[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8805-S8806]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     ENCOURAGING INCREASED INVOLVEMENT IN ASSISTING SENIOR CITIZENS

  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be 
discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 409 and that the 
Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 409) encouraging increased 
     involvement in service activities to assist senior citizens.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements 
relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 409) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 409

       Whereas approximately 13,000,000 individuals in the United 
     States have serious long-term health conditions that may 
     force them to seek assistance with daily tasks;
       Whereas 56 percent of the individuals in the United States 
     with serious long-term health conditions are age 65 or older;
       Whereas the percentage of the population over the age of 65 
     is expected to rise from 13 percent in 2004 to 20 percent in 
     2020;
       Whereas the number of individuals entering the workforce 
     and the number of health care professionals with geriatric 
     training are not keeping pace with the changing demographics;
       Whereas medicaid paid for 51 percent of total long-term 
     care spending in 2002, as compared to the 15 percent of total 
     long-term care spending paid by medicare;
       Whereas the long-term care system of the United States, 
     funded largely with Federal and State dollars, will have 
     difficulty supporting the coming demographic shift;
       Whereas 80 percent of seniors live at home or in community-
     based settings;
       Whereas 3,900,000 people of the United States who are over 
     age 65 receive long-term care assistance in home and 
     community settings;
       Whereas 65 percent of seniors who need long-term care rely 
     exclusively on friends and family, and another 30 percent 
     rely on a combination of paid caregivers and friends or 
     family;
       Whereas 15 percent of all seniors over the age of 65 suffer 
     from depression;
       Whereas studies have suggested that 25 to 50 percent of 
     nursing home residents are affected by depression;
       Whereas approximately 1,450,000 people live in nursing 
     homes in the United States;
       Whereas by 2018 there will be 3,600,000 seniors in need of 
     a nursing home bed, which will be an increase of more than 
     2,000,000 from 2004;
       Whereas as many as 60 percent of nursing home residents do 
     not have regular visitors;
       Whereas older patients with significant symptoms of 
     depression have significantly higher health care costs than 
     seniors who are not depressed;
       Whereas people who are depressed tend to be withdrawn from 
     their community, friends, and family;
       Whereas the Corporation for National and Community Service 
     (CNS) Senior Corps programs currently provide seniors with 
     the opportunity to serve their communities through the 
     Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, Foster Grandparent 
     Program, and Senior Companion Program;
       Whereas through the Senior Companion Program in particular, 
     in the 2002 to 2003 program year, more than 17,000 low-income 
     seniors volunteered their time assisting 61,000 frail elderly 
     and homebound individuals who have difficulty completing 
     daily tasks;
       Whereas numerous volunteer organizations across the United 
     States enable Americans of all ages to participate in similar 
     activities;
       Whereas Faith in Action, 1 volunteer organization, brings 
     together 40,000 volunteers of many faiths to serve 60,000 
     homebound people with long-term health needs or disabilities 
     across the country, 64 percent of whom are 65 years of age or 
     older;
       Whereas the thousands of volunteers that, through the 
     Senior Companion Program and volunteer organizations 
     nationwide, provide

[[Page S8806]]

     companionship and assistance to frail elderly individuals and 
     homebound seniors, deserve to be commended for their work;
       Whereas the demand for these services outstrips the number 
     of volunteers, and organizations are seeking to enlist more 
     individuals in the United States in the volunteer effort;
       Whereas companionship and assistance programs for seniors 
     with long-term health needs offer many demonstrated benefits, 
     such as: allowing frail elderly individuals to remain in 
     their homes; enabling seniors to maintain independence for as 
     long as possible; providing encouragement and friendship to 
     lonely seniors; and providing relief to family caregivers;
       Whereas regular visitation and assistance is the best way 
     of assuring seniors that they have not been forgotten, and 
     State and local recognition of regular visitation programs 
     can call further attention to the importance of volunteering 
     on an ongoing basis; and
       Whereas a month dedicated to service for seniors and 
     recognized across the United States will call attention to 
     volunteer organizations serving seniors and provide a 
     platform for recruitment efforts: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2004 as ``Service for Seniors 
     Month'';
       (2) recognizes the need for companionship and assistance 
     with daily tasks among seniors with long-term health 
     conditions throughout the year, and encourages the people of 
     the United States to volunteer regularly with homebound frail 
     elderly or at a nursing home or long-term care facility;
       (3) encourages volunteer organizations that offer 
     companionship and assistance to seniors to incorporate 
     ``Service for Seniors Month'' in their recruitment efforts;
       (4) encourages individuals in the United States to 
     volunteer in these service organizations in order to give 
     back to a generation that sacrificed so much; and
       (5) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling on the people of the United States and interested 
     groups to observe ``Service for Seniors Month'' with 
     appropriate ceremonies and activities that promote awareness 
     of, and volunteer involvement service for, seniors with long-
     term health needs.

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