On March 5, State Representative Robin Shackleford organized and hosted the first ever Indiana Senior Day at the Statehouse. While seniors are more likely to be active in their communities than their younger counterparts, the vast majority of the attendees had never been to the State Capitol before to speak directly with their legislators.
A number of Indiana General Assembly members and community leaders took the stage to address attendees, including Pastor Jeffrey Johnson of Eastern Star Church who gave an invocation and instructed the gathered to use their voices to confront the issues facing seniors in the halls of power. Pastor Johnson thanked Rep. Shackleford and the organizers for helping to “identify what the issues are and learn how to address those issues, so [the participants could] make a difference.”
Indiana’s aging population presents significant policy challenges over the next decade. As the large baby boomer generation gets older, more and more Hoosiers will require daily care from their loved ones to maintain their quality of life—to be mobile, to eat, and to bathe. There are 300,000 more Indiana seniors than in the year 1990, and we must do more to meet the needs of our older Hoosiers. Family caregivers are increasingly filling the needs of Indiana’s seniors, and a statewide strategy based training family caregivers and equipping them with professional support is most efficient and economical solution to Indiana’s aging question.
While we should do more to increase the supply and efficacy of caregivers, there are distinct healthcare issues affecting seniors that family caregivers cannot solve. That is why Indiana Senior Day must be an annual occurrence. Hoosier seniors deserve a voice in the priorities of our state government, especially as it relates to their care.
I applaud Rep. Shackleford, Pastor Johnson, and the sponsors of this event for their commitment to seniors and for their foresight to organize Indiana Senior Day. Next year, I hope more seniors from across the Hoosier State make their way to the Statehouse and have their voices heard.
Jennifer Trowbridge is the state director of Caregiver Homes of Indiana by Seniorlink.
