Advocate
Legislation and public policy directly impact the quality of life of older adults. The Senior Source educates public officials and empowers older adults to stay informed and to advocate effectively on issues such as health care, affordable housing, age friendly communities, Social Security, economic security, and transportation.
What We Do
Advocacy Group for Elders (AGE) staff and volunteers help inform older adults and the broader community through workshops, emails. community forums, presentations.
More Info
To register for advocacy updates and alerts text SENIORSOURCE to 52886 or scan the QR code.
About
Advocacy Group for Elders (AGE)
AGE is The Senior Source’s public policy program. Staff and volunteers share information about legislation and policies affecting older adults and help ensure that public officials are informed and updated on these issues. They address concerns at the local, state, and national levels, and empower older adults to effectively influence their elected officials.
AGE also has a long history of participating in Senior Day at the Capitol, organized by the Texas Senior Advocacy Coalition. It’s a day that brings more than 4,000 enthusiastic older adults and aging professionals from across the state to the Capitol to highlight advocacy efforts and needs during Texas State Legislative sessions.
Join the AGE Council
Every day, public officials at the local, state, and national level consider legislation and policy that determine the quality of life of older adults. But not all older adults know how to effectively communicate their needs to decision makers. AGE empowers older adults and all concerned citizens to get educated and get involved.
Advocacy Success
State Legislative Priorities
We are all aging and deserve to grow older with dignity and in a state with adequate protections and resources for this important population. This is especially relevant given that older adults are now the fastest growing population in Texas, and in the Dallas area alone, they are growing at twice the rate of any other age group. This growth, coupled with the knowledge that 10,000 Baby Boomers will continue turning 65 every day through at least 2030, demands attention in the 88th State Legislative Session and requires public policy makers to be intentional in their legislative action. The following are vital to the well-being of older Texans now and into the future.
- Elder Financial Abuse Protections
- Long-Term Care Facility Resident Protections
- Food Security for Older Adults
- Family Caregiver Support
- Affordable and Safe Housing
- Past Advocacy Success
Elder Financial Abuse Protections
Older Americans lose more than $50 billion each year to frauds, scams, and exploitation, and for every reported case, 44 go unreported. Legislative action that holds perpetrators accountable and strengthens protections for vulnerable older adults is needed, including increased support for Adult Protective Services (APS) in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and enhanced legislation related to real estate and property title fraud which can devastate older adult victims.
Long-Term Care Facility Resident Protections
Texas consistently ranks as one of the worst states in the country when it comes to quality of care for vulnerable and isolated seniors living in long-term care facility residents. There are opportunities in this session to increase support of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, often the only advocates for residents, more rigorous background checks for staff, and increased transparency in nursing home ownership.
Food Security for Older Adults
Food insecurity for older adults across the state has increased in recent years. We should be making it easier for older Texans and those with disabilities in need to access SNAP benefits and meal programs like Meals on Wheels across the state, and we should appropriately fund these programs to ensure homebound seniors receive needed delivered meals and are able to continue living at home.
Family Caregiver Support
Nearly 3.4 million Texans provide unpaid care to family members. The average caregiver spends about 24 hours each week providing care, often balancing employment responsibilities, which often leads to financial, physical and mental health strains. Opportunities to alleviate hardships for caregivers include rescue and recovery legislation that supports law enforcement when family caregivers have an older adult with dementia who is missing; sales and use tax exemptions for expensive adult disposable briefs; and ensuring child-related income follows the child when grandparents or other loved ones are caring for children through kinship caregiving.
Affordable and Safe Housing
The need for a ordable housing for seniors in Texas is urgent. Older adults who rely on rental housing have seen a sharp increase in housing costs with nearly two-thirds of senior renters spending over 30% of their income on housing. Home repair and code compliance resources can assist seniors who own older homes but need repairs to live safely at home. These e orts, along with supporting eviction legal aid and tenant protections are vitally important in this legislative session.
Past Advocacy Success
What laws, rules, and policy changes do we count as past wins for older adults? View the federal, state, and local changes that we are celebrating.
Advocacy Alert 2.14.22
February 18th is the last day to apply for vote-by-mail for anyone eligible. Your County Election Office must receive your registration by that date. Simply…
Advocacy Successes 2021
What laws, rules, and policy changes do we count as wins for older adults 2021? These are the federal, state, and local changes that we…
Make Your Voice Heard
Sign Up for Updates
The Senior Source has partnered with Capitol Canary, a software company, to help us engage passionate people like you who care about policy issues affecting older adults. Now your legislators will hear your voice faster, easier, and more often. Sign up to receive updates on the legislature that affects older adults.
