In-home care for elderly deserves more funding

More than 13,000 nursing home residents have died in New York over the past year, more than any other state. AARP has long urged state policymakers to give older New Yorkers a preferable alternative to nursing homes: their own homes.

I survived a life-threatening illness and know how precious care in my own home is during such times. The state Senate has proposed adding $27 million to the next state budget due April 1 for in-home services like meal delivery, transportation to medical appointments and help with daily activities. That funding would help end waiting lists of more than 11,000 and growing of those who qualify. By helping more New Yorkers age at home, it would also save taxpayers money by reducing the need for mostly

Medicaid-funded and far more expensive nursing home placements.

The Assembly proposed adding $5 million for these services; it’s a good step but not enough. We seniors deserve better. The Assembly and governor must enact the Senate’s compassionate and cost-effective proposal. As a senior and someone who has medical conditions, this is critically important to my and my fellow senior citizens' future health care options.

We also need to ensure nursing homes are safer for those who need them; the state should also add $5 million for the Long-term Care Ombudsman Program to bolster the corps of trained observers who keep an independent eye on nursing home conditions. My dad spent his last year in a nursing home and this oversight is very important.

Linda Widomski Cohoes