Andy urged to keep funding patient-aid program

ALBANY — Workers, advocates and the elderly are calling on the Cuomo administration to ensure the future of a program that allows disabled and older New Yorkers the freedom to choose who takes care of them.

Following proposed cuts to the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance program, which allows seniors and the disabled to hire their own caregivers, proponents rallied in the capital Wednesday and pushed the state to keep the popular measure alive.

“It’s been very challenging and very hard for me these last couple of weeks,” said Ben Slombo, a 34-yearold from Rochester who cares for his disabled brother Joe. “I couldn’t believe what had happened with the DOH and such a vulnerable people, such as the elderly, such as the disabled, could be at such a low and at such a time as this.”

The Slombos were joined by several groups from across the state, led by the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State, as the coalition announced the formation of the #SaveCDPA movement and called on the Department of Health to work with them.

Over 75,000 senior and disabled New Yorkers rely on the program and it employs over 100,000 caregivers, according to advocates. The program allows the elderly and people with disabilities and chronic illnesses to receive care in their homes by a person of their own choosing, making it a popular choice for those who don’t want to live in a nursing home or assistedliving facility.