Older Iowans Legislature
Pursuing Quality of Life of Iowa's Senior Citizens
The Older Iowans Legislature is a statewide non-partisan, non-profit volunteer organization. Its members advocate for state legislators and the Governor to sign legislation that will result in an improved “Quality of Life for Older Iowans”.
The Older Iowans Legislature places special emphasis on the frail elderly; those citizens who have contributed much to our society, but have exhausted their resources and in need of assistance to lead meaningful lives.
Please take a look at our web site and join our efforts to pursue quality of life for our elderly.
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2018 OIL PRIORITY BILLS FOR SUBMISSION TO 2019 IOWA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OIL BILL 18-01: ELDER ABUSE LAW
The Board of Directors reviewed A bill for an act to provide a comprehensive approach to Iowa Elder Abuse law.
The Older Iowans Legislature is advocating:
- Expand the current Elder Abuse Law to include both age and a mental or physical condition
- Expand definition of dependent adult abuse to cover persons considered as vulnerable elders under 235F
- Revise the statutory power of attorney form to specifically itemize the powers of the agent
- Revise Guardianships and Conservatorships to incorporate additional protections for elders
- Protect against physical and psychological abuse, sexual abuse, financial exploitation, neglect and self neglect
- Definitions as to who are mandatory reporters
- Civil and criminal penalties for perpetrators of abuse
- Legal and financial assistance for the victims of abuse
- Educational and training requirements of staff
- Central registry of those committing elder abuse
- Access to information needed to maximize assistance of victims while respecting privacy concerns
- Use of Mult-disciplinary Teams coordinated by the Department on Aging
- Training and utilization of special elder abuse investigators
- Legislation based on the NASSA Model Act
- Legislation adopting recommendations in the Geriatric Patient Housing Review
OIL BILL 18-02: FUNDING HOME MODIFICATIONS
The Board of Directors reviewed A bill for an act to provide state assistance in funding for home modifications to help older adults to safely stay in their own homes.
The Older Iowans Legislature is advocating:
- Establishing a home modification grant program and funding appropriations
- Make a primary residence accessible for a qualified person in a manner that is necessary because of the qualified person’s age, disability or condition
- A modification or improvement shall consist of one or more of the following:
- Non-step entrances, exterior and interior ramps, stairway lifts or elevators, handrails and grab bars, door hardware, widening exterior or interior doors, moving electrical outlets and switches, modifying bathroom plumbing and fixtures, modifying kitchens, modifying bedrooms
- Be certified by a medical provider as being necessary to accommodate the qualified person’s use of the residence
- “Qualified homeowner” has an income less than the median income of Iowa or $56,000
- “Qualified person” means a person who is at least sixty years of age and is living with a disability as defined
- A home modification grant program is established
- Provide grants in amounts not to exceed five thousand dollars
- Appropriation of $600,000 to administer the Home Modification Grant Program
- Enabling seniors to remain in place provides a sound financial incentive to the state and the public in reduced institutional housing costs for seniors. Each dollar spent in home modifications can save many times that in institutional housing costs. More than a third of seniors living in nursing homes receive Medicaid Nursing Home assistance at great cost to the state.
OIL BILL 18-03: FUTURE READY IOWA FOR DIRECT CARE WORKFORCE
The Board of Directors reviewed A bill for an act to ask the Governor to expand the Future Ready Iowa to include the direct care workforce by recognizing existing certification and/or competency based training as a pathway to employment.
The Older Iowans Legislature is advocating:
- Expand the scope of Future Ready Iowa to include the direct care workforce by recognizing existing certification and/or competency based training as a pathway to employment
- In a letter to the State of Iowa Workforce Development Board, the Board of Directors of the Older Iowans Legislature “request that the Iowa State Workforce Development Board take immediate action to include the high demand occupation of Direct Care Workers in Future Ready Iowa”
- The Older Iowans Legislature recommends the expansion of the Future Ready Iowa program to help address the recruitment, training and retention of health care professionals and support staff in all settings at a time when Iowa is facing a severe workforce shortage as the number of older adults living in Iowa is rapidly expanding.
