▶ 0:17:31Chair Scott: Senate special we have gathered to discuss an important topic not just for the aging committee, but for those planning for retirement and those who want be retired for several decades. Today's hearing will focus on the beneficial impact of purpose in the lives of our seniors. I think we would all say that, we all want to have purpose. What we can do is elected officials who foster a purpose- silva life for aging constituents.
▶ 0:17:57Chair Scott: We are lucky to be joined by witnesses helping aging americans engage with purpose-driven lives, create purpose for themselves and our economy. Purpose and fulfillment are powerful forces that enrich families, strengthen communities, and support the health and longevity of our nation and its people. Having a purpose is an essential part of the american dream. It has long been an indicator of mental and physical well-being across all age groups.
▶ 0:18:29Chair Scott: Purpose can be found in many things including parenting, caring for loved ones, creating a business, and paid or volunteer work. But for seniors, many of whom are adjusting to retirement and life is empty nesters, purpose can sometimes seem hard to find.
▶ 0:18:44Chair Scott: How we should see this phase of life is a chapter where americans are about to stay active and giveback in ways that manage them, while reaping the rewards of connection, community, and better physical and mental well-being. Here is the reality for a lot of folks preparing for retirement -- while we hope that every american spends their working years working there dream jobs come that is not always the case.
▶ 0:19:10Chair Scott: Americans have great great jobs and save up for retirement and look forward to chasing dreams they might put on pause in their golden years of retirement. I want this committee to think about today is how do we make sure that every american retiree can live their dreams and their older years. How do we make sure they can take that course at the local college they have been wanting to take for too long? How do we make sure they can start the coffee shop or bookstore or bike shop they have always dreamed about?
▶ 0:19:38Chair Scott: How do we make sure folks stay connected with their communities as they age and create value not only for themselves by keeping purpose in their lives, but help mentor the next generation of leaders, coach the next generation of small business owners, and pass along their use of wisdom and experience in the process? Research shows that older adults who remain engaged, whether through volunteering and mentoring or taking on new response abilities, experience greater physical health, mental resilience, and life satisfaction.
▶ 0:20:04Chair Scott: Community involvement, lifelong learning, crossgenerational connection are not just beneficial for the individuals involved, they foster a society where every generation thrives. Like I said before, for some it will be taking a class or course to explore an area of interest, volunteering in the community, order to getting time to pursue a new hobby. For many seniors commit it means continuing to work in some capacity.
▶ 0:20:30Chair Scott: This could mean in their previous business as a part-time employee in a place they enjoy frequenting or branching out and starting something new. We need to remove the red tape that hampers or discourages older americans from continuing work or starting new businesses or careers. We need to ensure that we are removing regulations and creating an economic environment that fosters flourishing and keeps inflation down. We need to ensure that older americans and future generations and phased retirement with a sense of financial security and not fear of inflation outpacing their nest egg.
▶ 0:21:02Chair Scott: That they are only working if they want to come not because they have to. The only way to ensure this is to get the government out of the way. We did this in florida by cutting taxes. We managed to turn the economy around, making it a beacon for businesses and those wanting a full and purposeful life. Through my years as governor, we cut taxes more than 100 times and slashed more than 500 burdensome regulations.
▶ 0:21:28Chair Scott: Florida businesses added 1.7 million jobs and repainted down $10 billion of our debt -- we paid it down $10 billion of our debt and provided services for services and state including for seniors. Because of these policies, florida's well-known as a place that thousands of retirees flock to every year, especially this time of year, skipping less financially hospitable climates. In florida, dollars go farther and they have opportunities to excursions connection and fulfillment.
▶ 0:21:57Chair Scott: Cutting taxes and creating a freedom-loving environment allows senior citizens to thrive and retired citizens to enjoy the retirement they work so hard for it allows aging constituents to build a life of purpose and fulfillment while forging a productive and meaningful conversation on this topic, I would like to recognize the ranking member from new york, senator gillibrand, for her opening statement.
▶ 0:22:20Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you, chairman scott, and thank you for the witnesses. Older adults have tremendous wisdom, work ethic, skills, and they really do contribute to the economy. This was certainly the case with one of my former staffers. I had a staffer named jerry who worked for secretary clinton when she was the senator and for me when I became the senator.
▶ 0:22:45Sen. Gillibrand: Jerry worked well into her 80's, maybe even her 90's, for me as the head of our westchester regional office. She was the resident expert on the nuclear facility. She took all the meetings about indian pointed. She was one of the most knowledgeable, thoughtful, and wise leaders we had in our office. So I know no matter what someone's age is, they can still contribute meaningfully to the work of any organization, any community, and any company.
▶ 0:23:17Sen. Gillibrand: Many people want to return to work for mental simulation, for community involvement. But too many people returning to work is also a financial necessity. This is especially true for 42% of private sector employees who do not have access to employer retirement plans at 44% who do not participate regardless. Another factor compounding this financial need is the reality that many people step back from working and saving to care for children or aging parents.
▶ 0:23:50Sen. Gillibrand: Today you will hear about the senior community service employment program, or scsep, and older americans program that helps older adults who face the most pressing barriers to employment, such as those who are homeless or have a disability, make sure they find meaningful work that they enjoy. It does fantastic work to train in place older adults in meaningful employment.
▶ 0:24:17Sen. Gillibrand: It also serves as another reminder about why passing the older americans act reauthorization is so important. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today on the importance of scsep program and the incredible contributions that older adults clearly provide in our workforce.
▶ 0:24:34Chair Scott: Thank you, ranking member I would like to introduce our first witness. John taffer is of an john taffer is ofa renowned entrepreneur and t television personality with decades of expense transforming businesses and revitalizing communities. As the host of the hit series "bar rescue," Mr. taffer has become a household name for his hands on approach to helping struggling businesses reach full potential.
▶ 0:25:02Chair Scott: Beyond his business acumen, jon is deeply committed to community engagement and philanthropy. Through his ventures such as taffer's tavern, he has championed initiatives to support veterans and making communities a better place to live and work. He is living proof that business and community involvement in your seniors is a path to power purpose, and his insights are invaluable for our discussion today. Thank you for being here. You may begin your testimony.
▶ 0:25:29Mr. Taffer: [inaudible] thank you for the opportunity to be here -- I'm sorry, shall I start again?
▶ 0:25:41Sen. Gillibrand: Yes, please.
▶ 0:25:45Mr. Taffer Chairman: Scott, ranking member gillibrand, members of the committee, thank you for the honor to be here today. It is a topic that is not only timely, but personal, aging and purpose. I started as a bartender in california. Five years later I was running the troubadour nightclub, where legends took the stage in music history was made. By the 1980's I was operating might own bar, and since then I've posted seven different hospitality businesses.
