I am grateful I could help provide seniors with choices
By Denis E. Guyer
As I prepare to leave the legislature after six years of service to Second Berkshire District residents, I look back at the many accomplishments of the legislature regarding services for seniors. Perhaps one of the most striking examples from my perspective of my three terms is the Equal Choice Bill passed in 2006.
This legislation has played a key role in helping seniors remain in their own homes and receive medical and other assistance with dignity. Before passage of the Equal Choice Bill, the Commonwealth in many ways unfairly discriminated against seniors, forcing some into institutional care settings, which is not always in the seniors’ best interest. The Equal Choice Bill allowed seniors with MassHealth to choose the setting for their long-term care services. For many, this bill means being able to choose to receive services in their own homes with the love and support of family and friends. The choice to receive care in a less-restricting, more appropriate setting has given many seniors and other disabled individuals throughout the CommonwealthAs I prepare to leave the legislature after six years of service to Second Berkshire District residents, I look back at the many accomplishments of the legislature regarding services for seniors. Perhaps one of the most striking examples from my perspective of my three terms is the Equal Choice Bill passed in 2006.
This legislation has played a key role in helping seniors remain in their own homes and receive medical and other assistance with dignity. Before passage of the Equal Choice Bill, the Commonwealth in many ways unfairly discriminated against seniors, forcing some into institutional care settings, which is not always in the seniors’ best interest. The Equal Choice Bill allowed seniors with MassHealth to choose the setting for their long-term care services. For many, this bill means being able to choose to receive services in their own homes with the love and support of family and friends. The choice to receive care in a less-restricting, more appropriate setting has given many seniors and other disabled individuals throughout the Commonwealth the ability to remain at home in familiar accommodations, enjoying the highest possible quality of life. This one piece of legislation has helped thousands of seniors.
While not every individual can receive long-term care at home due to unique and acute medical problems, we as policy makers in the legislature and in non-profits must strive to ensure that when home care makes sense, seniors receive the full range of services required. Protecting funding for senior and home care services — including personal care attendants (PCA) and Elder Services' Meals on Wheels, which brings hot food to home-bound seniors — must remain a priority. It is also essential that in-home providers, like visiting nurses and PCAs receive the training and resources they need to administer the highest possible standard of care.
During my time in the legislature, I have worked hard to promote and protect home care services, because a person lacking resources should not be forced from his or her home into a more restrictive setting. I hope that in the future, policy makers throughout Berkshire County and the Commonwealth realize the value of home care and continue to provide seniors with the best and most appropriate care.
State Representative Denis E. Guyer is not seeking reelection for the Second Berkshire District.
Editor's Note: Special thanks to Representative Denis Guyer for his advocacy on behalf of seniors and his support of home and community-based services for seniors.
