Tom Reed offered his support for senior citizens and their families with a new bill aimed at helping family caregivers. “We care about the families that are struggling to take care of aging parents and we want to help our seniors stay at home,” said Reed. Its only right that we support those who are doing so much to keep their families together and provide the care that their loved one needs.”

Reed unveiled the proposal, the Credit for Caring Act, at the North Harmony Senior Center in Ashville to a wide group of attendees, including many seniors who would benefit from the bill.

The bipartisan bill would provide a tax credit for care giving expenses. The credit would ultimately lift some of the financial burden of caring for loved ones at home, making it easier for those in need of care to remain with their families at home, instead of a long term care or assisted living facility.

“We often see working families trying to provide for their parents and their kids. This bill is designed to help those families that are struggling, and help our seniors stay in their homes, where they can be close to their families and comfortable,” said Reed.

The proposal has received support from local chapters of AARP. “AARP New York Elmira Chapter 276 strongly encourages our legislators to help family caregivers wherever and whenever they can. U.S. Representative Reed’s bill to provide a family caregiver tax credit would help caregivers in their difficult and invaluable work. Representative Reed understands how critical it is to support family caregivers because he has been one himself. He was among the nearly 2.6 million family caregivers across New York who provide unpaid care valued annually at $31.3 billion to help maintain their loved ones at home, where the vast majority want to be, rather than in more expensive institutional care settings such as nursing homes, saving taxpayer dollars,” said Ron Rehner, Legislative Chair, Elmira Chapter 276 AARP New York.