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McCormick Shared Importance of Social Connectedness at Hearing Titled "Breaking the Cycle of Senior Loneliness: Strengthening Families and Community Support"
CHICAGO (March 14, 2025) - On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Suzanne McCormick, YMCA of the USA president and CEO, testified at a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging titled, "Breaking the Cycle of Senior Loneliness: Strengthening Families and Community Support," to share how the Y helps older adults make connections, build community and prevent or delay chronic disease. In her remarks, she highlighted partnerships with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to advance evidence-based chronic disease prevention programs that improve the health of seniors.
YMCAs engage 17 million Americans each year, and nearly 4 million are over the age of 55 and 2.5 million are over the age of 65. Seniors are the fastest growing group of Y members.
"It is a privilege to testify before the Senate Select Committee on Aging about the work that the Y does to support seniors across the country. We know we are making a positive difference in their lives by connecting them to supportive people and communities," McCormick said. "Research has shown that older adults who engage with the Y experience significant increases in overall well-being and social connectedness, a decrease in loneliness, and improvements in well-being, physical health and mental health. I encourage Congress to continue supporting funding for the CDC so that the Y can continue to innovate and deliver programs that enhance the physical and mental health of seniors."
Watch the full hearing, including Suzanne McCormick's testimony HERE.
Learn more about the Y's health and wellness programs for older adults HERE.
See Suzanne McCormick's full remarks as prepared below:
Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Gillibrand: I want to thank you for inviting me today.
I am here representing the nation's 2,600 YMCAs, which serve 10,000 communities across our country. I am grateful for the opportunity to share the story of how they connect and support our older adults every day.
At the Y, we are committed to strengthening communities by connecting people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to their potential, their purpose and each other.
This has been at the core of who we are for 175 years in the U.S. But today, we know that people are struggling to make these connections.
Forty percent of adults say they feel lonely sometimes or even more often than that.
The mortality rate of being socially disconnected is similar to the impact of smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and greater than the impact associated with obesity and inactivity.
The health risks for our older adults are heightened, because they are more likely to feel isolated and disconnected than younger Americans.
But at the Y, older adults find the support and meaningful relationships they need to feel connected and be healthy.
YMCAs engage 17 million Americans annually, and nearly 4 million are over age 55. Almost 2.5 million are over 65. Seniors make up nearly one-quarter of our members.
A few years ago, the Y partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago to find out whether older adults report better quality of life and social connectedness when they visit our facilities or participate in our programs.
Results of this study showed significant increases in overall well-being and social connectedness, a decrease in loneliness, and observed improvements in social well-being, spiritual well-being, physical health and mental health.
The results were even better for older adults who were able to engage more frequently with their YMCA.
Our programs not only help participants build friendships and connections that we all need to thrive, but they also can help prevent, delay or control chronic disease.
Thanks to a 20-year partnership with CDC, the Y is the leading in-person provider of evidence-based chronic disease prevention and management programs, which address issues like diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, falls and cancer.
These programs have been proven to improve health outcomes and quality of life, and they often save health care dollars.
In fact, the Y is recognized for its work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. During a national study of 8,000 Medicare recipients, the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program saved $2,650 per participant while preventing or delaying diabetes among the majority of recipients.
The Y is also the leading provider of the Medicare Advantage fitness benefit -- larger than the next seven providers combined.
But for as much as we are able to accomplish on our own due to our national scale and community-level credibility, the Y is always looking to maximize our impact through partnerships.
So, in communities across the country, YMCAs collaborate with partners like senior centers, libraries and places of worship to reach and engage more older adults.
The Y looks forward to also partnering with the Select Committee on Aging to improve both the physical and emotional health of our nation's older adults.
We urge Congress to continue supporting the highest level of funding for the CDC to help the Y innovate our evidence-based chronic disease prevention and control programs, uphold Medicare Advantage's ability to offer supplemental benefits like fitness and socialization opportunities, and enable Medicaid to help low-income seniors improve their physical and mental health.
Every dollar invested in community-based organizations like YMCAs – organizations with trusted relationships and on-the-ground credibility – pays a dividend in the form of improved health and wellness, especially for our older adults.
Again, thank you for this opportunity today, and thank you for your leadership.
About the Y
Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community for more than 175 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships, and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide. Learn more at ymca.org.