Winners of the 2011 ALFA Hero Award and ALFA Champion of Senior Living Award joined lawmakers for ALFA’s annual Heroes on the Hill event. These senior living professionals gathered on Capitol Hill to share their experiences in senior care with their Senators and Representatives.
The Heroes and Champions gathered for a brief training on what to expect in Congressional meetings and were equipped with statistics on senior living. Although many of these professionals had never met with legislators before, their personal connections to senior living made their meetings exceedingly powerful. “I feel like we made a difference,” said ALFA Champion Margaret Seggebruch of BMA Management. “When we talk about our industry, I think we put a personal touch on it.” Representing their employers, coworkers, and residents, the award winners and recognized champions talked passionately about their service to seniors and the importance of senior living communities for older Americans who rely on their services. “I’m impressed that the aides seemed truly concerned. They took the time to listen. In particular the last aide had a family member in assisted living and said great things about the community (where her family member lived),” said ALFA Champion Brenda Pelley of Benchmark Senior Living.
The Heroes on the Hill event, facilitated by ALFA, supports senior living’s ongoing advocacy efforts by educating legislators about the innovative and compassionate nature of senior living while strengthening relationships with Congressional leaders. “These extraordinary senior care professionals are the best advocates for senior living,” said ALFA President and CEO Richard P. Grimes. “These men and women are passionate about the seniors they serve and work tirelessly every day, like hundreds of thousands of other senior living professionals, to ensure that senior living residents enjoy a high quality of life. The ALFA Heroes and Champions have personal stories and first hand experience that resonate with lawmakers in an extremely powerful way.”
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