▶ 0:26:14Mr. Taffer Chairman: These days I'm known as the executive producer and host of "bar rescue." what I do on that show was about one thing, helping people find their purpose again. Often when they have lost all hope. I've been fortunate to work with hundreds of business owners on "bar rescue," many of whom were hanging on by a thread financially, emotionally, and many times both. What turns things around for them isn't just better finances or improved operations. It is when people reconnect with a sense of purpose.
▶ 0:26:44Mr. Taffer Chairman: They remember why they started and who they are doing it for. And it doesn't just apply to business owners, it applies to all of us, especially as we age. I've seen firsthand the moment when the senior regains a sense of purpose. I changed the lives of seniors often. I change the lives of seniors often -- I lost my spot here. Thank you, rick.
▶ 0:27:12Mr. Taffer Chairman: I've been fortunate to work with hundreds of business owners on "bar rescue," as I said hanging on a thread. It doesn't just apply to business owners. Seen firsthand the moment when a senior regains a sense of purpose. I've change the lives of seniors often whether is is through my show, mentor programs, or even rejoining the workforce. When they see hope and file compartments, they like -- feel accomplishments, they light up, their posture changes.
▶ 0:27:43Mr. Taffer Chairman: Everything about them changes and all of their mannerism and outlook. Their energy, commitment, and attitude often rivals employees half their age. So many people use purpose in phases. First the kids leave home. Then later they retire. Maybe they lose their home. They stopped mowing the lawn. Without the structure of a job, coworkers, or daily goals, they are left unanchored. We spent decades striving, raising families, building careers, solving problems.
▶ 0:28:11Mr. Taffer Chairman: And suddenly that drive doesn't have anywhere to go. It disappears. But when even a small sense of accomplishment or a chance to help someone reenters their lives, when they become part of a team again or offer guidance to someone just starting out, it is powerful. It changes lives. And I've seen in hundreds of times. And in some cases it extends those lives. This isn't just anecdotal. Research shows people who have a sense of purpose live longer, healthier lives.
▶ 0:28:41Mr. Taffer Chairman: Purpose improves mental health, physical health, and overall quality of life. And seniors are a massive, often overlooked reservoir of knowledge, skill, and mentorship just waiting to be activated. In hospitality, for example, immigrant business owners account for possibly 40% of the industry. They are often self-taught, operating with passion, but with little formal business training because of imagine carrying these -- little formal business training.
▶ 0:29:10Mr. Taffer Chairman: Imagine comparing these owners with people who have spent years overseeing teams and companies. The business gets expert advice and the seniors get a chance to make an impact. I applaud the work being done by the small business administration and local chambers of commerce to support mentorship, but the demand far exceeds the supply. The service corps overtired business executives is a good example which could -- the service corps of business executives is a good example.
▶ 0:29:40Mr. Taffer Chairman: We need to make it easier for seniors to step into these roles on a part-time basis. The strength of the country is not in the boardroom. It is not even found here in the senate. I dare to say it is found in the 34 million small businesses in america that are part of the communities that provide purpose, and in the millions of experienced americans who are ready to contribute if only we give them the opportunity. Purpose is what gets us up every morning, and everyone deserves to feel that purpose, whether you are 22 or 72.
▶ 0:30:12Mr. Taffer Chairman: Helping others gives me purpose. Seeing dreams come back to life when people think all is lost is one of the most meaningful things I've done in my career. On tv, look like I have all the answers, but I'm still learning every day. What I do have is 40 years of hard-earned lessons, and I'm here to share what I've learned, that age is not the end of the value, it is the multiplier of it. Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:30:37Chair Scott: Thank you. We all like your show.
▶ 0:30:40Mr. Taffer: Thank you.
▶ 0:30:42Chair Scott: Also from the great state of florida, I would like to introduce Dr. paul broadie. He has been the president of santa fe college since february 2020. Throughout his career he has been recognized for his unwavering commitment to student success, innovation, and community engagement. Under his leadership, santa fe college has continued its tradition of academic excellence and expended its reach as an institution in both academic and workforce education programs.
▶ 0:31:12Chair Scott: His vision for santa fe college is rooted in student success, innovation, and meaningful partnerships. His leadership is marked by a deep belief in the transformative power of education and a commitment to shattering barriers. Please begin a testament to please begin a testament t -- please begin your testimony.
▶ 0:31:30Dr. Broadie: Thank you, chairman scott ran, ranking member tillis and, and members of the committee -- ranking member gillibrand, and members of the committee, thank you for centering this topic on an area that deeply resonates with the work we do at santa fe college and community colleges across the nation. I want to thank senator scott and senator moody for their ongoing committed to expanding educational opportunities in florida.
▶ 0:31:58Dr. Broadie: The florida public university and college system has been ranked number one in the nation for the past nine years. Our state has kept tuition low and outcomes high. In our community colleges have played a vital role in ensuring that learning remains accessible at every age and every stage of life. At santa fe college and in community colleges across the country, older adults are not similar participants in lifelong learning.
▶ 0:32:25Dr. Broadie: They are contributors to the workforce, they are mentors, there will models, and they are tremendous sources -- they are role models, and they are tremendous forces of wisdom for the students around them last year alone, more than 90,0 00 americans age 50 or older earned a certificate from a college. Older adults want to keep learning, they want to remain engaged, and they want to stay connected to a changing world.
▶ 0:32:53Dr. Broadie: Community colleges are uniquely positioned to support these individuals. At santa fe college, more than 1200 of our degree-seeking students are over age 40. They are enrolled in programs such as health sciences, I.t., the trades, short-term certifications, and apprenticeship programs. At our business incubators and business incubators across the nation, community colleges are housing older americans who are exploring how to turn their passions into businesses.
▶ 0:33:31Dr. Broadie: At santa fe college we have 40 entrepreneurs in their 40's and 50's and 60's lending to lunch the business incubator. Stories like these are not rare. They are part of the community college mission. Our commitment to older adults helps families and those experiencing like -- life transitions for santa fe college's workforce award-winning program provides a two-generation model where we target unemployed and underemployed individuals who are mostly over the age of 40, and we provide them with
▶ 0:34:02Dr. Broadie: Short-term rapid credentialing so they can thrive in the workforce. These individuals over the years -- we have done it for years in a row, and the job placement rate has been 100%. That provides a family stability for these individuals. Another cornerstone of our efforts, programs like the displaced homemaker program.
