Mae Flexer

AARP Honors Senator Flexer with 2016 ‘Capitol Caregiver’ Award

Mansfield, CT—State Senator Mae Flexer (D-Danielson) was recently presented with the 2016 AARP Capitol Caregiver Award, during a luncheon at the Mansfield Senior Center.

AARP State President Laura Green presented Flexer with the award in recognition of her legislative work on behalf of seniors and family caregivers.

“I am so grateful for this recognition, and thankful that AARP of Connecticut has been such a good advocate for legislation like the CARE Act, and other issues of importance to our state’s seniors,” said Sen. Flexer, who is the Senate Chair of the legislature’s Aging Committee. “I was so passionate about passing this law because my mother, sister and I each know very well what it’s like to be a caregiver and how critical home-care information is. When my father suffered a very serious injury, he was hospitalized frequently and sometimes we got good instructions for care—and other times we didn’t. It’s essential that caregivers know exactly what to do and what to look out for; that will help speed the recovery process and prevent re-hospitalizations.”

Senator Flexer led passage of the state’s Caregiver, Advise, Record, and Enable (CARE) Act, which ensures that caregivers are given follow-up care instructions when a patient is discharged from the hospital, thereby helping to reduce costly hospital readmissions. As a result of Senator Flexer’s leadership, Connecticut’s law is one of the strongest in the country.

Before presenting Flexer with the award, Green noted that she was speaking on behalf on the organization’s thousands of Connecticut members and their families.

“We are thankful for Senator Flexer’s integral leadership to pass the CARE Act in Connecticut,” said Green. “This law makes caring for our loved ones a little bit easier. Our family-caregivers are the backbone of health care in Connecticut and they need our support. We are honored to celebrate Senator Flexer with this award today.”