Casey Holds Aging Committee Field Hearing in Pittsburgh on Caregiving Crisis

The hearing examined the needs and issues affecting caregivers for children, older adults, and people with disabilities

Witnesses from Pennsylvania testified about their experiences as caregivers and recipients of care, and raised issues about the cost, quality, and availability of care

Casey touted his long record of leadership on caregiving in the Senate and called for federal action to provide more resources to caregivers both paid and unpaid

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, held an Aging Committee field hearing in Pittsburgh about the challenges faced by Pennsylvania caregivers. At the hearing, entitled “From Infancy to Aging: The Effects of Caregiving Across the Lifespan,” Chairman Casey heard from several Pennsylvanians about the value of caregiving and the issues they are facing, including the cost, quality, and availability of care. Casey touted his long record of leadership on caregiving in the Senate and called for federal action to invest in caregivers and ensure access to care.

“For so many Pennsylvanians, caring for young children, aging parents, or family members with disabilities is more than an act of love; it’s a necessity for their loved ones,” said Chairman Casey (D-PA). “Our Nation is facing a caregiving crisis and as our witnesses testified today, we need to do much more to ensure families have the resources to care for each other and themselves. I will bring these stories of Pennsylvanians back to Washington with me as I continue to fight to invest in caregivers, expand access to caregiving, and make sure that Pennsylvanians can get the care they need.”

Chairman Casey invited Linda Orndoff, a home care worker from Coal Center, to speak at the hearing. She testified, “We all know home care workers save the system, and taxpayers, tens of thousands of dollars per year caring for folks in their homes over putting them in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. And that these folks have better overall health outcomes. But we need to come up with a plan for how to get caregivers out of poverty. Otherwise, there is no way that we can build a sustainable home-care system. Because we can't take care of them if we can't take care of ourselves.”

Chairman Casey also invited Heather Tomko, a Whitehall Borough resident who serves as the Outreach Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh’s National Research and Rehabilitation Training Center on Family Support and requires care for spinal muscular atrophy, to the hearing. She testified, “While I have a patchwork system that is manageable for now, I worry every single day about what my future could look like. I’m 35 right now, and my parents are in their 60s. I’m incredibly grateful that they’re still able to lift me, and to help me with the more physical aspects of my care. But I know that this won’t be the case forever – they’re aging, and at some point in the not-so-distant future, they’re not going to be able to care for me (and my sister) like they do now. And I’m terrified what that will mean for me. If I can’t find consistent care, my only option would be to move into an assisted living facility, and leave my full and vibrant life behind.”

Watch the full hearing here.

###