April 15, 2008 The hearing of the Senate Special
Committee on Aging usually a rather colorless affair will get a shot
of excitement on Wednesday when Martha Stewart appears to discuss the
role of family caregivers in providing essential services and support
for loved ones. The hearing will be at 3 p.m. in Room 562 of the Dirksen
Senate Office Building.
The hearing will be the first in which Congress
reviews the Institute of Medicines (IOM) major recommendations for
improving and expanding the skills and preparedness of the long-term
care workforce in their report, Retooling for an Aging America:
Building the Healthcare Workforce, released yesterday.
Sen. Kohl promises legislation to expand, train, and
support all sectors of the health care workforce, including doctors,
nurses, direct care workers, and family caregivers
Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) will chair the hearing to
address the "impending severe shortage" of health professionals,
including direct care workers, who are adequately trained and prepared
to care for older Americans with chronic care and long-term care needs.
Ms. Stewart will share with the committee her
experience as a caregiver for her mother, and how it shaped her decision
to establish the Martha Stewart Center for Living, a model clinic for
coordinated outpatient geriatric services at Mount Sinai in New York.
Chairman Kohl says that he plans to introduce a
bill to expand, train, and support all sectors of the long-term care
workforce, including doctors, nurses, direct care workers, and family
caregivers.
The IOMs analysis, as well as the testimony
presented by other witnesses at the hearing, will provide policymakers
with a broad range of ideas for improving and expanding the training of
licensed professionals, direct care workers and family caregivers.
The hearing is named, "Caring For Our Seniors: How
Can We Support Those on the Frontlines?"
Speakers scheduled to testify include the
following:
PANEL I
● John Rowe, MD, Professor, Department of Health
Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia
University; Chairman, Institute of Medicines Committee on the Future
Health Care Workforce for Older Americans
● Robyn Stone, DPH, Executive Director,
Institute for the Future of Aging Services, American Association of
Homes and Services for the Aging
PANEL II
● Martha Stewart, Founder, Martha Stewart Living
Omnimedia
● Todd Semla, PharmD, President, American
Geriatrics Society
● Mary McDermott, Personal Care Worker; Member,
Wisconsin Quality Home Care Commission Board of Directors
● Sally Bowman, PhD, Associate Professor,
Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State
University