▶ 0:34:28Dr. Broadie: Over the past 40 years we have put 4500 individuals into our displaced homemaker program and allowed them to reenter the workforce after the death of a spouse, a divorce, or a major event. Programs like this provide an economic pathway to stability. Nationally, 63% of our veteran students are age 30 or older.
▶ 0:34:53Dr. Broadie: Santa fe college and colleges across the nation provide vital avenues for veterans to transition from military service to civilian careers. Beyond degrees, colleges across the nation are offering a wide array of noncredit community education courses to help older adults learn new skills, explore hobbies, and start new businesses. Nearly 65% of our community education participants are over the age of 50.
▶ 0:35:22Dr. Broadie: Florida and many other states also offer the opportunity for residents aged 60 and older to audit academic courses free of charge. These students receive high access to quality instruction without a financial barrier. We also partner with retirement communities and assisted- living centers to bring educational experiences directly into the facilities for the older learners.
▶ 0:35:51Dr. Broadie: And there are older adults who volunteer on our campuses, they serve on our advisory boards, and they volunteered to teach at our institutions. As this committee considers the impact of seniors in today's economy, I encourage you to continue recognizing and investing in the vital role that community colleges play. We are the most accessible point of entry into higher education.
▶ 0:36:16Dr. Broadie: We are local, we are affordable, we are flexible, and we are deeply connected to the communities that we serve. We with a modest investment in community colleges, we can scale programs that promote workforce reentry, reskill individuals, enable individuals to launch new careers, improve mental engagement, reduce social isolation, and promote lifelong learning.
▶ 0:36:43Dr. Broadie: Chairman scott, ranking member gillibrand, and members of the committee, when we invest in lifelong learning, we strengthen our workforce and rebuild communities where every individual regardless of age has the opportunity to learn, contribute, and flourish. Thank you for your time and your continued commitment to america's older adults. Thank you.
▶ 0:37:05Chair Scott: Thank you for your testimony. Santa fe's been really successful for a long time. You are doing a great job. Now I would like to welcome back to the full committee rachel greszler, a nationally recognized expert on workforce and retirement and fiscal policy.
▶ 0:37:29Chair Scott: She is a senior research fellow at the heritage foundation and she spent over a decade advising on fiscal policy and labor and pension policy. Before joining heritage in 2013, she served as a senior economist for the joint economic committee of congress for several years. Her research is marked by a commitment to promoting economic growth, individual freedom, and fiscal responsibility her passion for practical, people-focused solutions make her invaluable research for today's discussion on the role of purpose and response ability and engagement in later life. Look forward to your testimony.
▶ 0:38:01Ms. Greszler: Thank you, chairman scott, ranking member gillibrand, and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. I would like to focus on three points in my remarks. First is the demographic shifts, meaning that older americans are increasingly vital contributors to our economy. Second, cultural il call out for older americans to impart their wisdom to younger americans.
▶ 0:38:33Ms. Greszler: Third, housing should make it easier for older americans to remain engaged in meaningful activities f older americans make up a greater share of the population and the workforce than ever before, and that trend will continue amidst a declining fertility rate, rising life expectancies, and the aging of the baby boomers. By 2034, there will be for the first time in history more seniors in america than there are children.
▶ 0:38:59Ms. Greszler: The good news is that older americans' labor force participation has been rising, and because of health improvements as well as less physically demanding jobs, studies show there is room for greater expansion. When I think about aging with purpose, I think about gentlemen, -- about a gentleman named clement.
▶ 0:39:21Ms. Greszler: Clement had a long and successful career in the navy and then as a defense contractor but instead of retiring early, clement decided at age 62 pursue his dream of opening his own business and he opened a tropical smoothie café. Having turned 67 on monday of this week, clement operates that café, one of the chain's most successful stores, alongside his daughter, and he opened two more in 2025. These stores are clearly improving the economy.
▶ 0:39:48Ms. Greszler: Equally important is that clement's continued engagement is improving people's lives. I can't give justice to the passion and the joy that clement has for his employees with a positive impact that I imagine he is having on them other than to say I wish that my teenage sons could be working for him. Clement actually says he doesn't have employees. Rather, he has team members. They are his dream team.
▶ 0:40:16Ms. Greszler: And whether they are high- schoolers working part-time forcing appearance providing for their families, clement sits down twice a year with each of his team members to give them feedback on their work and see how he can help them reach their goals. This influence of older generations setting standards and mentoring younger ones is a prescription for reversing some of society's most troubling trends.
▶ 0:40:41Ms. Greszler: A recent understanding america study revealed the single biggest decline of any character trait in recorded history, and that decline is in conscientiousness among younger americans ages 16 to 39. Younger people today are more careless and distracted, they are less tenacious and resilient , they make fewer commitments, and they often fail to follow through on the ones that they do make.
▶ 0:41:08Ms. Greszler: There are also 4 million fewer young people working today than there were in 2000. Perhaps more than ever, younger americans need to engage with and learn from older americans. And while policymakers cannot force these continued connections, they can remove obstacles that make it harder for older americans to stay engaged. One way to do that is by eliminating social security's retirement earnings test.
▶ 0:41:34Ms. Greszler: This little-known and outdated earnings test effectively takes away one dollar in social security benefits for two dollars and every earning over $23,000 per year if the individuals are under age 67. That can lead to marginal tax rates as high as 84% on middle-income seniors, which not surprisingly causes many of them to work less then they would otherwise choose to.
▶ 0:42:01Ms. Greszler: In limiting the earnings test would increase employment -- eliminating the earnings test would increase employment and economic output and booster tax revenues and improve social security solvency. It would also eliminate all the confusion that seniors face with this test come and it would make the social security administration's job a lot easier. This could also offer a rare bipartisan solution. After all, the last time congress addressed the earnings test in 2000, they passed a fully bipartisan bill.
▶ 0:42:32Ms. Greszler: The act is another bill that would make it easier for seniors to transition from traditional employment into flexible, contract-based work. And senator scott's proposal would allow individuals including seniors to directly receive federal health care subsidies and health savings accounts that they own that they can use for future health care costs, instead of that money going to ensures even -- insurers, even if they don't spend it on health care.
▶ 0:43:03Ms. Greszler: I think I'm advocating requires any more or any less government spending --nothing I'm advocating requires anymore more or any less government spending. Policymakers can't make it easier for seniors to strengthen the economy and the fabric-- can make it easier for seniors to strengthen the economy and the fabric of society felt that you, and I look for to your questions.
▶ 0:43:20Chair Scott: Great job. Now I would like to record highs making the average elementary duties the next witness.
