Monday, September 15, 2025
This summer, AgeGuide has been busy meeting with state and federal lawmakers to ensure the voices of older adults and caregivers are heard in budget and policy decisions. Our conversations have focused on supporting the Older Americans Act (OAA). Specifically, the urgent need to increase funding for family caregivers, continue support for Home Delivered Meals, and the importance of funding to educate and increase awareness of scams to reduce financial exploitation.
Meeting with Our Legislators
We’ve had the privilege of meeting with:
- State Representatives: Terra Costa Howard, Jackie Haas, Nabeela Syed, Tracy Katz Muhl, Laura Faver Dias, Amy Grant
- State Senators: Karina Villa, Julie Morrison
- Members of Congress: Sean Casten, Bill Foster
These meetings provided the opportunity to share stories from our region, outline the challenges faced by older adults and caregivers, and advocate for sustainable funding solutions.
Join Us: Visit our Action Alert page to learn how you can support these advocacy efforts and help make aging services a priority in Illinois and beyond.
- Increase State Caregiver Funding
- Boost the Illinois Family Caregiver Act appropriation from $5 million to $6 million, strengthening Caregiver Resource Centers that support Illinois’ 1.3 million unpaid caregivers.
- Fully Fund the Older Americans Act
- Protect meals, transportation, wellness programs, and caregiver support that helped more than 471,000 Illinoisans in 2024.
- Expand Community & Alzheimer’s Services
- Increase funding for Alzheimer’s programs from $1 million to $2 million to bolster training, respite, and support for families.
- Invest in social connection, digital inclusion, and protective services to combat isolation and exploitation.
- Protect Medicaid & Home and Community-Based Services
- Prevent cuts that would jeopardize independence for older adults and drive up costly institutional care.
Why This Matters
- Caregivers save Illinois billions. By providing 1.21 billion hours of unpaid care annually, family caregivers delay costly nursing home placements and ease Medicaid spending.
- These programs are lifelines, not line items. From meals to caregiver support, they allow older adults to live with dignity and independence.
- The demand is growing. With Illinois’ aging population expanding, funding must keep pace to avoid service gaps.
Moving Forward
AgeGuide is grateful to Representatives Costa Howard, Haas, Syed, Katz Muhl, Faver Dias, and Grant; Senators Villa and Morrison; and Congressmen Casten and Foster for taking the time to meet with us and hear firsthand about the needs in our communities.
Together, we can ensure that older adults and caregivers have the resources they need to thrive.