- Direct care workers not only provide care that enhances the quality of life of older Iowans but in many cases is an entry position that leads persons to become nurses and health care administrators.
OIL BILL 18-04: IOWA CARE ACT
The Board of Directors reviewed A bill for an act relating to the designation of a caregiver relating to a patient’s inpatient stay at a hospital.
The Older Iowans Legislature is advocating:
- Support for Iowa’s Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act to better support family caregivers as they safely help Iowa seniors stay at home
- The Older Iowans Legislature is interacting with Iowa AARP in support of a CARE ACT to be introduced by the AARP to the 2019 session of the Iowa General Assembly
- Iowa is one of only 13 states who have not passed a CARE ACT and ranks 46th in person and family centered care support.
- The Iowa CARE Act features four important provisions:
- The name of the family caregiver is recorded when a loved one is admitted into a hospital, IF a patient chooses to designate one
- The designated family caregiver is notified when a loved one is to be discharged to another facility or back home
- The hospital discusses the caregiver’s abilities and limitations
- The hospital discusses the patient’s care needs at home and provides an explanation and live instruction of the medical tasks to be performed at home--- such as medication management, injections, wound care, and transfers
Photos
Here are a few photographic highlights of the 2018 OIL Session...
New Survey!
Available here!
AARP Iowa, the Older Iowans Legislature and the Iowa Department on Aging will have a better understanding of the biggest challenges when it comes to aging in Iowa as they begin to prepare for the next legislative session.
The three organizations are working together to ask residents of all ages for their thoughts on what Iowa can do to improve the quality of life for its older population through a brief online survey posted on the Department on Aging’s website at www.iowaaging.gov/content/2018-aging-iowa-survey-discovering-what-matters. With the information gathered from the responses to eight questions, the groups hope to discover what really matters to older adults and their caregivers and develop policy to take to elected officials next January.
"The more information available about aging needs, the better prepared the Department and its partners will be to develop innovative, collaborative approaches to help improve the quality of life and care for older Iowans," said Iowa Department on Aging Director Linda Miller. For those interested in becoming even more involved in addressing aging issues in Iowa, the survey also includes a link to learn more about the Older Iowans Legislature (OIL), a statewide, non-partisan organization whose members advocate for state legislators and the Governor to sign legislation that will result in an improved quality of life for older Iowans.
Each year, OIL members meet at the Iowa Capitol to discuss and determine the priority issues impacting the state's growing aging population. This year's Annual Meeting will take place on Sept. 24-25 and leaders intend to use the results of the survey to inform their legislative agenda this year. "The Older Iowans Legislature urges its members and friends, as well as all of Iowa’s seniors, to participate in the survey. The results will play a major role in the discussion of aging issues at our Annual Meeting, which will be held in the House Chamber of the State Capitol," explained OIL Chair Helene Magee.
The delegates to the annual meeting can use the survey information to ask questions of department heads, legislators and the candidates for governor to determine where they stand on the challenges facing the state to help meet the needs of a growing aging population, according to Magee. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete and is available online through Sept. 21, 2018.
The Iowa Department on Aging (IDA) is an executive branch agency dedicated to making Iowa the premier state in which to live and retire. To meet that goal, the IDA works closely with the Iowa Commission on Aging and Iowa’s six Agencies on Aging to develop a comprehensive, coordinated and cost-effective system of long-term living and community support services that helps individuals maintain health and independence in their homes and communities. More information is available at www.iowaaging.gov.
The Older Iowans Legislature is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit volunteer organization that pursues quality of life for older Iowans by voicing their needs to the general public, all governmental bodies and service providers, and by providing opportunities for older Iowans to learn and participate in governmental processes to help solve problems facing seniors.