CALA News & Views | Issue 46 | Relationships

By now, you’ve likely heard, and even seen firsthand, that the United States is on the precipice of a seismic demographic shift that will transform our population from an aging population to an aged population. With 10,000 Americans turning 65 each day, the odds are that if we don’t already know someone who needs long-term care, it’s likely that we will in the future. However, the senior caregiving workforce is not keeping pace. The senior living industry—once an engine of job growth for our nation—lost more than 100,000 jobs between February 2020 and November 2021, leaving the industry far below pre-pandemic employment levels. And it’s not for lack of demand. To the contrary, by 2040, the U.S. will need to fill more than 20 million jobs to care for our nation’s seniors. This is not news to anyone in the Assisted Living field. We know the data inside and out because we live it every day. But, there’s an important audience that needs to hear this message—the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the 100 members of the United States Senate (and their staff). That’s where you come in. As members of the California Assisted Living Association (CALA), you bring an important perspective to state policymakers, but also to your elected officials in Washington, DC. Each year, Congress considers more than 10,000 pieces of legislation (only a fraction of which will pass and be signed into law). Elected officials cannot possibly know all the issues they’ll be asked to vote on and need to hear from people with experience and expertise to help them understand the impact of legislation on their constituents. Influence Members of Congress Citizens are more powerful than they realize when it comes to influencing members of Congress. According to a survey conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation, 97 percent of elected officials and staff said that constituent visits to Capitol Hill offices had “some” or “a lot” of influence in how a member of Congress will vote, and 94 percent said that visits to local in-district offices influence how a member of Congress will vote. This same survey revealed that meetings with constituents have far more influence than meetings with corporate lobbyists. Legislators and their staff hear from hundreds of people in a day, so it’s important to provide personalized and local information. More than 90 percent of congressional staffers say that it would be helpful to have information about the impact the bill/issue would have on the district or state, and 79 percent said a personal story from a constituent related to the bill or issue would be helpful. This is an opportunity to say and share how workforce shortages impacted your ability to welcome new residents or affected your operations. Data can persuade people, but it doesn’t inspire them to act; to do that, you need to wrap your vision in a story that will resonate and be remembered.

Advocacy efforts extend beyond meeting with your members of Congress in their district or Capitol Hill offices. To help them better

By 2040, the U.S. will need to fill more than 20 million jobs to care for our nation’s seniors.

understand the issues you’ve discussed or the impact of legislation, you can invite your elected officials to tour your community. Members of Congress love a good photo-op and to meet with their constituents, but more importantly, they will have a personal connection to an issue that they would not have with just a policy paper. Amplify Your Message To amplify your message and build greater public support, you also can use your social media platforms to educate friends and family and connect with your elected officials. Social media provides easy access to government officials, and there’s a better chance of getting a response or interaction with a policymaker as social platforms can be a more unfiltered, informal way for them to communicate with constituents. Members of Congress love to use social media and it can be an incredibly powerful and engaging communications tool. Connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be a creative way to get their attention and be noticed by a wider audience. Nearly all legislators are on Twitter, and a simple retweet or reply to their content can elevate and raise awareness of an issue. Assisted Living will play an important role in providing care to our aging population, but with the growing demand for long-term care and an unprecedented shortage of caregivers, Congress must act now to safeguard this important care option for the millions of Americans that will need it. In the coming weeks, Argentum will be asking Congress to take action to solve the workforce shortage, support commonsense immigration reform, pass legislation to expand veterans’ access to Assisted Living, and pass legislation to improve access to Assisted Living communities with long-term care financing reforms. We simply cannot do this without you and hope you will partner with us to build congressional support for these issues. Legislators need to hear from you, their constituents, about the workforce and affordability challenges senior living communities face, and the impact our priorities will have on the quality of life of seniors and caregivers. Michael Keegan is the Manager, Media, and Public Affairs at Argentum, leading national trade association located in Alexandria, VA that serves companies that own, operate, and support professionally managed senior living communities in the United States. He can be reached at mkeegan@argentum.org .

CALA NEWS & VIEWS I ISSUE 46 | APRIL 2023

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