In November, Klobuchar sent a letter to the Acting Secretary of HHS urging the agency to take action to prevent and more effectively respond to elder abuse in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities; In an additional letter to the Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Klobuchar asked GAO to examine additional actions the federal government can take to address this issue
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today released the following statement on the Administration's rollback of protections for seniors living in nursing homes.
"Rolling back protections for our seniors in nursing homes is a step in the wrong direction. The Administration should be strengthening—not weakening—efforts to protect seniors from dangerous situations, get them the help they need, and keep their families informed every step of the way. Our seniors and their loved ones deserve better. That's why I'm working with the Government Accountability Office to identify safeguards we can implement to better protect seniors from abuse or mistreatment."
In November, Klobuchar urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help prevent and more effectively respond to elder abuse in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities and also asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine additional actions the federal government can take to address this issue. A recent report found that in 2016, 97 percent of the more than 25,000 allegations of neglect, physical abuse, unexplained serious injury, and theft in state licensed facilities for seniors in Minnesota were never investigated.
Throughout her time in the Senate, Klobuchar has been fighting to ensure that all Americans have safety, dignity, and good health in their senior years. In October, the bipartisan Court-Appointed Guardian Accountability and Senior Protection Act she introduced with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) was signed into law by the President as part of the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act. The law will help crack down on elder abuse by strengthening oversight and accountability for guardians and conservators. The bipartisan Seniors Fraud Prevention Act, which Klobuchar introduced with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), passed the Senate in August. The bill would help fight scams designed to strip seniors of their assets by educating seniors about fraud schemes and improving monitoring of and response to fraud complaints. In 2015, Klobuchar reintroduced the Americans Giving Care to Elders (AGE) Act to help reduce the financial burden on families by establishing a federal tax credit to assist with the costs of caring for an aging family member. She has also been a leader in curbing the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, improving and strengthening Medicare, and protecting American consumers by leading major bipartisan legislation, such as the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act, the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act, and the Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act.
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