Lynn Friss Feinberg

Lynn Friss Feinberg is deputy director of the National Center on Caregiving at the San Francisco-based Family Caregiver Alliance and is a former member of the ASA Board of Directors. She is currently spending a year in Washington, D.C., as the 2008-2009 John Heinz Senate Fellow in Aging in the office of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Drawing on her long experience in the field -- and on her new insider’s viewpoint from her post on Capitol Hill -- Feinberg recently shared her expertise on the nuts-and-bolts of advocating for federal legislation to support older adults and their caregivers. She also gives us a snapshot of pending legislation that offers vital support for building the workforce in aging.

Do personal letters to members of Congress really have an impact?

Thoughtful, clear and factually persuasive letters to your own representative or the senators from your state can and do have an impact. It is usually best to keep letters to one page and omit jargon. Say why you are writing, who you are and what you are asking for. Use specific examples or provide evidence to support your position.

The Institute of Medicine has just released a report identifying an “impending crisis” if the United States does not address the projected shortages of healthcare providers as society ages. How can Washington be spurred to act?

The new IOM report presents advocates with a road map to action. The report is timely. It offers important findings and policy recommendations on the way the healthcare workforce should be trained and used to care for the aging population. Aging advocates, healthcare professionals, direct care workers, family caregivers and consumers themselves can join forces to make their voices heard and the IOM’s recommendations a reality. Successful advocacy depends on the involvement of many.

Which recommendations from the IOM have a good chance of gaining traction on Capitol Hill?

All the recommendations deserve serious consideration. My own view is that the recommendations that address recruitment and retention of health professionals and direct workers with specialty training in geriatrics will move forward.

How does Sen. Boxer's recently introduced aging-support bill relate to the new IOM report?

On March 5, 2008, Senator Barbara Boxer introduced the Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008 (S. 2708), legislation aimed at helping prepare healthcare providers to give older Americans the best possible care. The bill is cosponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), and is already endorsed by more than 30 national organizations and coalitions.

S. 2708 directly addresses some of the IOM recommendations. By linking loan repayment to a service commitment to the aging population, the legislation will provide meaningful incentives -- to help encourage qualified healthcare practitioners to join the geriatrics and gerontology fields. The bill will also expand career advancement opportunities for direct care workers by offering specialty training in long-term care services. Lastly, the measure will create a health and long-term care workforce advisory panel for an aging America.

How can the aging network best help promote support for the proposed legislation?

Aging advocates can contact their own U.S. senators and ask them to cosponsor and support the Caring for an Aging America Act (S. 2708).

Photo: Courtesy Lynn Friss Feinberg

Copyright © 2008 American Society on Aging; all rights reserved. This article may not be duplicated or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher: American Society on Aging, 71 Stevenson St., Suite 1450, San Francisco, CA 94105-2938; e-mail: permissions@asaging.org.