[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 37 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 37

Supporting the goals and ideals of senior caregiving and affordability.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 28, 2009

    Mr. Johanns (for himself and Mr. Casey) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                         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 the home with activities of daily living;
Whereas more than 25 percent of all seniors need some level of assistance with 
        activities of daily living;
Whereas so as 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 Federal and State 
        governments: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes caregiving as a profession;
            (2) supports the private home care industry and the efforts 
        of family caregivers throughout the United States by 
        encouraging individuals to provide care to family, friends, and 
        neighbors;
            (3) encourages alternatives to make caregiving for seniors 
        even more accessible and affordable through reviews of Federal 
        policies that relate to caregiving for seniors;
            (4) supports current Federal programs that address the 
        accessibility and affordability needs of seniors and their 
        family caregivers; and
            (5) 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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