The National Center on Caregiving (NCC) at Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) are hosting sessions at the 2010 Aging in America Conference focused on mobilizing family caregivers and caregiving coalitions in a climate dominated by economic downturn, health care reform and an aging population. The sessions will be held Monday, March 15, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago from 9:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m., with a break for lunch at 12:30.

U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a leading voice in health care reform and sponsor of the Retooling the Healthcare Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009, will kick off the day's events with a presentation at 9:45 a.m.

The session hosted by FCA's National Center on Caregiving (NCC), "Making Our Voices Heard: Mobilizing Family Caregivers as Advocates" will be held from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Focused on motivating family caregivers and those who work with them to organize for change, speakers will discuss health care and long-term care reform, the economic situation in the states, new initiatives and organizing tools. Speakers included Kathleen Kelly of Family Caregiver Alliance, Susan Reinhard of AARP, Lynn Feinberg of the National Partnership for Women and Families, and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner of MomsRising.

The session hosted by the National Alliance for Caregiving, the "Fourth Annual Conference for Caregiving Coalitions: Have we Turned the Corner? The Economic Downturn and its Impact on Caregiving Coalitions," will be held from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Speakers will discuss the recently released "Survey of the Economic Downturn and its Impact on Family Caregiving" and "Caregiving in the U.S. 2009." In addition to Rep. Jan Schakowsky, speakers include Gail Hunt of the National Alliance for Caregiving, Brian Duke of the Bucks County Area Agency on Aging, and a panel discussion with members of the Advocacy Task Force discussing advocacy campaigns and activities as well as models for effective coalitions.

Aging in America, the annual conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging, is being held March 15-19, 2010 in Chicago. To register for the conference, click here or visit: http://www.agingconference.org/AiA10/index.cfm