Hold the date! On Feb. 17, the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) will sponsor Seniors Decide 2016, the nation’s only forum where all of the presidential candidates are invited to address issues that are important to America’s older adults.
The forum will be held less than 2 weeks before Super Tuesday, March 1, when 15 states go to the primary polls. Find out when your state votes.
You’re invited to participate in this national event! Below are some details posted on the National Council on Aging’s website:
4 ways to get involved in Seniors Decide 2016:
1. Sign up to watch the forum live
The forum will be live-streamed on Feb. 17 starting at 1 p.m. ET. Let LCAO and the candidates know that you’ll be watching by signing up at SeniorsDecide.org. LCAO will post a running list to show the candidates all of the communities nationwide that are participating.
2. Urge the candidates to attend
Join LCAO members in encouraging all of the presidential candidates to take part in this important forum.
The message is simple: The 72-member Leadership Council of Aging Organizations is convening Seniors Decide 2016, the nation’s only presidential candidate forum focused on issues important to our nation’s older adults. I’ll/We’ll be watching. Will you be there?
Send this message to the candidates via:
- Social media: You can find all of the candidates’ social media contact information onSeniorsDecide.org. Remember to use the handles of NCOA (@NCOAging) and LCAO (@LCAgingOrgs) in your messages.
- Video: Record a video urging the candidates to participate. Visit SeniorsDecide.org to learn how to share it with LCAO. Don’t forget to promote it via social media too!
3. Submit questions for the candidates
We want to make sure that funding for the Older Americans Act (OAA) and financing for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) aren’t left out of the discussion. Help us build a groundswell of support by promoting questions on these critical topics.
Submit your questions via video, social media posts, and on SeniorsDecide.org. Here is some sample language to use:
Older Americans Act: Services for vulnerable seniors have been drastically underfunded, and cuts in recent years are putting all nondefense discretionary funding on a path toward historic lows. What will you do to eliminate the threat of automatic sequester cuts and make overdue investments in programs that support seniors’ health and economic security, including those of the Older Americans Act, elder falls prevention, and elder justice?
Long-Term Services and Supports: The number of Americans needing long-term care will more than double, from 12 million to 27 million, by 2050. Few Americans have any protection against the high costs of long-term care. Medicare does not cover it, and private long-term care insurance is unaffordable for middle-class families. Seniors and people with disabilities are forced to impoverish themselves to get assistance from Medicaid. With the aging of the U.S. population, how would you recommend the country address financing for long-term care?
4. Host a watch party
The forum will be live-streamed on Feb. 17 starting at 1 p.m. ET, and a recording will be posted online after the event. Host a watch party during or after the forum. Use the Watch Party Kit on SeniorsDecide.org for tips.
Here’s a bit more info on Seniors Decide…
Seniors Decide 2016 is a forum developed by the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations to provide a fair and unbiased platform for sharing the views of candidates for President of the United States on policies and programs affecting older Americans. The 72 member organizations that make up the LCAO represent a diverse membership of older Americans and their caregivers, and professionals engaged in the public policy arena.
Civic-minded older Americans make up an increasingly larger proportion of the electorate, particularly in presidential election years. Truly, seniors will play a decisive role in determining who America’s next President will be.
