[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 121 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S9689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     OLDER AMERICANS ACT AMENDMENTS

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be a cosponsor for the 
Older Americans Act Amendments of 1999, which would authorize and 
expand the programs first set up under the Older Americans Act of 1965.
  The Older Americans Act authorizes a series of absolutely essential 
services for our country's seniors. Among others, the Act provides 
nutrition services, legal assistance, disease promotion, elder abuse 
prevention, employment assistance, and numerous informational programs, 
including the long-term care ombudsmen. There is hardly a senior in 
this country that is not touched, directly or indirectly, by one or 
more of the provisions of the Older Americans Act. These programs have 
become an integral part of the infrastructure that helps keep our most 
experienced citizens vital and constructive members of society.
  I am particularly pleased that this bill includes a much-needed new 
service, the National Family Caregivers Program. The major medical 
advances of the past 50 years have led not only to an overall aging of 
the population but also to an increasing proportion of the elderly who 
are living with chronic diseases and disabilities. Many of these infirm 
elderly are cared for at home, putting a severe financial and emotional 
strain on family caregivers. This new program will provide such 
caregivers with a panoply of assistive services, including provision of 
information, assistance with access, counseling and training, respite 
care, and other supplemental services (home care, personal care, adult 
day care).
  It is absolutely essential to assist caregivers as much as possible 
in order to allow our infirm seniors to maintain their autonomy and 
sense of self-worth, to permit them to live in the company of their 
loved ones and in the least restrictive environment compatible with 
their needs. This is what our seniors fervently desire and it is the 
right thing to do; the likelihood that such programs will save the 
government money in the long run is an added bonus.
  There is little time left in this session of Congress, and there are 
many things that must be finished before adjournment. Yet as we 
struggle with our workload, I hope we can take a few minutes to find a 
way to pass the Older Americans Act Amendments this year, on behalf of 
all of our older loved ones.

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