Advocacy

Your VOTE, Your VOICE, Your POWER!

Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable (CARE) Act of 2015 into law. The CARE Act requires that hospitals provide patients with an opportunity to select a caregiver after hospital admission, and it requires that hospitals record contact information for the caregivers and consult with them about the patient’s care plan after discharge.

(Photo courtesy of The Avalon Theatre)

On Wednesday, May 22, the DC Council took its first and only vote on the FY 2014 Budget. For weeks prior, Councilmembers had been determining priorities, holding hearings to examine individual Agency budgets, and talking with constituents about the programs that matter most to them. During this process, AARP DC reiterated the need for an Age-Friendly budget, shared its legislative priorities for the year (built on the needs shared with us by members), and worked with members to make sure older adults benefitted from the budget.

AARP members braved the rain on April 29th and turned out at the Wilson Building in their red shirts to urge DC councilmembers to support funds for senior services. The Washington Post reported that 300 people showed up for a rally and many stayed for a budget hearing which followed the rally.

Today the President released his budget. It contained several cost cutting measures to Medicare and Social Security, including the implementation of Chained CPI. To help you understand the basic tenants of Chained CPI, AARP’s position and how you can get involved, some information and a video primer appear below.

Diane Pratt, AARP Board Member, greeted volunteers and spoke about the AARP Age-Friendly Cities pilot in the District of Columbia at the AARP DC Member to Member Event on April 5, 2013, at the John A Wilson Building. Members in AARP branded red shirts talked with council members about improvements needed such as street lighting, wellness center hours, and affordable housing. "AARP DC volunteers understand how important this is," Pratt said, "how critical advocacy and education are to achieving goals. Our volunteers make sure DC seniors and their families know there’s an organization standing with them and looking out for their interests."

The District of Columbia is one of seven states piloting the AARP Age-Friendly Cities Initiative. Since, the initiative launched in April 2012, Mayor Vincent Gray and members of the DC Council have publicly expressed support for the effort. The Council passed a resolution supporting for for the District’s age-friendly cities initiative. Next year is an, important year for the effort. In October 2014, the needs and interests of the residents are to be transformed into an actionable plan. Of course, those needs and interests must first be identified, and community input is an important part of that process. Government agencies will come together with businesses, faith-communities, non-profit organizations, and other community stakeholders to improve the quality of life for persons of all ages. The AARP District of Columbia State Office is offering input wherever possible, and looks forward to more individuals and groups in the community getting, involved. Ideally, community planning would begin this year.

On April 23, the District of Columbia will hold a special election to fill an At-Large seat on the DC Council. The winner of this election will represent the needs and interests of all District residents. As such, AARP DC created two opportunities for persons to share those needs and interests directly with the candidates.

AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond has reiterated the Association’s opposition to including a cut to the benefits of current and future Social Security recipients as part of a year-end budget deal via a formula change known as Chained CPI. She offered the following statement: