[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7908-S7909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CARNAHAN:
  S. 2842. A bill to amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize 
appropriations for demonstration

[[Page S7909]]

projects to provide supportive services to older individuals who reside 
in naturally occurring retirement communities; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. CARNAHAN. Mr. President, we are all familiar with our changing 
demographics. Those once a part of the baby boom are now well on their 
way to creating a senior boom. By the year 2020, one in six Americans 
will be age 65 or over. By 2040, the number of seniors aged 85 and 
older will more than triple from about 4 million to 14 million. This 
boom will create a dramatic increase in the demand for services for 
seniors especially long-term care.
  Long-term care is more than just health care. It includes any 
services that seniors need to maintain their quality of life, such as 
transportation, nutrition, or other supports that help seniors live 
independently.
  Long-term care can mean help with buying groceries, paying bills each 
month, getting dressed in the morning, getting a ride to the doctor's 
office, or taking medicine at the appropriate time. We need to make 
sure our society is ready to provide these kinds of services for 
seniors, and we need to make sure that we give seniors options. We need 
to be creative in what we offer.
  Last year I learned about an innovative option for providing long-
term care services for seniors. The concept is based on naturally 
occurring retirement communities, NORCs. A naturally occurring 
retirement community develops in a community or neighborhood where 
residents remain for years and age as neighbors. A NORC may be a large 
apartment building or a street of single family homes. According to 
AARP, about 27 percent of seniors currently live in NORCs. NORCs 
represent a new model for giving seniors the support services they 
need. We can bring services directly to seniors, and we can help 
enhance their quality of life and allow them to age in place.
  This is important because most seniors prefer living in their own 
homes. To address the need for long-term care services, I secured $1.2 
million last year to establish a NORC project in downtown St. Louis. To 
get this project underway, first there will be assessment of residents' 
needs. The funds will then be used to meet these individual needs. 
Residents will receive such services as individual case management, 
family education, wellness services, and other needed supports.
  The St. Louis program is only the first step. This unique model could 
be used to deliver support services to seniors in communities across 
the country. That is why I am pleased to introduce the Senior Self-
Sufficiency Act. This legislation would lay the foundation for a new 
way of helping seniors stay in their own homes and in their own 
communities. The Senior Self-Sufficiency Act would create ten 
demonstration projects in naturally occurring retirement communities 
across the country. Each would last 4 years. The grant would be used to 
provide comprehensive support services to seniors.
  The services offered would be created to meet the individual needs of 
the residents and to help them maintain their independence. Funds would 
also be used to make housing improvements that would allow seniors to 
live in their own neighborhoods longer. For example, they could install 
safety bars in bathrooms or replace stairs with wheelchair ramps. Two 
of the ten projects would be located in rural areas where access to 
services is often harder or more distant. We will learn from the 
research how best to expand the program to all areas of the country.
  If given the choice, most people would prefer to grow older in their 
own homes, surrounded by friends and family. This is exactly what this 
legislation will allow seniors to do. By making support services 
available to seniors in their own homes, we can extend the time they 
live independently, and we can improve their quality of life. We can 
provide services at lower cost, and we can start preparing now for the 
future needs of our population.
  I am pleased to announce that the Senior Self-Sufficiency Act has the 
support of the Missouri Department of Health and the Jewish Federation 
of St. Louis.
  I ask unanimous consent that their letters of support and the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  Mrs. CARNAHAN. We need to begin now to plan for the future senior 
boom. The Senior Self-Sufficiency Act is a step in the right direction, 
making it possible for seniors to remain in their home longer and to 
retain their independence. That is a goal worth pursuing.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:
                                     Missouri Department of Health


                                          and Senior Services,

                                Jefferson City, MO, July 31, 2002.
     Hon. Jean Carnahan,
     U.S. Senate, Hart Senate Office Bldg, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Carnahan: The Missouri Department of Health 
     and Senior Services is charged with the mission of enhancing 
     the quality of life for all Missourians by protecting and 
     promoting the community's health and well-being of citizens 
     of all ages. In following that mission, we are pleased to 
     offer our support of your proposed legislation known as the 
     Senior Self-Sufficiency Act.
       This legislation, which would authorize demonstration 
     projects in naturally occurring retirement communities, would 
     help show the effectiveness of providing comprehensive 
     supportive services to older individuals who reside in their 
     homes to enhance their quality of life and reduce the need 
     for institutionalization. Missouri has long supported the 
     concept of ``options in care'' to include comprehensive home 
     and community based services and supports. This legislation 
     would help focus and define the concept and value of 
     communities, to include the significance of retaining seniors 
     within their natural occurring communities. The comprehensive 
     nature of the services to be offered under this concept, such 
     as health services, nutrition services, transportation, home 
     and personal care, socialization, continuing adult education, 
     information and referral, and any other services to enhance 
     quality of life will greatly increase a person's ability to 
     remain in their home and community.
       I can assure you the Department of Health and Senior 
     Services is eager to assist with the implementation of this 
     concept. Your proposed legislation is paramount in supporting 
     our mission to protect and promote our community's health, 
     and well-being of citizens of all ages. Please feel free to 
     contact Jerry Simon, Interim Department Deputy Director, at 
     (573) 751-8535, if we can offer any additional information or 
     support to this important concept.
           Respectfully,
                                                  Ronald W. Cates,
                                                 Interim Director.
                                 ______