▶ 0:43:26Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you, chairman scott.I would like to introduce our next witness, christine osasu, the director of the senior community service implement program at legacy link in georgia, where she champions economic opportunity and workforce inclusion for older adults across georgia. Ms. osasu expanded legacy link's reach through targeted empowerment programs, helping older adults build essential technology skills for today's job market.
▶ 0:43:56Sen. Gillibrand: Previously she was the director of strategic marketing communications velma at habitat for humanity. Ms. osasu, you may begin your testimony.
▶ 0:44:03Ms. Osasu: Chairman scott, ranking member gillibrand, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for this opportunity. It is a privilege afforded to very futures people for this esteemed body, and I do so with both deep gratitude and a profound responsibility to the seniors in my community. Their stories deserve to be heard, and I'm honored to share a few of them with you today.
▶ 0:44:28Ms. Osasu: My name is christine osasu, and for the past few years I have served georgia's most vulnerable populations, first at the habitat for humanity, and for the last four years as director of the senior community service employment program at the legacy link, a nonprofit area agency on aging pit aging p. Our scsep is a proud grantee of the national council on aging.
▶ 0:44:55Ms. Osasu: Today I am here to share how scsep has transformed the lives, empowering older adults to reenter the workforce, reclaim the confidence, affirmed the value, pay taxes, and take meaningful steps towards self-sufficiency. I'm also here to show the devastating impact of the 4.5-month funding cause, a crisis that left her newly 30,000 seniors across the country in limbo without income, structure, or support.
▶ 0:45:21Ms. Osasu: I'm grateful to ranking member gillibrand for leading a group letter addressing the funding to enter chairman scott and ranking member gillibrand for their bipartisan efforts to reintroduce the older americans act reauthorization. Scsep is for age 55 and up it operates much like a paid internship, providing seniors hands-on training and nonprofit government agencies.
▶ 0:45:50Ms. Osasu: Those agencies gain skilled and dedicated workers that no cost, many of whom transition into permanent roles. Investing in seniors means investing in experience, and resilience. Seniors are valuable, capable members of the workforce who enrich every organization they join. When given the opportunity, these older workers and themselves with dignity, reducing reliance on public assistance. Mrs.
▶ 0:46:18Ms. Osasu: Plant, age 59, shared her story. "after losing my husband to covid in 2020, I became homeless, bouncing between shelters and motels. Scsep helped me stabilize my life. It allowed me to cover basic needs, pursue training and medical coding, and give back by serving meals at the soup kitchen. Without it, I would be at risk of losing everything again.
▶ 0:46:44Ms. Osasu: The critical role of scsep was apparent this year. The department of labor's delay in releasing scsep funds further to thousands of participants and dismantled the infrastructure nationwide. The participants who face this need without pay suffered through missed meals, skipped medications, unstable housing, grandchildren going without school supplies, and growing uncertainty about the future, especially as they were not eligible for unemployment it and we are still rebuilding from the
▶ 0:47:16Ms. Osasu: Setback. To some, a $7.25 an training wage may seem insignificant, but for someone surviving on less than $1600 a month, this training is a bridge to financial security. A short while into the pause, an undeliverable letter led to an unexpected heartbreak. When I called the participant to verify his address, he said, "Ms. christine, I wish I could give you an updated address, but I don't have one. I couldn't pay for my housing.
▶ 0:47:46Ms. Osasu: I've maxed out my time in the shelter. And now I'm living in a tent." regardless of income, seniors face persistent age discrimination in the workforce. Imagine applying for a job without an email computer skills, a reality for many seniors. Scsep provides tools and training to overcome those barriers. Last year we launched a digital empowerment program giving participants tablets and tech training, opening doors to jobs and independence.
▶ 0:48:14Ms. Osasu: Scsep delivers a strong return on investment by preparing seniors for meaningful employment, benefiting not just individual, but society at large. Beyond financial security, scsep reduces social isolation and boost mental and physical health, creating healthy, engaged older adults, a vital asset for our economy. With the right tools and opportunities, seniors don't just participate.
▶ 0:48:43Ms. Osasu: They lead, mentor and multiply in impact. Scsep is the key to produced public spending and a more inclusive and resilient workforce-- reduced public spending and a more inclusive and resilient workforce. Thank you for your commitment to our seniors. I urge you to remain diligent in the fight for a better world for older americans, because we are all aging and we deserve to age well.
▶ 0:49:02Chair Scott: Thank you very much. Now we gonna start with questions with senator moody.
▶ 0:49:07Sen. Moody: Thank you, chairman scott, ranking member gillibrand. You have done such a great job of holding these hearings and making them relevant to the issues seniors are facing today, and I commend you for that. I don't know that the aging committee has ever been as active, and I think it is fabulous. Coming from the silver state, the great free state of florida, senator scott and I are grateful and were getting a lot out of these hearings. Thank you to our amazing witnesses.
▶ 0:49:35Sen. Moody: Two of them are floridians, one more recent than the other, but two are floridians. I wanted to start talking about a stat that workers aged 55 and older have been the fastest growing group in the labor force for the last two decades. And they're going to continue to be a vibrant part of our workforce.
▶ 0:50:02Sen. Moody: I don't think this is changing anytime soon, as we heard from one of our witnesses who provided some great stats. Some never left of the workforce. We heard testimony of a specific case where they went from retiring from a defense contractor into owning a tropical smoothie. There is never a break. Others are trying to reenter the workforce. Some face barriers to that reentry.
▶ 0:50:27Sen. Moody: We are hearing from institutions like santa fe community college, or state college, to talk about how they are assisting and filling those learning gaps are helping retrain or reskill people to enter back into the workforce, and offer training for older adults. And while older adults can obtain the necessary skills to succeed in the workforce, they can find employment, expend businesses, and build a while supporting themselves. One of the things, Mr.
▶ 0:50:54Sen. Moody: Broadie, about what you have been since you took over at santa fe is you were very focused not on the traditional array of available degrees like associates degrees, bachelor degrees, but you are focused also on re-skilling and upscaling opportunities. -- upskilling opportunities. You have been working with older floridians to receive credentialing and other skills to enter back into the workforce.
▶ 0:51:28Sen. Moody: What -- just quickly, what is the primary motivating factor of those seeking to do that at santa fe in their senior years?
▶ 0:51:37Dr. Broadie: The majority of them, it's a second career, and it's primarily focused on income. Sustaining themselves financially. Many of our -- we launched a cdl program, 46% of the participants were age 50 and older.
▶ 0:52:00Dr. Broadie: And it was short-term, so they don't want to necessarily spend two years getting an associates degree. They want to do something short-term that provides a financial stability for themselves.
