[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 42 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 42

     Recognizing caregiving as a profession and the extraordinary 
              contributions of paid and family caregivers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 31, 2014

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
     Recognizing caregiving as a profession and the extraordinary 
              contributions of paid and family caregivers.

Whereas 10,000 individuals in the United States turn 65 years old each day;
Whereas it is estimated that 40,000,000 individuals in the United States, 13 
        percent of the population of the United States, are 65 years of age or 
        older;
Whereas in 2056, for the first time, the population of individuals in the United 
        States who are age 65 or older is projected to outnumber the population 
        of individuals in the United States who are under age 18;
Whereas by 2060, the population of individuals in the United States who are age 
        65 or older is projected to increase from 1 out of 7 individuals to 1 
        out of 5 individuals;
Whereas the population of individuals in the United States who are age 85 or 
        older is projected to increase from 5,900,000 to 18,200,000 by 2060;
Whereas the population of individuals in the United States who are age 85 or 
        older is projected to comprise 4.3 percent of the total population of 
        the United States by 2060;
Whereas more than 5,000,000 individuals in the United States have Alzheimer's 
        disease;
Whereas by 2050, as many as 16,000,000 individuals in the United States are 
        projected to have Alzheimer's disease;
Whereas it is estimated that 60 percent to 70 percent of individuals in the 
        United States who have Alzheimer's disease or dementia live at home, and 
        such individuals may need assistance in their homes with activities of 
        daily living;
Whereas 1 out of 5 individuals in the United States who are older than 65 years 
        of age need assistance from a caregiver to complete 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 must 
        continue to grow;
Whereas it is estimated that there are 65,700,000 adults in the United States 
        who provide care to an individual who is ill, disabled, or aged;
Whereas it is estimated that there are 1,800,000 paid caregivers in the United 
        States;
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 employment of caregivers is projected to grow 49 percent from 2012 to 
        2022, much faster than the projected average growth of all occupations; 
        and
Whereas as a senior is able to assume responsibility for more of his or her own 
        care, the burden on public payment systems in the Federal government and 
        State governments decreases: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the valuable contributions of caregivers;
            (2) supports paid caregivers, the private home care 
        industry, and the efforts of family caregivers in the United 
        States by encouraging individuals to provide care to family, 
        friends, and neighbors;
            (3) encourages accessible and affordable self-directed care 
        for seniors;
            (4) should review Federal programs that address the needs 
        of seniors and the family caregivers of seniors; and
            (5) encourages the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        to continue efforts to educate the people of the United States 
        on the impact of aging and the importance of knowing the 
        options available to seniors when seniors need care to meet 
        their personal needs.
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