Senator Hassan Highlights Intergenerational Care Program in Hanover at Senate Hearing
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) expressed her ongoing support for seniors and family caregivers at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing.
To watch Senator Hassan’s hearing questions, click here.
Senator Hassan highlighted the work of Kendal at Hanover, a senior community in Hanover, New Hampshire, that hosts day care and early education programs for children. Senator Hassan discussed the benefits of intergenerational care programs for both older and younger Americans, such as providing opportunities to build new relationships and learn from each other, and asked Michelle Branham, Secretary of Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs, how intergenerational care programs can help older Americans combat loneliness.
“On the intergenerational side, I think it’s really exciting because… we have a mentoring program, so seniors mentoring children at risk, children in the elementary school system, and children graduating out of foster care who need assistance,” said Ms. Branham. “I think that intergenerational connection has been a win-win, both for the people – the young people, the families surrounding them, and the seniors.”
Senator Hassan also emphasized the importance of supporting family caregivers. Senator Hassan joined colleagues in reintroducing the Credit for Caring Act, which would provide a tax cut of up to $5,000 for eligible and working family caregivers. Senator Hassan asked Ramsey Alwin, President of National Council on Aging, about other ways that Congress can support family caregivers.
Ms. Alwin thanked Senator Hassan for her leadership on the Credit for Caring Act and highlighted the work of the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, & Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act Advisory Council, which was recently tasked with creating a National Family Caregiver Strategy. Ms. Alwin mentioned that there are also many actions agencies can take without Congressional action, as the National Family Caregiver strategy includes “over 350 actions that can be taken by federal agencies already today to better support family caregivers.”
This hearing is part of Senator Hassan’s ongoing efforts to support seniors and family caregivers. The Inflation Reduction Act included a number of key provisions that Senator Hassan pushed for to take on Big Pharma and address the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, including allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices – which will bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and help drive down prices across the board – and capping out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare prescription drugs. Earlier this month, Senator Hassan introduced legislation to simplify access to information for seniors and caregivers through the 1-800 MEDICARE hotline and joined colleagues in introducing a bipartisan bill to cut taxes for family caregivers. During the pandemic, Senator Hassan also successfully pushed the administration to create a new Medicare special enrollment period for seniors currently enrolled in Medicaid and waive any accrued late-fees seniors may face for failing to get covered earlier.
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