[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   CELEBRATING ``A WEEKEND OF GIVING CARE, A LIFETIME OF COMMITMENT''

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN E. SWEENEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 19, 2000

  Mr. SWEENEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate ``A Weekend of 
Giving Care, A Lifetime of Commitment,'' which will take place around 
our great nation on December 2-3, 2000. I would also like to recognize 
one of my constituents, Mr. Martin K. Bayne, of Clinton Park, in 
Upstate New York, who first advocated establishment of this wonderful 
celebration. Martin is a 50 year old publisher and long-time advocate 
for our nation's elders. Mr. Bayne has worked closely on long term care 
issues with several of my House colleagues in the recent past. His work 
has been instrumental in beginning the slow, long process of re-
establishing our ties with the generation who brought us up, fed us and 
protected us.
  A century ago, the average life expectancy was 46 years. Today, 
improvements in diet and medical practices are keeping us alive to 
average age of 78. Death, however, is often slow and preceded by years 
of chronic pain and disability. In 1900, we were usually surrounded by 
family when we died. Today, we often die alone, surrounded only by the 
sounds of compressors, ventilators, and electronic displays.
  In 1900, aging was a normal part of our life, and an important 
intergenerational bond within the family. It signaled the natural cycle 
of birth and death, like the changing of the seasons. Today, aging is 
an aberration in a culture that is fixated--some say obsessed--on 
eternal youthfulness. Unfortunately, the old are sometimes even 
shunned, ignored, abused, and neglected.
  As a show of commitment to our elder citizens, Martin Bayne proposed 
setting aside the first week in December as ``A Weekend of Giving Care, 
A Lifetime of Commitment.'' On that weekend, Mr. Bayne, who himself 
lives with the daily challenges of advanced Parkinson's Disease, will 
join other members of his community to volunteer in an elder care 
facility as a demonstration of their genuine commitment to the nation's 
oldest citizens--a generation too often forgotten and too seldom 
embraced.
  ``A Weekend of Giving Care, A Lifetime of Commitment'' will be an 
opportunity for many elder Americans to see beyond the health 
challenges of aging. This event also honors a sacred covenant and 
repays a debt. Our elders were responsible for our care and safety as 
infants. Now, the wheel of life comes full circle, and we must be 
mindful and ever vigilant of the well-being of our parents' generation.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in celebrating ``A Weekend of Giving 
Care, A Lifetime of Commitment.'' This celebration is an important step 
in showing our care and concern for elders in this nation. I salute Mr. 
Martin K. Bayne's efforts to establish this vital celebration, as well 
as all those volunteers who will participate in the event. I hope our 
nation pays close attention to the celebration on December 2-3, 2000 
and carries the ``Lifetime of Commitment'' message forward in an 
attempt to provide respectable treatment and care to all our aging 
Americans.

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