The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) recently hosted the Seniors Decide 2016 forum on senior issues at George Mason University. They invited every presidential candidate to participate, but only two actually responded-- Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders and Republican hopeful John Kasich. Sanders Skyped in and Kasich sent former congressman Tom Davis to attend on his behalf.

Sanders gave a speech on the importance of supporting seniors who chose to age in place. “Clearly we should be doing everything that we can to provide resources to keep people in their own homes,” he stated. “[This] is what most people would prefer and we should respect that. It is a civil rights issue.” Sanders went on to voice his support of physician assisted suicide and his disappointment in the fact that issues pertaining to seniors and to disabled individuals have not gotten any significant media attention during this campaign.

Tom Davis, who was attending the forum on behalf of John Kasich, was asked about Kasich’s positions on senior issues. Davis said Kasich might support changing Medicare to give assistance to long term care services, because he did so in Ohio where he’s currently governor.

Of the current state of elder care in America, Sanders said, “We judge a nation based on how we treat our most vulnerable. Truth is, we are not doing well by our seniors.”