Advocating for our Clients

in Washington DC with USAging

CEO Maryanne Ryan and Deb Nugnes, with Senator Ed Markey and other USAging members from Massachusetts.

CEO Maryanne Ryan and Senior Home Care Program Manager Deb Nugnes recently visited Washington DC to participate in USAging’s annual Aging Policy Briefing and Capitol Hill Day. USAging represents the national network of Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and advocates for the Title VI Native American Aging Programs that help older adults and people with disabilities live with optimal health, well-being, independence and dignity in their homes and communities. Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands, along with most other Massachusetts AAAs and Aging Services Access Points, is a member of this trade association. 

This was Deb’s first time advocating in the halls of Congress and this year’s event was an unusually rocky one. On Monday, March 31, USAging staff unveiled the organization’s policy agenda for 2025 and provided deep background on the issues with a of series panel discussions featuring a range of invited guests, including Mary Lazare, Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging, U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL). Since 2012, ACL has been the administrative home for many of the programs authorized under the Older Americans Act; it was created to improve coordination off previously fragmented programs serving the needs of older adults and adults with disabilities, to increase efficiency and reduce duplication of effort and expenses. Just days before, on March 27, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had announced the dismantling of the ACL and Ms. Lazare, who had served in the previous Trump administration, has been brought back in to accomplish just that. She was accompanied to the event by at least a half dozen staffers, most of whom were laid off on April 1, the very next day.

During one prep session, staff from USAging recommended starting visits with legislators with stories not statistics. Deb Nugnes explained, “story sharing is a great way to build connection.” She recounted how she immediately began jotting down the names of clients to jog her memory. Deb searched to find a tone that conveyed the dignity and strength of some of the most vulnerable elders in our community, and to identify entry points that would shed the most light on their lived experiences. The following day, while meeting with an aide to Senator Markey, Deb reviewed her notes so she’d be fully prepared to speak when the Senator arrived.

But when Senator Markey did arrive, he opened the meeting by sharing his own story. He talked about his mother’s Alzheimer’s journey and his dad’s caregiving journey in intimate detail. He shared how for at least a few years, he wouldn’t have been able to do his job representing the residents of the Commonwealth without the home care provided by the Aging Services Access Point in their hometown. Deb smiled, “I felt incredibly grateful to be from Massachusetts where we've elected a Senator who truly understands the value of our work."

Senator Markey spent much of last year building broad bipartisan support for the re-authorization of the Older Americans Act, foundational legislation that ensures funds are appropriated for the services like Long Term Care Ombudsman, Family Caregiver Support, Elder Abuse Prevention and Meals-on-Wheels. Sadly, this broad consensus of support recently fell apart due to an unfortunate comment made on X. For now at least, USAging reports, the reinstatement of this cornerstone legislation has been moved to a back burner. But current concerns in the aging services network go beyond reinstatement of the Older Adults Act. Deb noted that she is most distressed about are the potential cuts to Medicaid in the 2026 federal budget. “I see people who benefit from Medicaid every day. They are the most compromised and most at risk. Medicaid needs more money, not less.”

Communing with cherry blossoms and a leisurely visit to The National Museum of African American History and Culture helped our advocates regain balance and perspective.