Kamala Harris proposed a new campaign policy Tuesday to help seniors “age in place,” a popular concept allowing older Americans to receive care at home through Medicare. The vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, speaking on ABC talk show “The View,” said the proposal would allow families to keep their loved ones at home, rather than in nursing facilities, and avoid the associated costs of in-facility care. The proposal would cover home health aides, among other services, and provide relief to family members who juggle their careers and caregiving responsibilities.
“It’s about dignity for that individual, it’s about independence for that individual,” Harris said. “I mean people are declining in skills to some extent, but their dignity and pride has not declined. They want to stay in their home.
” Harris emphasized that the proposal would benefit the “sandwich generation,” adults who are both raising children and caring for aging parents. This demographic also has a larger percentage of undecided voters, according to campaign data. The issue is personal to Harris, who often talks of taking care of her mother, Shyamala, as she died of breast cancer.
The weight of unpaid caregiving has become a topic of recent presidential elections, with President Joe Biden also addressing it in his 2020 platform. More than 37 million people provide unpaid care to elders, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The proposal is targeted at swing stat.
