Interview with Lance Robertson

Gary Barg: It is a real pleasure to talk with the Assistant Secretary for Aging and Administrator of the ACL, for many reasons. One is he’s been working in senior care, elder care and caregiving services for many years in Oklahoma. And, another is a bit more personal, he’s a 2003, Today’s Caregiver Magazine, CareHeroes Award winner. And, we’ve been friends for many years.  

Lance Robertson: Thank you, Gary, good to be with you. 

Gary Barg: What is the ACL? 

Lance Robertson:  The Administration for Community Living is a relatively new agency, so there aren’t a lot of people yet familiar with what we do, although back in 2013 when we were birthed, it was really the creation of an agency that now has responsibility for older adult programs, as well as programs for people with disabilities. We also then, given the recent Workforce Investment Act, added a few more people to the family. So, now we have a large research division as well as a number of other critical programs. ACL provides a tremendous number of programs that help Americans of all ages, and with any sort of struggle they might have, whether their own, or as family caregivers. 

Gary Barg: How do you see bridging the needs of the caregivers and support teams in the communities around the nation and your role as a top aging administrator in the federal government? 

Lance Robertson: I’m encouraged, because in recent conversations in Washington, D.C., from leadership, there is more and more understanding of how critical it is that we do all we can for family caregivers. Part of that is just retelling that story and making sure people understand what we’re talking about, both in terms of human impact and cost. For instance, the RAISE Act recently passed, and ACL has the honor of being in charge of implementing and rolling out that very important piece of legislation, and vision from the Senate on how we can further support caregivers. 

As a personal caregiver myself, who was raised by my grandparents and became the caregiver for both of them, any time I’ve spoken with folks about caregiving, just about everyone I’ve spoken to is aware of what we’re talking about. A lot of them are or have been caregivers. And, it’s just connecting that dot, reminding them, “Okay, did you care for your dad as he was going through?” “Oh, I did!” “Well, then you are a caregiver.”  “Oh, I was.” And, having these conversations in particular with people in leadership, it begins to really galvanize why the investment we make in supporting caregivers really matters.  We have the best, strongest argument for the work that we do, because from all angles, it’s a win/win. 

We all know about the cost savings, and the positive impact it can have on the hum

an side of this. Employment, you can all around the horn and every part of this makes absolute sense to continue to support. So, we’re doing all we can at ACL to really amplify that message. In fact, caregiving is one of my five pillars. 

Gary Barg: That’s a great point, the Five Pillars. Tell me about that. 

Lance Robertson:  These are our focus areas in terms of more meaningful conversations, where we want to put extra energy and purpose. We’re going to be doing some creative things in the very near future. We’re rolling out the build-out of those pillars. Take caregiving, one of the greatest of the Five Pillars, the plan is there, we’re going to really talk about where the gaps are and where can we help create stronger partnerships. It’s more than just about how can we push more funding into the program. We want that to happen, but it’s not the focus of the pillar build-out. In reality, we need to be thinking innovatively and outside the box and pulling in people like yourself and many other national experts to say, “Okay, let’s dream big. What can we really do to move the needle?” 

Gary Barg: So much of it is the humanity. You know, 20-something years ago, it was hard to get anybody to think about caregiving. And, now, I know many people in D.C. and on Capitol Hill who are family caregivers, and it hits them in the heart. 

Lance Robertson: It does.

Gary Barg: Even if they’re able to deal with it, they’re able to afford it, they have the support, they feel that this is the one thing that connects people through their heart. 

Lance Robertson: You’re absolutely right, Gary, that’s right. Nowadays, it’s hard to have a conversation with someone in leadership who has not been personally impacted by this conversation. Maybe they were a caregiver, but if they weren’t, undoubtedly somebody in their family has just recently gone through that experience. They watched it, they maybe tried to help. 

And, that also ties into some of the other pillars. Another pillar is how do we make sure that we can get information that is timely and relevant as quickly as possible to families. Tie that into caregiving. As you and I both know, so many people wake up one day and boom, they’re a caregiver. And, the first thing they want to do, like all of us, is to know “What do I, where can I get help, what’s next.” We have got to continue to really lean in and help those programs that we already have in place and some of the other things we’re doing. How can we make sure that that information gets to them as quickly as possible, if not in advance? 

My challenge to all of our team is how do we move that conversation further upstream? How can we get in touch with caregivers before they become caregivers? 

Gary Barg: How do we?

Lance Robertson: Like you were just referencing a moment ago, I think it’s how do you make sure there’s an immediate connection with the relevance? So, even if you’re not living that caregiver role today, we all know we’re going to be. Even if I need to file it away a little bit, I need to know where to go when that time comes. And, even more importantly, what we really want to encourage through the build-out of the pillars, how do we, how do we grow that cadre of mentors, people who have been through that experience? 

Gary Barg: Good point.

Lance Robertson: Because, you and I both know, if somebody came in right now and said, “I’m a caregiver. I need help,” we would be Johnny-On-The-Spot. So, you know, where I can be using the platform I’m now privileged to have, I want to make sure that people are encouraged and can appreciate the gratification they themselves will have. If we lay our head down at night and we know we helped a couple of people. Wow, I mean, that’s what life’s about, it really is. It’s not about what we selfishly gain, it’s what we give. And, there are few ways better to give than to help caregivers.