▶ 0:52:12Sen. Moody: And I noticed -- I don't know that you talk about the senior testimony, but in your biography you talked about offering scholarships for short-term credentialing. Are those also available for older floridians?
▶ 0:52:25Dr. Broadie: Yes, the acb program that I spoke about is open to all individuals that are unemployed and underemployed. But that is fully funded dollars and the majority of participants are older adults -- fully funded by philanthropic dollars and the majority of adjustments are older adults.
▶ 0:52:48Sen. Moody: I applaud you for thinking outside the traditional educational opportunities at state colleges and community colleges, even universities. I think for so long we have thought about college meaning one thing and trade school or skills development meaning something else. But in reality both are trying to skill people to enter into a workforce.
▶ 0:53:11Sen. Moody: And if we are entering into a time period -- I believe it has been banked into people's heads for so long that they should go to college to be successful, we have got to unwind what that means. Success is getting a skill to provide for your family and having purpose in your life.
▶ 0:53:28Sen. Moody: I love the colleges and institutions that are saying, ok, what are our workforce to men's right now in our area or in our state --workforce demands right now in our area or in our state? What are companies and businesses saying we need this to thrive, this skilled workforce?
▶ 0:53:46Sen. Moody: I'm loving that colleges are thinking about, ok, if they need these skills, and if maybe these have been credentialed and different type of certificate program or other type of program in the past, how can we blend that together with a college degree and earn credits towards an aa? Maybe they can start working right away and continue on and get a degree later if they want. But it goes towards that.
▶ 0:54:10Sen. Moody: Do you find that that is attractive not just to seniors, but also younger folks that maybe really have that pull to go to a college or community college or university, but yet want to start working and want to get a trait and do both at the same time -- trade and you both at the same time?
▶ 0:54:29Dr. Broadie: That is very attractive, and one of the things we strategically do is work closely with business and industry, and we develop programs that are matched to the needs of business and industry, and then we create these stackable opportunities where you can get a jumpstart, you can get out into the workforce, and you can come back to us and finish her degree --
▶ 0:54:49Sen. Moody: To it while you are in the workforce, right? I want to commend you for that. I noticed with your background and your initiative since you took over, of course you are thinking outside the box. In the great free state of florida that is what we do. But I think we have to start thinking about that for all of our colleges and universities.
▶ 0:55:11Sen. Moody: If kids are drawn -- and seniors commit really any stage of life -- are drawn to an educational institution but want to get a valuable trait and skill to work, how can we start blending those? I commend you for taking that step in making that available in the great city of gainesville, florida. Thank you.
▶ 0:55:30Chair Scott: Thank you, senator moody. I turn it over to ranking number gillibrand.
▶ 0:55:36Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you very much. So I want to talk about the funding freeze for the scsep program. Since the hearing was of the truly scheduled for july, the scsep program has expense of 4.5-month delay in funding. This was devastating not only for scsep staff, but participants who saw scsep as the last step to rejoin the workforce. As we heard from one older adult, this funding lapse cost them their home.
▶ 0:56:04Sen. Gillibrand: This year billions in federal funding has been delayed can withheld, sometimes canceled completely. The pain this causes is not abstract. It hurts real people and especially the most vulnerable. Ms. osasu, can you talk about the impact of this funding lapse on your program and the older adults it serves? And can you also elaborate on why this shouldn't happen again?
▶ 0:56:28Ms. Osasu: Thank you, ranking member gillibrand. The harm of the funding cause cannot be overstated. The delay stripped away hope from a people that were already very fragile, and in most cases scsep was the first employment opportunity they had said yes -- that had said yes to them in a very long time, in a long string of noes. When something like that happens, the harm is immediate.
▶ 0:56:56Ms. Osasu: As you know, this meant homelessness for some. Others admit rationing their medication. One -- others meant rationing their medication. One woman told me about how she was splitting her pills because she didn't have funding any longer. It also took a mental toll on my participants. Many of them shared suicidal ideation, the total loss of hope . This was their connection to the community. This was their income.
▶ 0:57:27Ms. Osasu: This informed every section of their life. And although the funds were eventually released, the damage was already done. Restoring funding didn't magically make the homelessness go away. It didn't cure the harm of that profound loss of hope. And it should have never happened. Programs like scsep are not luxuries.
▶ 0:57:53Ms. Osasu: They are investments in vulnerable populations and older adults, and investments into our community. When the funding is paused for any of these necessary programs, the price is paid in human suffering. And once the damage is done, there are no quick fixes.
▶ 0:58:17Sen. Gillibrand: -- in combating homelessness, this past july after sending a letter to the department of labor demanding the administration released the scsep funding I held a listening session and heard from over 70 older adults about the impact of the scsep funding cause on their careers and daily lives. During this listening session, people talk about the incredible purpose scsep gave them as well as the tangible impact on their financial health.
▶ 0:58:42Sen. Gillibrand: Scsep serves people who have faced the most pressing lifelong barriers to savings and employment. Can you share any of the stories about the -- that scsep has helped people, and what ways he made a difference in lifting them out of their dire circumstances, specifically combating homelessness?
▶ 0:59:00Ms. Osasu: Thank you, ranking member gillibrand, for the question. The first person that comes to mind for me is a woman I met in a rural mountain county in north georgia. When we first spoke she was living in a tent on a mountainside. She was clearly embarrassed of her situation. She was bathing in perfume, doing the best she could to present herself in a favorable light, despite her situation.
▶ 0:59:28Ms. Osasu: She was ashamed, she told me how embarrassed she was to talk to her children. It put this void in her life. She wasn't proud of herself and what was going on. Scsep -- we partnered with her, we worked step-by-step to untangle these complex problems that people in poverty have. And through her scsep job training program, we were able to find her host agency, where she could receive the paid job training.
▶ 0:59:58Ms. Osasu: She began training as a receptionist. And then we found her a room share situation so she had a place to live. Each little piece at a time. That is what we do scsep, we identify the barriers, we make a personalized job training plan. Has to address all of those issues, because you cannot have a person get a job if they are homeless, if they are not showering, if there is a transportation issue. Transportation came up as well. Her truck broke down.
▶ 1:00:26Ms. Osasu: We worked with the host agency to get her a bus ticket so that she could get back and forth where she needed to go. And if you met that woman today, you would have no idea that she was living on a mountainside in north georgia with these type of problems, because she was able to rebuild her life. But she needed the extra help. She was never going to do it on her own. She needed a social worker to work through each of those individual issues.
▶ 1:00:51Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you.
