April 24, 2017—Bill Benson, a member of Kendal’s Board of Directors, has been recognized for his decades-long national leadership role in aging services. Each year the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (CARIE) confers its Spirit of CARIE award on an individual, or individuals, making “significant contributions to improving the rights, well-being and autonomy of older adults.” The award was conferred at CARIE’s benefit auction held April 20, 2017, in Philadelphia.
“Bill Benson has been a steadfast advocate working in the field of aging and health for more than four decades,” says Diane Menio, CARIE’s Executive Director. “His daily work with many organizations exemplifies CARIE’s mission ‘to promote the well-being, rights and autonomy of older adults through advocacy, education and action.’”
Bill is Managing Partner in Health Benefits ABCs (HBABCs), an organization offering health and aging policy, educational and strategic planning consulting services. He has worked on health and aging issues for nearly four decades, including in various leadership positions in the U.S. Congress.
Bill served as staff director for the Senate Labor Subcommittee on Aging overseeing the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) in 1992. Under his leadership, that reauthorization included Title VII, Subtitle B—Native American Organization and Elder Justice Provisions—the first federal law that addressed issues of elder abuse and elder justice for Indian elders.
He subsequently served in senior appointee positions at the U.S. Administration on Aging, including as Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging prior to starting a consulting practice in 1998. Earlier in his career, he spent 10 years with the California Department of Aging and served as the state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
Since 1998, Bill has established himself as a leading consultant on aging, with a strong focus on elder justice. He is a past president of the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, president of the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement & the American Association for International Aging, and chairs the advisory board to the Center on Global Aging at Catholic University of America’s School of Social Work. A skilled interviewer, Bill also hosts, First Person, a weekly series of interviews with Holocaust survivors before live audiences at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. A skilled interviewer, Bill’s work contributes to our understanding of the Holocaust.
“Bill has been a champion and a great friend of CARIE and has served on its National Advisory Council since its inception,” says Diane Menio. “He helped CARIE apply for its SMP grant and to secure funding from Consumer Reports to promote their Best Buy Drugs program in Pennsylvania. He speaks at numerous conferences sponsored by CARIE. And when Bill speaks at national conferences, he often mentions CARIE as a leading advocacy organization. He deeply understands the importance of our work at a local, state and national level.”
Posted by Larry Elveru