[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 59 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 59

Supporting the goals and ideals of senior caregiving and affordability.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 24, 2009

  Mr. Terry submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Supporting the goals and ideals of senior caregiving and affordability.

Whereas 8,000 people in the United States turn 60 years old every day;
Whereas an estimated 35,900,000 people, 12.4 percent of the population, are 65 
        years of age and older;
Whereas the United States population age 65 and older is expected to more than 
        double in the next 50 years to 86,700,000 in 2050;
Whereas the 85 and older population is projected to reach 9,600,000 in 2030 and 
        double again to 20,900,000 in 2050;
Whereas it is estimated that 4,500,000 people in the United States have 
        Alzheimer's disease today;
Whereas it is estimated that number will increase to between 11,300,000 and 
        16,000,000 by 2050;
Whereas 70 percent of people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias live 
        at home, and these individuals are examples of individuals who need 
        assistance in their homes with their ``activities of daily living'';
Whereas currently over 25 percent of all seniors need some level of assistance 
        with their ``activities of daily living'';
Whereas in order to address the surging population of seniors who have 
        significant needs for in-home care, the field of senior caregiving will 
        continue to grow;
Whereas there are an estimated 44,000,000 adults in the United States providing 
        care to adult relatives or friends and an estimated 725,000 nonfamily 
        private paid senior caregivers;
Whereas both unpaid family caregivers and paid caregivers work together to serve 
        the daily living needs of seniors who live in their own homes;
Whereas the Department of Labor estimated that paid caregivers for the year 2006 
        worked a total of 835,000,000 hours, and the projected hours of paid 
        senior caregivers are estimated to increase to 4,350,000,000 hours by 
        2025; and
Whereas the longer a senior is able to provide for his or her own care, the less 
        burden is placed on public payment systems in State and Federal 
        governments: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) focuses on learning more about senior care and being 
        prepared to manage the needs of our aging population;
            (2) recognizes caregiving as a profession;
            (3) supports the efforts of family caregivers nationwide by 
        encouraging individuals to provide care to family, friends, and 
        neighbors;
            (4) fosters a private home care industry environment that 
        supports enterprise to provide accessible and affordable 
        caregiving services to seniors while providing standardized 
        training to paid caregivers that offers opportunity for their 
        continued growth and development;
            (5) studies alternatives to make caregiving for seniors 
        even more accessible and affordable, and reviews Federal 
        policies that relate to caregiving for seniors;
            (6) examines and continues to fund current Federal programs 
        which address the accessibility and affordability needs of 
        seniors and their family caregivers; and
            (7) encourages the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        to continue working to educate people in the United States on 
        the impact of aging and the importance of knowing the options 
        available to seniors when they need care to meet their personal 
        needs.
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