|
|
State Told to Do More to Keep Elderly Out of Nursing Homes
By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
June 4, 2008
The comments came in reaction to the draft version of the Pennsylvania State Plan on Aging for 2008-12, a document that officials must update every four years and submit for federal approval. A public hearing on the plan at the Community College of Allegheny County South Campus drew only about 15 people, with two of them commenting on its wide-ranging but vague goals to address the needs of the 60-and-older population.
Anne Mates, a 68-year-old Greenfield resident, urged state officials to provide more reliable, affordable options for people like her who need assistance in their homes. She spoke on behalf of My Life, My Choice, a coalition made up of AARP, the Service Employees International Union and other groups that want to establish a Quality Home Care Commission. In other states, Ms. Mates said, such commissions have provided registries, training and payroll work that ease the challenge for consumers seeking reliable home aides.
County aging departments across Pennsylvania contract with private businesses that provide state-subsidized home care services. The owner of one of those, Kim Pirilla-Scalise of McKeesport-based Superior Home Services, sees no need for a new commission but would like state officials to provide more specifics on how they're going to expand home services to meet future needs as the oldest part of the population grows.
"Right now, our aging system is out of balance," she said. "It's not a given that every person will need nursing home care," but she maintained the state relies excessively on institutional care.
Bill Johnston-Walsh, the state's deputy secretary of aging, said Gov. Ed Rendell's administration will continue pursuing options that redirect people to home- and community-based settings. Such a turnaround takes time, he stressed, as the state tries to move long-term care spending from an 80-20 balance in favor of institutional care to a 50-50 split.
He said the state has not considered creating any commission like the one endorsed by My Life, My Choice, and the proposal is complicated by issues such as cost to the state and liability for any direct-care workers listed on a state registry.
A draft copy of the State Plan on Aging is available for review and comment at www.aging.state.pa.us.
Two more public hearings will be held around the state this week, and a final plan is to be submitted to the U.S. Administration on Aging by Aug. 1.
Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging officials, meanwhile, are preparing their own four-year plan to submit to the state. A public hearing will be held on June 13 from 10 a.m. to noon in the fourth floor Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse.
More Information on US Health Issues
|
|
