• Fought for legislation that helped make Massachusetts No. 1 in health care coverage.
• Fought for the Senior Prescription Advantage Program to reduce out-of-pocket prescription expenses for seniors.
• Fought for the Elder Crime Bill making it a crime to abuse, mistreat or neglect seniors.
• Fought for tax relief for seniors by supporting the Circuit Breaker tax credit.
• Consistently fought for fuel assistance for seniors and families in need.
• Fought for legislation in the Senate allowing “spouses” to be paid as caregivers, allowing seniors to live in the least restrictive settings.
• Fought for legislation establishing standards for dementia-specific training at health care facilities.
• Fought for uniform guardianship legislation that clarifies a family caregiver’s ability to provide care across state lines.
• Supported added investments in elder home care services.
• Supported funding for Elder Affairs programs and local councils on aging at the highest level of state support ever.
• Fought for funding to assist low-income elders, working families and other households with the purchase of heating oil, propane, and natural gas and electricity and other heating sources.
• Voted for legislation establishing the Elder Economic Security Commission, which collects information necessary to assess older adults, current-level of economic security, identify policies and programs currently in place to assist older adults, assess the needs of state/local programs to increase elder economic security and make recommendations to the legislature for action.
• Voted for legislation creating the Elder Protective Services Commission, charged with drafting recommendations to develop a multidisciplinary approach and standardized training and coordination procedures to enhance the effectiveness of the protective service program and reducing and addressing neglect, abuse and financial exploitation.
• Fought to require the state to hold nursing home beds for seniors for up to 10 days when hospitalized.
• Successfully fought for the establishment of a “Silver Alert” community response system, which is used when any adult with a serious memory impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia, is reported as a missing person to any police department in Massachusetts.