Monterey, CA Alzheimer"s Patients Victims to Governor Brown"s Budget Cuts
Opposition to Governor Brown's proposed budget cuts is growing by the minute, as a number of groups articulate just how badly the cuts could hurt seniors. I wrote on my blog about the California Association for Health Services at Home's (CAHSAH) position (click here) and now The Alzheimer's Association of Northern California, a great organization which Family inHome Caregiving has been a major supporter of, highlighted to the general public how the cuts could hurt the more than 500K people in CA afflicted with the disease.
As the Alzheimer's Association noted in a recent email blast, "the negative impact on Alzheimer families who are already struggling with the monetary and emotional costs of this disease cannot be understated." They note that the cuts could do more harm than good in the long-run, something I have previously noted on my blog. This will occur because the cuts could cause more people to be forced out of their homes and into Medi-Cal nursing homes or the hospital.
This is very disturbing to me on a personal level. I rescued my grandmother from a nursing home where she was not being given the level of care that anyone would want for someone they love. I took care of her for five years until her passing two weeks ago, and she was the inspiration for my founding Family inHome Caregiving, a private-duty caregiving service whose motto is "Remain Independent In Your Own Home."
Nana had Alzheimer's disease and I know from experience that it's extremely difficult to care for someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease or dementia. But the brave ones who choose to do so should not have the plug pulled on the very scant financial support they currently receive. Please Governor Brown, find another way to balance the budget!
The key cuts impacting Alzheimer's sufferers are:
• Elimination of Adult Day Health Care, which would leave 27,000 beneficiaries without the vital services the program provides.
• Elimination of Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), which provides case management services to elderly clients who qualify for placement in a nursing facility but wish to remain in the community.
• Reduction of $486.1 million to the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, resulting in approximately 300,000 IHSS recipients living with their provider being ineligible for domestic services in addition to an 8.4% reduction in service hours among other cuts. However, in preparing for implementation of health care reform, the Governor proposes shifting certain Medi-Cal services now administered by the counties back to the state in order to ensure better coordination of all Medi-Cal services - this would bring IHSS back to the state.
• Reductions to the Medi-Cal program which would limit access to durable medical equipment and supplies and prescriptions (except life-saving drugs) to 6 per month and doctor visits to 10 per year.
The only good news in the recently announced budget is that Governor Brown is maintaining funding for the California Alzheimer's Disease Program and the Caregiver Resource Centers. Still, the fact that more people are being forced out of their homes into state run nursing homes is heart breaking. If you can afford to, I would urge you to make a donation to:
The Alzheimer's Association of Northern California & Northern Nevada
182 Alvarado Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-647-9890
They are a great organization which will use funds donated to lobby against funding cuts that affect those afflicted with Alzheimer's, provide services to the families of those caring for someone with their 24-hour hotline (800-272-3900), as well as fund research with the hope of finding a cure.
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/index.html?entry=family-caregivers-for-seniors-on
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/
As the Alzheimer's Association noted in a recent email blast, "the negative impact on Alzheimer families who are already struggling with the monetary and emotional costs of this disease cannot be understated." They note that the cuts could do more harm than good in the long-run, something I have previously noted on my blog. This will occur because the cuts could cause more people to be forced out of their homes and into Medi-Cal nursing homes or the hospital.
This is very disturbing to me on a personal level. I rescued my grandmother from a nursing home where she was not being given the level of care that anyone would want for someone they love. I took care of her for five years until her passing two weeks ago, and she was the inspiration for my founding Family inHome Caregiving, a private-duty caregiving service whose motto is "Remain Independent In Your Own Home."
Nana had Alzheimer's disease and I know from experience that it's extremely difficult to care for someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease or dementia. But the brave ones who choose to do so should not have the plug pulled on the very scant financial support they currently receive. Please Governor Brown, find another way to balance the budget!
The key cuts impacting Alzheimer's sufferers are:
• Elimination of Adult Day Health Care, which would leave 27,000 beneficiaries without the vital services the program provides.
• Elimination of Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), which provides case management services to elderly clients who qualify for placement in a nursing facility but wish to remain in the community.
• Reduction of $486.1 million to the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, resulting in approximately 300,000 IHSS recipients living with their provider being ineligible for domestic services in addition to an 8.4% reduction in service hours among other cuts. However, in preparing for implementation of health care reform, the Governor proposes shifting certain Medi-Cal services now administered by the counties back to the state in order to ensure better coordination of all Medi-Cal services - this would bring IHSS back to the state.
• Reductions to the Medi-Cal program which would limit access to durable medical equipment and supplies and prescriptions (except life-saving drugs) to 6 per month and doctor visits to 10 per year.
The only good news in the recently announced budget is that Governor Brown is maintaining funding for the California Alzheimer's Disease Program and the Caregiver Resource Centers. Still, the fact that more people are being forced out of their homes into state run nursing homes is heart breaking. If you can afford to, I would urge you to make a donation to:
The Alzheimer's Association of Northern California & Northern Nevada
182 Alvarado Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-647-9890
They are a great organization which will use funds donated to lobby against funding cuts that affect those afflicted with Alzheimer's, provide services to the families of those caring for someone with their 24-hour hotline (800-272-3900), as well as fund research with the hope of finding a cure.
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/index.html?entry=family-caregivers-for-seniors-on
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/
Source...