(Washington, DC) – Argentum, the voice of America’s senior living communities, issued the following statement on testifying before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging’s hearing, “Breaking the Cycle of Senior Loneliness: Strengthening Family and Community Support.”
“Argentum is proud to offer its voice and tell the important story of how we care for our nation’s seniors,” James Balda, Argentum president and chief executive officer. “Our communities care for roughly 2 million older Americans, across assisted living, memory care, independent living, and continuing care communities, and at the heart of the community care model is socialization, which in-turn, improves the mental health, cognitive function, and physical health of our residents.”
Balda testified before the Committee that, “The structure of our communities’ social activities specifically fosters a sense of community and belonging while simultaneously providing 24-hour care — assisting our residents with a multitude of ADLs, or activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, toileting, eating and mobility. Our care also includes medication management, providing nutritious meals and crucial socialization.”
The hearing was called following the introduction of the Social Engagement and Network Initiatives for Older Relief (SENIOR) Act by Committee Chairman, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). The legislation seeks to address the loneliness epidemic among seniors and promote ways to help more seniors stay connected, through changes to definitions in the Older Americans Act, directing HHS to study the impacts of loneliness in seniors, and study relationships of multigenerational family units, loneliness, and seniors. The hearing also follows the introduction of the Care Across Generations Act, Argentum-supported legislation to provide grants for long-term care communities to co-locate childcare centers to foster intergenerational connection.
In its testimony, Argentum noted that the costs of loneliness are significant, projected at an estimated $1,608 annually in Medicare spending for each socially-isolated older adult than it did for those who had more social contacts. Notably, a national survey of more than 130,000 assisted living residents by Activated Insights, found that just 14.3% of senior living residents reported being lonely, compared to 29.9% of seniors who live alone.
Argentum provided several personal stories underscoring how a sense of community and socialization have made meaningful differences in the lives of senior living residents. Among them include a resident who said moving into a community “literally saved his life” with their family member sharing, “I am a firm believer that without assisted living we would have lost my grandpa quickly after the death of my grandmother. To see a light in his eyes again and to hear that he feels he has purpose has been the greatest gift …”
About Argentum
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults.
Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services. Along with its state partners, Argentum’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of the professionally managed communities in the senior living industry—an industry with a national economic impact of nearly $250 billion dollars and more than 1.6 million jobs.
Contact:
Stephanie L. Robert
Vice President, Marketing, Content and Member Services
ARGENTUM | Expanding Senior Living
20 F Street, NW 7th Floor | Washington, DC 20001
Office: 571-527-2624