▶ 1:00:52Ms. Osasu: Yes, ma'am.
▶ 1:00:54Chair Scott: Senator justice.
▶ 1:00:56Sen. Justice: Thank you, Mr. chairman, ranking member. Thank our witnesses. Now, I'm going to go a little bit different way, because I'm not much of politician, and I'm a new kid on the block that's got a lot of white hair and maybe a little bit of wisdom, but a whole lot of white hair. Let me just say just this.
▶ 1:01:20Sen. Justice: If you can just think about this, in the state of west virginia where I'm from, there is lots and lots and lots of seniors, with lots and lots of challenges. And we all know that and everything. A lot of these seniors are not quietly going into being seniors. And they absolutely desire so much, but absolutely someway somehow have gotten completely away from, in my book.
▶ 1:01:50Sen. Justice: You see, I think they want hope, and they want belief, and they want interaction, and they want goodness with young people. They have an ability to contribute that's off the chart. We need to quit teaching him how to play shuffleboard, or teaching them how to knit, teaching them how to be with one o teaching them how to be with one another.
▶ 1:02:19Sen. Justice: They don't want to be with other seniors. They want to be with kids. They want to be absolutely with the purpose with a challenge. I wish to goodness we would rename the. Instead of calling them seniors, we would call them wisdom, because really and truly, why should they be labeled, "oh, those are just seniors, they are limited in what they can do"?
▶ 1:02:50Sen. Justice: Well, I don't believe that. I've never believed that. They can give us so much, it's unbelievable. And in so many situations we just back away. And then we struggle with all the different challenges that they may have come and they surely do have. So many obstacles. They gotten into many ways. And we absolutely should remember that forever more. Again, all you witnesses are fantastic.
▶ 1:03:22Sen. Justice: And I salute the great job you do, everyone. You know, I've seen brother jon in action. And I commend you beyond belief, because you are doing something where you are stepping up, stepping up after your phenomenal, phenomenally, you know, successful in everyone. But then you are giving back, and you are stepping up. And you are getting so many people involved, it's unbelievable.
▶ 1:03:51Sen. Justice: You know, I'd like to just say this -- first of all, thank you to all. Jon, especially thank you to you. And let me just ask just this. In west virginia we are growing in hospitality like crazy, tourism is exploding in lots of different ways. You need workers, you would love to have skilled workers, you would love to have people who are genuinely concerned and value the job.
▶ 1:04:18Sen. Justice: You know, my question would be real simple. You know, how have you found and filter those positions? -- fille those positions? How absolutely can you work through the wickets on the workforce gaps?
▶ 1:04:41Sen. Justice: And can you tell us just how strong the contributors are when you get the right folks of our wisdom, not on day one-- -- not every seniors, on day one?
▶ 1:04:57Mr. Taffer: Thank you for the question. Years ago when I was younger not as wise as I am today, I had a mentor who walked with a walker. We would take walks waste of place and I would ask questions and he would -- I got so frustrated by the pace of his walking, until one day I realized, wait a minute, the slower he walks, the more time I have to interact.
▶ 1:05:27Mr. Taffer: And I came to appreciate that slow walk, and the benefit I had once I had that realization was powerful to me. Another story, if I can't. I had a restaurant years ago that was losing a lot of money. In my industry, finding management and human resources has been a challenge for us for many years. There is a gentleman who retired as an auto mechanic, 70 years old. He couldn't work with his hands anymore like he used to.
▶ 1:05:53Mr. Taffer: But you know, he knew supply, he knew training, he knew running a business, he knew customer service. I gave this man the keys to my restaurant. From losing $200,000 a year, I went to making $300,000 a year. He was a person of respect and integrity there is a whole bunch of seniors that are impacted and the relationship with sba to the mission of this committee is important, too.
▶ 1:06:27Mr. Taffer: As I travel across the country, I've helped thousands of small businesses in almost every state of our union, every demographic, every market type you can imagine, in the connectivity to seniors and small business is a powerful one. And when I look at the cost-of-living impact today, post-pandemic impacts today, the sba and the mission of this committee could be linked better.
▶ 1:06:50Mr. Taffer: You know, I look at how the sec, for example, doesn't allow an un accredited investor to put everything on the line and lose everything they own. In an sba environment, that can happen. I want to reiterate that there is an opportunity to cross-train, cross-utilize seniors that isn't utilized. One last point, as someone who consults with large corporations and helps small businesses, my passion is the small business.
▶ 1:07:19Mr. Taffer: It is a lot easier to place a senior in a smaller business than a major corporation. It just is. That is just the way it is today. I suggest that sba and the small business segment of america can help solve some of the problems that we have in aging. One more point and then I will be finished, senator. When you hire a senior person for a community-based business, that elder individual has hundreds of relationships in that marketplace that the unemployed does not have.
▶ 1:07:49Mr. Taffer: --that the young employee does not have. It is a marketing machine, it is a connective tissue to drive revenues. When we think of the relationship power of the seniors, not only the experience, that is a powerful asset to a business. And I think we would be better served if we communicated these things to the marketplace better , that people don't want to invest in a senior because they don't get the long-term benefit, that business is about short-term objectives to achieve long-term benefits.
▶ 1:08:20Mr. Taffer: Those seniors can help with the short-term objectives in every case. I hope I answered your question, sir.
▶ 1:08:26Sen. Justice: You did very well, sir, and I appreciate you. Let me say one more thing before I leave, and that is this -- how chairman and ranking member, they have done a marvelous job we should be really proud of all the good stuff you are doing so I thank them, too.
▶ 1:08:42Chair Scott: Thank you. You know, jon, one of my daughters work in restaurants at high school I went there --
▶ 1:08:53Mr. Taffer: That's exactly correct.
▶ 1:08:57Chair Scott: Once she stopped working there it was too far to go. But I went there every week when additional --
▶ 1:09:05Mr. Taffer: You talk about connectivity to seniors, it increases that sense of service.
▶ 1:09:13Chair Scott: One reason people go to certain restaurants or bars, someone remembers.
▶ 1:09:21Mr. Taffer: No question, you go back to see your buddy joe.
▶ 1:09:26Chair Scott: Many older americans argue could you get back in the workforce but need-- are eager to get back in the workforce but need to update their skills. How can community colleges be tailored to seniors who want to reskill?
▶ 1:09:43Dr. Broadie: I think colleges need to be very intentional, and working with the business and industry to determine where the gaps are and what the needs are and develop programs such as what we have done, programs that specifically target individuals and then train them for those skills.
