DC event to focus on the stories of senior women living in poverty
October 16, 2014
OAKLAND, CA – Women 65 and older are almost twice as likely as men in the same age group to live in poverty. Low wage jobs, lifelong lower earnings, divorce, and their role as family caregivers are all part of the stories of individual women living in poverty. On the evening of October, 17, 2014, The National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC) will share stories about the lives of women struggling to age with dignity during its annual fall reception at The National Press Club. Also that evening, NSCLC will honor Carroll Estes with the organization’s Second Annual Paul Nathanson Distinguished Advocacy Award for her work on aging and elder women’s economic and health security.
Carroll is Professor Emerita, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and founder and former Director of Institute for Health & Aging at UCSF Medical School in the School of Nursing in San Francisco, CA. Her research on Social Security and Medicare policy, health reform, long term care, and elder women's economic and health security has been essential reading for NSCLC lawyers and others in the field of aging and health. She has authored and co-authored 8 books including: The Aging Enterprise (1979), Social Policy and Aging (2001), Social Theory, Social Policy and Ageing (2003), and co-authored Social Insurance and Social Justice (2009). Her book, Long Term Care Crisis, was named one of the nation's Most Important Books (Choice Magazine, 1994). The edited volumes, The Nation's Health (7th ed., 2005) with Philip Lee and Health Policy (6th ed., 2013) with Charlene Harrington, have been adopted in 400 Schools of Medicine and Nursing.
“We are proud to honor Carroll with this award,” said Kevin Prindiville, Executive Director of the National Senior Citizens Law Center. “Carroll’s research on Social Security, Medicare, health reform, long term care, and gender disparities in addition to her strategic approach to partnership and advocacy have impacted the lives of millions of older adults.”
“I am honored to receive this recognition from NSCLC for my work on behalf of senior women. Older women are the backbone of American life and families. Yet climbing mortality rates and chronic economic insecurity are growing problems, especially among low income women and women of color. These are the groups who require NSCLC’s pioneering and persistent leadership more than ever,” said Carroll L. Estes PhD.
The event, an invitation only event for supporters of NSCLC and partners in the fields of aging, law and women’s rights, will also honor the law firm Proskauer Rose LLP with NSCLC’s inaugural Justice Award for the firm’s pro bono work on the case, Clark v. Astrue. The case restored $1 billion in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to nearly 100,000 people who had lost benefits as a result of the Social Security Administration’s practice of using records of outstanding probation or parole warrants to deny benefits.
In many cases these warrants were a result of mistaken identity and were for minor crimes that the individual knew nothing about. In all cases they were deemed so old or so minor that the law enforcement agencies in the communities where the warrants were issued were not interested in pursuing the individual.
This annual event is a venue for NSCLC partners, advocates, and donors to connect and celebrate our collective work in this field and inspire each other in our ongoing efforts to ensure the health and economic security of our nation’s low-income senior citizens.
The National Senior Citizens Law Center is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to protect the rights of low-income older adults. Through advocacy, litigation, and the education of local advocates, we seek to ensure the health and economic security of those with limited income and resources, and to preserve their access to the courts. For more information, visit www.NSCLC.org