Home Health Agencies Helping Seniors to “Bring the Vote Home”

An initiative to help home-bound seniors take part in this year’s elections asks home health agencies to “Bring the Vote Home,” backed by the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare and the Council of State Home Care Associations.

Caregivers working for agencies in more than a dozen states may be able to reverse the trend of low voter turnout among both home health aides and the patients they treat.

“We are launching Bring the Vote Home to give patients who would otherwise not have the resources or ability to vote a voice in this year’s election. We hope to enlist millions of new voters from the home healthcare community and raise awareness of the issues impacting our patients,” said Marcia Tetterton, Chair of the Council for State Home Health Associations, which represents 37 state home health agency associations from across the country. “Because many of our senior patients are completely homebound, they often face difficulties exercising their very important right to vote. We hope this initiative will remove obstacles and barriers to voting so they can take part in the 2012 election.”

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The home healthcare community is launching a new website, www.bringthevotehome.org, as part of the initiative. The site offers state-specific information and instructions for voter and absentee ballot registration; home healthcare aides will also directly assist their patients during the registration process or through the process of obtaining an absentee ballot, if necessary. 

“American seniors and Medicare beneficiaries have long been an important voting bloc for candidates, and this election cycle will be no different,” said Tetterton. “For the millions of Americans who may have been forced to sit out the last election because of issues related to their health and mobility, we’re pleased to be able to offer information and options. Everyone who has a stake in healthcare should have a vote.” 

Written by Alyssa Gerace

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