▶ 1:10:06Dr. Broadie: This way you get to places of 100% job placement, because the employers, the students are trained for exactly what the employers are looking for. It's been very successful at santa fe college, and it's very important that we are nimble and putting students into employment that the employers are looking for, putting them into degree programs and certificate programs that the employers are looking for.
▶ 1:10:34Chair Scott: Have to think of a student that finishes and there is no job -- I think a lot of the schools around the country have lied to them. I remember when I was given I was talking to all of these kids and talking about these degrees -- is there even a job for that? So rchel, you have written about the economic value of work across all ages.
▶ 1:10:59Chair Scott: What trends have you seen in the labor force participation and what policies can encourage older americans to start a business or continue doing so?
▶ 1:11:07Ms. Greszler: One of the most positive trends is the increase in the ability to work infinitely, whether you call that freelancing, independent contractor, but to be able to retire from the traditional 9-to-5 job, having to report to the boss on their time, and to be able to shift into this type of work. I've see that with my grandfather and both my parents and it is a way to remain engaged and yet you have the freedom and flexibility to care for grandparents, volunteering, pursuing those things that you wanted to do in your golden years.
▶ 1:11:39Ms. Greszler: Statistics have set that 29% of the baby-boom professionals are freelancing in some capacity. I think that is a great thing, but there are additional steps that could be taken to help make that more accessible, particularly measures that would allow those individuals to still be able to get traditional workplace benefits. Health care is extremely important if you are not yet medicare age.
▶ 1:11:59Ms. Greszler: But to be able to have access to that health care, and things like unlocking benefits for workers act that would allow the individuals to contribute into retirement accounts, still get the health care from an employer, even if they are only a contractor, definitely clarifying the rule on who can and can't be an independent contractor through the modern worker empowerment act would help.
▶ 1:12:21Ms. Greszler: And then you're health care freedom accounts proposal would be a great way for individuals to actually build savings of that they can use even in the future when they are on medicare, but to have that money that could help them pay for the out-of-pocket cost.
▶ 1:12:34Chair Scott: Perfect. Christine, many of the communities you serve our rural or small towns. How does the aging with purpose compare to urban ones, especially with social connections?
▶ 1:12:48Ms. Osasu: Thank you, chairman scott. That is next in question. In the rural areas --that is an excellent question. In the room will erase we talk about the digital divide. What we are saying it what we are saying is that if they don't have access to the internet, if they don't have access to the training to utilize a computer or smartphone, they are suffering in this digital divide.
▶ 1:13:11Ms. Osasu: When we think about rural areas, there is less opportunity just by future of there is less business is for them to train and unless nonprofit-- and less nonprofits for them to gain skills and so forth. We think of that digital divide, and the way to address that is to ensure that everybody has access to internet. And then additionally, everyone has access to the training to utilize the internet.
▶ 1:13:38Ms. Osasu: As I said, we implement it a job training program with tablets. You cannot just hand the tablet or a keyboard to a senior and state you got your tablet, you got your internet, you are ready to go. There are a few steps to be taken, but once you take those steps, they can become data managers. I've seen that happen. Took a woman who never used a computer, and two years later she got a job as a data manager. Just a little investment goes a long way in those verbal communities-- rural communities.
▶ 1:14:07Chair Scott: Jon, what would you say to someone who is later in their stage of life and is interested in starting a business but feels it may be too late?
▶ 1:14:15Mr. Taffer: I think that obviously there is mitigated risks, location, finances, revenue potential, and all of that. But you know, if I could tell another story, I was told I would never be on tv, senator. I was told I was not good-looking enough and it would never happen;. One day I realized I was the only person who could say no to me, and they are the only person who can say no to them. I would suggest that they say yes to that.
▶ 1:14:44Mr. Taffer: The other interesting thing I would and the other interesting thing I would say is if you're senior is going to go into a small business today, it is a different economic environment. Sure, costs are higher. It is the cost that will take you down, it is the inability to manage those costs. It is management skills more than the actual economic environment we live in.
▶ 1:15:08Mr. Taffer: Any dollars invested in the programs you are doing that provide budgetary management skills, supply-side skills, marketing skills, will allow us to thrive in almost any economic environment if we know how to manage those costs well. I think a lot of that is education. Yesterday when I was speaking to minority member jill a brown's team, we talked about 401(k)s. I see them smiling back there.
▶ 1:15:40Mr. Taffer: We talked about 401(k)s but we never sell it. You talk about the features of a 401(k) but do we ever really talk about the benefits? If you're 25 years old and you invest in a 401(k), when you're 45 years old, you could be a millionaire.
▶ 1:16:02Chair Scott: When I was working, they never told me to do it.
▶ 1:16:03Mr. Taffer: There's a pot of gold at the end of that. I had my own employees, did they want a 401(k) or a bonus at the end of the year and they voted for the bonus. It is shortsighted but sometimes these things can be sold in a motivating way to create greater participation.
▶ 1:16:26Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you. This is for all the witnesses. I want you to talk a little bit about why working is so meaningful for older adults. Either adults often experienced decline in social relations, their sense of belonging, increasing risk of isolation.
▶ 1:16:48Sen. Gillibrand: The benefits include emotional health, physical health, enhanced cognitive function, increase longevity. Working can provide people a sense of purpose and fostering something bigger than themselves, developing a proactive mindset. We saw this in my older employee , she retired in her 80's. She was the oldest federal employee in the whole of federal government ever.
▶ 1:17:17Sen. Gillibrand: It is because she just loved serving the people of new york. Not only did she have a sense of purpose, she was not only a mentor and role model for all my junior staff, but they all relied on her for advice and guidance. So she had a sense of family as well being part of the team.
▶ 1:17:36Sen. Gillibrand: I would love to hear from you about what experience you have seen in terms of work participation and opportunity impacting the lives of seniors and what tangible society and community benefits are derived from that activity. You can start and we go across the dais.
▶ 1:17:55Mr. Taffer: Earlier today, the word hope was used. I'm a little unique, because I go into a struggling situation. They are in trouble when I walk in. There houses are on the line, family futures on the line, retirement dollars at risk. It's a bad situation I walk into. Hope is gone. I find that if I educate without the hope, I am not incentivizing progress. I think one of the greatest opportunities we have is to instill hope in people no matter what work we are doing.
▶ 1:18:25Mr. Taffer: That is very motivating. Hope and skill goes a long way. One without the other does not travel quite as far. When I work with these people and that hope appears, what happens is physical, how you see their posture and activities changed. I've done 200 83 episodes of bar rescue. At the end, I always get a hug. But our microphones are on our chests and nobody hears what happens. The things that are set is, john, I have a future again.
