By Paulette Porter, Chief Operating Officer, CareWell Services Southwest
Senior Action Week is right around the corner on April 29 – May 3, with Older Michiganian’s Day landing on the Wednesday of that week on May 1. We want you to join us!
Senior Action Week and Older Michiganian’s Day are all about calling attention to the issues that are important to older adults and caregivers in Michigan. It’s imperative that local State Representatives, State Senators, and the Governor hear from Michiganders on how their decisions impact critical services for older adults. One important way to get involved is to write to your representatives about these issues and urge them to take action.
In preparation for Senior Action Week and Older Michiganian’s Day, CareWell Services, the AAA Association of Michigan (4AM), aging network partners, and advocates for seniors across the state come together to hone in on a platform pointing to specific policy concerns that ties back to the advocacy focus areas for the year. These areas include:
- Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Expansion
- MI Choice Issues
- Caregiver Support
- Direct Care Worker (DCW) Wages
- Nutrition
- Rebalancing Medicaid Long-Term Care Funding
- Home and Community Based Services
- Reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA)
- Health Equity
Anyone can help advocate for these issues that are important for seniors in Michigan. You can start by writing to your elected officials. There are several who represent southwest Michigan.
This year, we’re making it easier than ever to get involved!
Below is a form letter you can use to make your voice heard. Please feel free to add any comments, or a personal story, that you feel elected officials should know on the back of the page. You can help send the message to legislators to preserve vital services for older adults in the state budget. Your letter will be added to hundreds of others and delivered directly into the hands of local elected officials, visually showing lawmakers how many people care about these issues.
You can also pick up a hardcopy of the form letter that you can sign and send straight from CareWell Services, Heritage Commons Senior Enrichment Center, Forks Senior Center, Barry County Council on Aging.
Dear Legislator:
As we approach Senior Action Week, April 29 – May 3, we are reaching out to ask for your support in the FY24-25 budget. While COVID is not as much of an immediate health crisis as in past years, older adults still face many critical issues that impact their ability to stay independent in their homes as most want to do. The Area Agencies on Aging Association, aging network partners, and advocates for seniors across the state are urging legislators to take action and ensure funding in the budget for critical supports and services in the following areas:
- Support and Strengthen the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program by adding 33 new full-time positions at an estimated total cost of $3 million in the MDHHS budget.
- Support Family and Informal Caregivers by supporting a permanent $5 million appropriation distributed to AAAs to continue to develop Caregiver Resource Centers, and pass the Caring for MI Family Tax Credit to provide tax relief of up to $5,000 per year for family caregivers.
- Expand Access to MI Choice by bringing equity between Home and Community-Based Services and institutional care by rebalancing state expenditures and support an increase of the participant’s asset limit to reflect inflation.
- Increase Access to Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) by supporting the Silver Key Coalition’s request for a $7 million increase for ACLS Bureau in-home services and make permanent a $1 million increase for home delivered meals.
We are grateful for your continued support in all that you do for older adults, and especially in addressing these critical issues. For details on the platform of legislative action, visit 4ami.org or call Stacy Wines at (269) 966-2450.
Find out who your state representatives are at https://www.house.mi.gov/ and https://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/.
Send your letter to your representatives using the contact information below:
The Honorable Governor Gretchen Whitmer
PO Box 30013
Lansing, MI 48909
The Honorable NAME HERE
Michigan State Senate
PO Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
The Honorable NAME HERE
House of Representatives
PO BOX 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514