The General Assembly is set to convene next week for its winter session. Legislators all across Virginia are meeting with constituents in forums sponsored by non-profits groups. One such event in Charlottesville was sponsored by the Jefferson Area Board of Aging, the Intergenerational Advocacy Council, and the Community Partnership for Long Term Care. After introductions from various speakers, Senator Creigh Deeds and Delegate David Toscano took questions from the crowd. Dick Lindsey served as moderator.
“This particular meeting occurs at a time when the country is on the threshold of an aging explosion, an explosion that many of us feel we are ill-prepared for,” says Lindsey during his introductory comments.
The legislators took questions on all manner of issues related to aging, but warned the audience not to expect too much in a session that is sure to be dominated by transportation. Deeds referred to the roads issue as “sucking the air” out of Richmond. One man asked how oxygen could be restored to get senior needs on the table. Toscano suggests that advocacy groups get involved with the legislative process by making their voices heard.