AAHSA Future Age Jan/Feb10 - 5

enables the work AAHSA does at the national level. We must continue to strengthen our voice, because everyone knows that as a nation we are not having a genuine discussion about the best policies for serving all seniors, nor are we prepared to meet the increased demands of the retiring baby boomers. As we work to create the future of aging services, it will require advocacy to change what exists to what could be. The first time I went to our state capitol to advocate, I stepped out of it feeling empowered. While I recognize that a lot of the frontline workers and middle managers will not come to AAHSA conferences, this message goal can help lift up the state [associations] as well. I think we can reach that 250,000 number [of advocates]. What I’m asking for is 15 minutes a week, an hour a month, for each member to participate in advocacy efforts. Just like in a family you have brothers and sisters, we are part of the AAHSA family and we have brother and sister agencies that might not all do the same thing. Still, you can send a message to Congress on behalf of your brother and sister organizations. FA: When you look at AAHSA as you begin your term as chair, what do you believe the association does best, and what should it be doing better? WM: I think what is most important to preserve is AAHSA’s integrity. When AAHSA speaks, it is advocating the right policy for the right reason, and has become a go-to entity because of that. It may not be right for all members, but it’s right for the people we serve. It’s not about me or any individual person; it’s about the people we serve. AAHSA is getting increased recognition on Capitol Hill, its staff is extremely well-respected, and it puts on one of the best conferences around. What needs to be enhanced is not so much what the staff is doing but what the AAHSA members are doing. If advocacy is our number one priority, we need to increase that member participation. To spread the word to our respective organizations. One AAHSA board member, for instance, has weekly meetings with his frontline staff about advocacy and AAHSA. I’d like to be able to replicate that. AAHSA is a very diverse association—our members represent diverse services, religious and fraternal affiliations, ages, and political views, and this diversity, instead of something that divides us, can unite us. For instance, AAHSA members do not all take the same position on health care reform in general. But AAHSA has taken a definitive position on one particular reform that benefits the seniors we serve—the CLASS Act. Our underlying principle is that we advocate for the right policy for the right reason, to enhance the lives of seniors. We must do this with sensitivity and appreciation of our respective diversities. Irrespective of our diversity, each member should be advocating for the policies that directly affect seniors because a victory in one area is a victory for the entire AAHSA family, and ultimately moves the senior services agenda forward.

futureAge | January/February 2010

AAHSA Future Age Jan/Feb10

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AAHSA Future Age Jan/Feb10