▶ 1:18:57Mr. Taffer: I'm talking to my son again. I'm talking to my dad again. You saved my house. Everything they say isn't thank you for teaching me, it's almost thank you for giving me hope.
▶ 1:19:12Dr. Broadie: Thank you, and that's a great question. You mentioned mental engagement and social isolation. When our seniors engage with our campus, I will use one word. I see joy. They get very excited. I see joy on both ends. I see it from the seniors that are engaging and the students they are engaging with.
▶ 1:19:42Dr. Broadie: Students are gaining wisdom from these individuals. We have an undergraduate research program and we have seniors coming and they get engaged with the students and helping them with research, and judging research competitions. They are also engaged on foundation boards, advisory committees, some individuals are recurring and they want to stay involved and they want to sit on the business advisory committee.
▶ 1:20:11Dr. Broadie: We are getting wisdom from their life experience. So we continue to engage our seniors but they -- when they step on our campus, and I chat with them, the word I can describe is joy. They fill -- feel fulfilled. They feel they are giving back.
▶ 1:20:34Dr. Broadie: They truly are giving back to helping us to thrive as an institution and helping our students thrive through mentorship and all the wisdom they provide.
▶ 1:20:46Ms. Greszler: Yes, humans have an innate desire, I would call it a god-given desire to engage in meaningful work and be engaged in meaningful relationships. There is so much value in that and as senator justice said, the wisdom from older individuals. An inevitable thing about all of us is we are going to get older. To have those examples in our lives is so important.
▶ 1:21:11Ms. Greszler: Just seeing it more at every level whether it's through volunteer work in the schools and anyway we can have intergenerational engagement, everyone will be better for it.
▶ 1:21:22Ms. Osasu: Thank you for the question. Work gives people purpose, pride, a meaningful reason to reach -- leave the house in the morning and get dressed again. You would not believe how many seniors set the value in getting dressed, what it means and how it transforms their day in their life. One of the first clients I ever worked with, her name was Ms. anna, she was in her mid-70's. She was training at a nonprofit thrift store.
▶ 1:21:51Ms. Osasu: She was cleaning the glassware and creating the displays. Early on when I met her and we were doing this job counseling, we identified some mental health issues, paranoia and other things of that nature. What we found is the more time she spent alone in her apartment, the worse it got.
▶ 1:22:11Ms. Osasu: When she was able to start job training and we had her there five days a week, of course it didn't go away, it is not a cure all but work makes a meaningful difference for a person's mental health. She began finding community in her work. That's where she made all her friends. All the customers knew her by name. She transformed into this smiling, happy person, one of the hardest workers I know. And at 76 she was hired full-time and is still working at 78.
▶ 1:22:43Ms. Osasu: Everyone who shops their knows her for her bright personality. All of that was made possible through the job training and getting a job.
▶ 1:22:51Chair Scott: Dr. brody, can you give me the story of a business relationship you have that helped people do the job and help get a senior citizen the job?
▶ 1:23:10Dr. Broadie: Through the builders association, we train apprenticeships. I remember the last graduation we had, there was an individual. It was in the electrical program. An individual that came across the stage and he said I'm retired, but I wasn't ready to retire. I always wanted to be an electrician.
▶ 1:23:40Dr. Broadie: Through this apprenticeship, my dream has come true. He was in his late 60's. Walking across the stage preparing to start his second career.
▶ 1:23:51Chair Scott: Seniors contribute more than just pay and employment. Can you speak to volunteerism, caregiving and civic leadership and how to better support these contributions? >> yes, seniors have the highest volunteer rates across america, whether that's in hospitals, as hospice assistance, schools, community organizations. Seniors are also caring a lot for grandchildren.
▶ 1:24:22Chair Scott: Among seniors who have grand children under age 18, 20% of them say they care for those grandchildren on a weekly basis if not more. They are making huge contributions, not just what they get paid for, but volunteering and caring activities.
▶ 1:24:49Chair Scott: When I was governor, I recruited all these people to move to florida. You feel sorry for some of these states because people build these businesses and they move, they take their charity hours and volunteer hours, and where I live it makes a big difference.
▶ 1:24:58Ms. Greszler: Often times when an individual is able to retire, they can still participate in that without charge. My mom is working pro bono as an advocate for children in the court systems. Still engaging in the same thing but now on a volunteer basis.
▶ 1:25:12Chair Scott: Where I live in the high school training programs, a lot of seniors are teaching trades now. Christine, do you have intergenerational issues in the region where seniors are working with young people?
▶ 1:25:30Ms. Osasu: I love the question. Seniors love to interact with young people, they love to interact with even babies and children. We have tons of host agencies that have daycare initiatives, brother and sister type things. Both parties really benefit. I think there is bias on both sides.
▶ 1:25:56Ms. Osasu: Seniors have biases about younger people and younger people have biases about seniors. But when they worked together closely, they can skate through and learn, this person really has value. It's a two-way street when they are working together in that capacity.
▶ 1:26:12Chair Scott: Especially if they've never met somebody similar to that person.
▶ 1:26:17Ms. Osasu: Right. They might not be used to seeing a 75-year-old person doing something in their community and that way. And when they see, they still have a lot to offer. It is a different experience.
▶ 1:26:31Chair Scott: Do you have any stories about seniors that helped you turn something around?
▶ 1:26:37Mr. Taffer: Yes, I will throw another word into the mix. I will throw the word relevancy into the mix. When I give a senior relevancy, whether it's training or management, any responsibility that creates relevancy, a change of personality happens. That drives so much of their energy when they wake up. Imagine waking up in the morning and not having any relevancy. Nobody is expecting you to show up anywhere or do anything.
▶ 1:27:10Mr. Taffer: Working hard to provide that relevancy is a lot of what I do. Let's say it's a generational business, the son is taking over, the father is retiring and has lost his purpose and the sun has lost his mentor. By creating relevancy for the father, I create engagements, the learning opens up for the sun, and the relevancy drives an awful lot.
▶ 1:27:34Chair Scott: On behalf of senator gillibrand, I think you have all done a good job. We all know this is really important. As people age, we have to figure out how to keep them with purpose and help them. There's a lot of good programs at the state level, local level, not for profits and federal level. We have to make sure it is properly funded.
▶ 1:28:03Chair Scott: I would like to thank everyone for being here today and participating and I look forward to continuing with my colleagues to make sure every person has the opportunity they deserve to make the retirement years the best of their lives. If any -- senators have additional questions for the witnesses, the record will be open until next wednesday at 5:00 p.m., thank you, everybody. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap.org]