SOUTH PORTLAND, ME – With more Mainers looking to grow older in their own homes, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined the Bipartisan Policy Center for a forum in South Portland to discuss how lawmakers in Washington can work to make independent living less burdensome. Senator King delivered the keynote address at the forum, entitled “Connecting Senior Health and Housing”, where he spoke in support of bipartisan legislation he introduced earlier this year that would help make it easier for seniors to access federal home modification resources that can enable them to remain in their homes longer.

The legislation – the Senior Home Modification Assistance Initiative Act – draws on recommendations in a recent report by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The bill would establish a process to better coordinate the many existing federal home modification programs and provide more consumer-friendly information on how those programs can benefit older Americans.

“One of the biggest problems facing the health and wellbeing of seniors today is the possibility of a fall. For an elderly person, a broken bone can be the beginning of a steady decline. And that simple fact underscores the importance of why we need to try to make homes safer for seniors,” Senator King said. “One broken hip avoided could pay for hundreds of modified, safer homes for people across Maine. It is a legitimate prevention strategy that not only saves money, but that also saves people from the pain and suffering of a broken bone.”

Earlier this year, The Bipartisan Policy Center released a report called “Healthy Aging Begins at Home” that identified numerous federal programs, benefits, or waivers spread across least five federal departments that can be used to pay for modifications, rehabilitations, or weatherization efforts on homes to help older Americans age in place. However, not all of those resources dedicate 100 percent of their funding to modifications while others may only narrowly target specific populations, like rural seniors or disabled veterans. The convoluted mix of programs and requirements is difficult to understand for older Americans, meaning that many of the programs may not be utilized to their best extent. Meanwhile, it’s unclear how much federal funding is actually spent annually on home assessments and modifications for seniors.

To help, the Senior Home Modification Assistance Initiative Act would:

• Establish a cross-cutting initiative, to be carried out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Aging, to coordinate federal efforts and programs that provide home modification resources and assistance for older people. By coordinating existing programs and reporting annually on key data points, as the legislation would require, the Assistant Secretary would be able to provide a better understanding of how federal programs are helping seniors live independently and safely and how those programs could be improved.

• Require the Assistant Secretary to publish an educational, consumer-friendly brochure to provide easily accessible information that could help older adults better understand and take advantage of federal programs.

These proposed changes are particularly important because they come at a time when a growing number of older adults have expressed a preference for aging in their own homes. A 2014 AARP survey of Maine residents older than 50 found that nearly 80 percent of respondents indicated that it was extremely or very important to remain in their home as they age, with 73 percent saying that support for funding services that enable seniors to remain in their homes should be a top or high priority.

Furthermore, they come as the price of home modifications – even for relatively simply changes, such as the cost of putting grab bars in the shower, let alone significant changes like widening doors to allow for wheelchair access – can drain limited budgets. However, not making those modifications also runs the risk of being costlier in the long run. For example, a serious fall, which is the leading cause of injury for older adults, can result in large costs, both for the senior and for Medicare and Medicaid.

Senator King also spoke in support of the Credit for Caring Act, bipartisan legislation that would help make caring for an aging loved one easier and more affordable by providing up to a $3,000 nonrefundable tax credit to working family caregivers.

Earlier today, Senator King joined with representatives from Nissan USA, EVgo, and Hannaford Supermarkets at the Hannaford location on Forest Avenue in Portland to officially launch a new network of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. This afternoon, he will participate in the Grand Opening of the Lofts at Saco Falls in Biddeford.

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