REPORT FROM THE SENATE MAJORITY – HONOLULU – The Senate Human Services Committee is scheduled to hear Senate Bill 2346, a bill supporting seniors, on Tuesday, February 4 at 1 p.m in room 016 at the state capitol.
State lawmakers have proposed legislation to protect seniors from financial abuse, support healthy aging programs and increase public awareness of long-term care.
In the last 30 years, the number of seniors over 60 in Hawaii grew by nearly 140 percent and seniors over 85 increased by more than 430 percent. Studies project that Hawaii seniors over 60 will make up nearly a third of the State’s total population.
SB 2346, Relating to Aging, is a two-part bill that funds healthy aging programs and services, and provides resources for the implementation of a public education and awareness campaign on long-term care. Most successful senior programs recognize and build upon integrated health and social services.
The bill allocates a total of $6.6 million to support community-based programs that incorporate collaborations between health care and social service agencies.
The second part of the bill provides $500,000 for the Department of Health’s Executive Office on Aging to implement a public education and awareness campaign to help better prepare Hawaii residents in planning for future long-term care needs.