Seniors, The Information Gap and National Politics

	Greetings, Last month, I began a conversation here about the senior care information gap, October 2010 Message, and how we must derail this impending crisis. Without being an alarmist, it seems quite reasonable that if enough seniors find themselves suffering, whether physically or financially, because they were not well-informed about care options, they rightfully will demand solutions from elected officials. To be clear, seniors who choose inappropriate care options are not at fault, because senior care is a maze. Better information can assist them in finding the right care that serves their needs and preserves their dignity. So, government must embrace the duty of proactively initiating an education campaign that guides seniors and their families to the safest, most effective and least costly care options, such as nonmedical in-home care. My company tracks the vast senior care market, and this issue is most urgent. Our research reveals how little seniors and their adult children know about the senior care continuum beyond nursing home care-and how unaware families are about senior care costs and who pays the bills. The Home Instead Senior Care® white paper Seniors & the Information Gap  presents the depth of this problem. In January 2011, 78 million U.S. Baby Boomers begin retiring at a rate of more than 8,000 per day. Those retirees will redefine our nation, as the age wave is the most significant demographic shift since the 1890s' immigration wave. Because voters who rely on your leadership today will hold you accountable tomorrow, you can represent them effectively now by working toward closing the senior care information gap. The gray vote and the senior lobby, including AARP which encompasses 40 million U.S. members over the age of 50, exert considerable pressure on Washington, and they may look to Capitol Hill to solve the senior care information gap. One way to avoid miscommunication is a straightforward, national public-private senior care education campaign. Despite recession recovery challenges and enormous budget shortfalls, now is the ideal time to move forward and address the information gap because the in-home senior care industry actually creates jobs, protects private assets and preserves public revenue.  The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration on Aging appears to be the ideal federal organization to lead the campaign. I believe scores of state and city agencies as well as private sector entities, including Home Instead Senior Care, would participate. Possible platforms include: A reputable senior issues Web site with links to federal, state and local agencies. A series of public service announcements and social networking messages that build senior care awareness and drive people to fact-based resources. A volunteer speakers' bureau to connect knowledgeable presenters with the public. An outreach to opinion makers who will publicize the perils of the information gap. The ideas are endless, but we must begin. Please raise your voice about the senior care information gap and work toward favorable public policy to protect seniors. Sincerely, Paul R. Hogan Paul Hogan is Chairman & Founder of Home Instead Senior Care and, with his wife Lori, co-author of Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions.