John Funderburk headshot

John Funderburk

Vice President of Advocacy, AIM

One of the most storied traditions in American history is the political convention. But as with all things in 2020, this year's presidential nominating conventions are looking quite different.  

First up this week was the Democratic Convention which concluded last night with former Vice President Biden accepting his party's nomination. Biden's speech centered around the theme of togetherness stating early, "It's time for us, for We the People, to come together." Drawing on his past personal and political experience he laid out his plan on how to do so. On the issue of health care, the former Vice President mostly focused on ways he would combat the economic and health care crises created by the pandemic.  

Biden's speech came at the conclusion of four days of virtual remarks and video montages which the democratic party hopes to have inspired its base and convince undecided voters to turn out for the Biden-Harris ticket on November 3.

A strong theme throughout the convention - and particularly highlighted during Tuesday's programming - was health care. Many speakers noted the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our nation, and under scored the wide-ranging impact it is having on our country from health care disparities to the number of underinsured.

Former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter spoke to Vice President Biden's work to help unpaid caregivers. "Joe knows well, too well, the sorrows and struggles of being a family caregiver," Rosalynn Carter said. "He knows caregiving is hard even on the good days."  

On July 21, the campaign released "The Biden Plan for Mobilizing American Talent and Heart to Create a 21st Century Caregiving and Education Workforce," outlining the Vice President's plan to address the needs of our nation's caregivers. His proposal calls for a $775 billion overhaul of the nation's caregiving infrastructure, noting the importance of addressing the challenges facing both family caregivers and the paid workforce.  

Throughout the democratic primary, both Vice President Biden and Sen. Harris addressed questions from AIM advocates, spoke about the importance of increasing Alzheimer's and dementia research funding and underscored the impact dementia has on families and the country.  

Check back next week for our recap of the Republican national convention also to be held virtually.