There’s a crisis in the way we Americans are cared for during the last part of life
Far too many of the 2.4 million Americans who die each year spend their final months and days in pain and in fear, most often in hospitals or nursing homes. Too many family caregivers sacrifice their own health and financial well-being to meet the costs of their elderly or ill loved one’s health care and living expenses.
These may be the good old days
As bad as the situation is now, the swelling population of chronically ill and elderly Americans, and shrinking numbers of nurses, nursing home staff, and home health aides make clear that without strong social policies, things will get a lot worse. If we continue to ignore the crisis just two decades from now, these will seem like the good old days.
Why aren’t we talking about it?
More startling, except for the kitchen-table conversations within our own families and our personal worries about our aging parents and our own future health and long term care needs, this national crisis is not discussed. And it needs to be. Soon.
This is one crisis we CAN fix!
Innovative, cost-effective services and systems can be put in place to ensure that all of us – frail elders, terminally ill people of any age, and families of those who are dying – can experience a safe and comfortable the last chapter of life.
Why here, why now?
New Hampshire has a unique opportunity to jump start this discussion. With the intense focus the presidential primary brings to our state and the intimacy of the process, we can ensure that candidates focus on constructive solutions to this problem and ignite a serious national discussion of how to bring health care, social services and the private sector together to care well for people through the end of life.
What is the Reclaiming the End of Life Initiative?
The “Reclaiming Initiative” is a multi-pronged strategy for compelling every presidential hopeful to address issues that matter to frail elders, people with advanced illness and family caregivers. We've put together a team with experience in issue politics and electoral campaigns, who are actively on the ground, building networks and grassroots support. The combined components of the Initiative will force candidates to address these issues as they are raised on the campaign trail. To make it easier for the candidates to thoughtfully and substantively answer these voter questions, we will be providing candidates’ policy advisors and staff with briefings on the issues and on the prominence they have for increasing numbers of Americans.
