From the Director
Older Americans Month: More options for seniors
By Robert P. Dean
May is Older American’s month. This year’s theme, “Working Together for Strong, Healthy, and Supportive Communities”, underscores the need to help seniors obtain the information they need to make informed decisions about existing health and long-term care options, and to provide more in-home options so that seniors can avoid nursing home placements and remain at home as long as possible. Today’s older Americans are living longer, healthier lives, and are more active, interested, and involved than ever before. More than two million Americans turn 65 each year, and live an average of 18 additional years after celebrating their 65th birthdays. The number of Americans age 65 or older has more than doubled in the last forty-three years - from 17 million in 1963 to 37.3 million in 2006. (More than 5 million of these older Americans are 85 or older, while the number of Americans age 100 or older has more than doubled in less than twenty years, from 37,000 in 1990 to more than 84,000 in 2007). There are more than 5.5 million working Americans who are 65 or older, as are 11% of the nation’s business owner’s. An impressive 71% of registered voters age 65 or older voted in the 2004 presidential election. Older Americans are among the most active community volunteers, and typically pursue a wide range of volunteer activities, often volunteering for many types of causes. Older Americans enhance our communities in so many ways by sharing their collective wisdom and life experiences.
Although older Americans are living longer, staying healthier and remaining more active in their communities, there may come a time when they may need varying degrees of assistance to continue to live with dignity and independence. As the number of individuals age 65 or older has increased, so has the number of seniors with one or more chronic health conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure, hearing loss, heart disease, diabetes, and depression. As older Americans have supported their communities, so must their communities support these older citizens when they need a little bit of help. As we celebrate Older Americans Month, it is important that we recognize the over-whelming preference of seniors to continue to live at home, and that if or when they need long-term care services to receive those services at home.
As the Massachusetts Legislature continues its budget deliberations in May for fiscal year 2009, (which begins July 1, 2008), we have an important opportunity to support the preference of seniors to remain in their own homes and communities by asking the Legislature to provide an appropriate level of funding for the services seniors need, so that they will have a true choice as to where they will receive their long term care services - at home or in an institution. As we consider this opportunity, and that we have limited state dollars, we should keep in mind that it costs far less to provide long term care services at home than it does in an institution, and that home and community-based services are a cost-effective and very efficient use of those limited state dollars.
The following budget priorities recognize the overwhelming preference of seniors to live at home and in the community for as long as possible. These priorities need to receive a sufficient level of funding if this preference is to be honored:
1. The Community First 1115 Waiver (line item 4000-0650). This new initiative is described as “a multi-faceted initiative that will give elders and people with disabilities more choices so that they can remain at home and in their communities”. Community First will expand the income and asset rules for MassHealth, and the array of services available.
2. Elder Lunch - Meals on Wheels (line item 9110-1900). Last year, Elder Services prepared more than 270,000 meals in our Lanesboro kitchen. Our Meals on Wheels drivers traveled more than 226,000 miles to deliver over 220,000 of those meals to homebound seniors. The remaining meals (more than 48,000) were served to seniors at 14 lunch sites located throughout the county. The Nutrition/Meals on Wheels program has been dangerously under-funded for years while the cost of preparing, serving, and delivering the weekday meals has continued to increase.
3. Enhanced Community Options Program - ECOP (line item 9110-1500). This program provides in-home care to frail seniors who are not yet on MassHealth, but who are clinically eligible for nursing facility placement.
4. State Home Care and Care Management (line items 9110-1630 and 9110-1633). Both the State Home Care and ECOP (see #3 above) programs provide an array of essential in-home and community services that are designed to promote independent living. Such services include in-home assistance with personal care needs such as dressing, bathing, and bathroom assistance, and with homemaking.
5. Protective Services (line item 9110-1636). This program provides a first line of defense for seniors by investigating and resolving reports of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, financial exploitation, and self-neglect.
6. Councils on Aging - COAs (line item 9110-9002). Services include information and referral, transportation, outreach, food distribution programs, health education and screenings, and fitness, social, and recreational opportunities.
As we celebrate Older Americans Month this May, what better way to honor Massachusetts seniors than to provide adequate funding for the services they need to continue to live in their own homes and communities. Happy Mother’s Day.
Robert P. Dean is Executive Director of Elder Services.
