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A Dubious
Plan for Elders Is Coming to a Senior Center Near You. by Dr. Gema G Hernandez  As an advocate for the elders, I am concerned with activities that misinform, confuse and use the goodwill and trusting nature of elders for political purpose. It is one thing to put political advertisements on TV targeting seniors and paid by a political party, but it is another thing to use taxpayers' dollars to put together political rallies at Senior Centers that favor one politician versus another or that promote pharmaceutical products. The latest brainchild of the Bush administration is the conversion of the Elder Day at the Capital into the Ambassador for a Day program. The original event was designed by me in my capacity as Secretary of the Department of Elder Affairs in 2000. The purpose of the event was simple; bring elders to the state capital to ask for more funding. The event caught the attention of the legislature because elders from all walks of life came to the capital prepared with legislation in hand. The group spent the day lobbying their local legislators for more equitable funding. They did this with dignity, confidence and honor. They did this in a true non partisan and intergenerational spirit because children and individuals with disabilities were included in their request. They did it because they wanted a better life not only for them but for their children and grandchildren. The results were terrific, 94 million dollars in additional money was obtained in three years. A record in funding that has not been matched. What was positive and uplifting about Elder Day at the Capital has been lost with its transformation. The new program, Ambassador for a Day, has been converted into a political rally for the Bush administration that will last two days. The program is now using Senior Centers as a way to bring credibility for a group of politicians to the eyes of elders and as a way to convey in a subtle way that Senior Centers support the message this group of pre approved politicians will be delivering to the unsuspecting elders. Using the Senior Centers to promote the event is very similar to the direct mailing strategy used in 2002 by Jeb Bush when he mailed to thousands of elders his accomplishments for seniors with the AARP logo. For the seniors receiving the information the perception was that AARP was supporting the Governor. Now for seniors attending or reading about the event the message is that the Florida Association of Senior Centers fully supports Viagra, the modernization of Medicare and any other message those politicians will deliver to elders. The fact that elders are being directly targeted by name and address has also raised some concerns as to whether or not a government agency, in this case the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, is allowing its data base to be used to promote a political party or pharmaceutical products. Ambassador for a Day is sponsored by Pfizer, the company that promotes Viagra. In compensation for Pfizer's picking up Mr. Bob Dole's speaking fees, the pharmaceutical company has obtained an exclusive deal which allows them to market its products to 90,000 elder Floridians. The company's name and products will be prominently advertised in the official newspaper of the Department of Elder Affairs, the Elder Update. This newspaper is financed by a grant from the Administration on Aging. The purpose of the grant is not to promote Viagra or any other product, but to educate and inform seniors about Medicare, Health Care and Long Term Care issues. The use of the newspaper to market products is another example of misused taxpayers' dollars. I am intrigued by the fact that the City of Tallahassee, the entity that administers the local Senior Center, has shown no concern with the fact that its facility is being used for such a political event, especially since Senior Centers should be apolitical in their activities and message. I am also concerned that a pharmaceutical company is allowed to soft sell its products to a captive audience at the Tallahassee Senior Center when pharmaceutical companies and HMOs are not allowed to do direct marketing to seniors within a certain distance of Senior Centers. To complicate things further the event is also co-sponsored by the Association of Senior Centers. So the violation of using a Senior Center for a political rally is now extended by default to all Senior Centers in Florida who are advertising and supporting the political rally. To make sure the two days' event, first the pep rally and then the day at the Capitol, are well attended, the Department of Elder Affairs has scheduled many "mandatory" meetings in Tallahassee with a variety of agencies, senior groups and service providers. This way, the travel expenses for the political event can be charged to a government grant. To pay for the cost of hotels, buses, meals and incidental expenses agencies will be allowed to divert some of the cost, if not all, from services for our frail and vulnerable people. Hotels are being booked and buses rented from as far as Miami to as close as Wakulla county. Unless Senior Centers nationwide begin to realize the political ploy behind events like this, a similar event will be coming to a Senior Center near you. If we want our Senior Centers to maintain a non political policy, it is up to you to make the National Association of Senior Centers provide the "Credentialed Senior Centers" the appropriate warnings. It is up to us to let our city or county officials know we don't want our taxes supporting Senior Centers if they are going to allow those centers to become an open marketplace for pharmaceutical products. At a time when we need to stand together to get access to "truly" affordable medication we should not be using taxpayers' dollars to support the marketing of pharmaceutical companies. Be a true Ambassador for Aging and stop the use of our senior centers for other than their original purpose. |
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