Jeanette C. Takamura, Assistant Secretary for Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will visit with older citizens and family caregivers in the Seattle area to hear first-hand of their personal experiences coping with the daily burdens and stresses of caring for their loved ones who are chronically ill or have disabilities. Dr. Takamura, who heads the Administration on Aging, will tour a comprehensive day care center for older adults and visit a multicultural long term care and adult day health facility, meeting with staff and volunteers and discussing programs they provide for older adults and families in their communities. The Assistant Secretary will explain the Administration's proposed National Family Caregiver Support Program and the opportunities it presents for serving family caregivers of older Americans.
Families are the major providers of long term care in the United States.
Additionally, almost three-fourths of caregivers are women, many who are older themselves or are employed full time and juggle multiple responsibilities including running households and parenting children. The program represents a first step in the creation of a national long-term care policy and is part of the Administration's proposal to reauthorize the Older Americans Act. Thousands of elder Washingtonians benefit from supportive home and community-based services created through the Older Americans Act.