand that the state budget faces many challenges – but AARP commends the General Assembly for passing a budget that protects the community services and supports that Illinois seniors rely on to remain in their own homes as they age and we urge Governor Quinn to sign the measure into law.

AARP applauds the Illinois House of Representatives for passing a budget that more adequately addresses the needs of the senior population in our state. The budget recognizes the value and cost-effectiveness of home and community-based senior services while also addressing a backlog of unpaid bills that have been crippling senior service organizations. For the first time in a decade, the state’s Community Care Program – a program that enables seniors to stay in their own homes and live independently as they age - was looked at realistically and we saw an appropriation that more adequately reflects the true cost of services, without allowing a long list of prior year bills to compound behind the scenes. The budget means that approximately 10,000 more Illinois seniors will have access to the Community Care Program. It also means additional funding for critical programs such as the Elder Abuse and Neglect Program, the Adult Protective Services Program and home delivered meals. AARP urges the Illinois Senate to follow the House and pass this budget.