A helping hand
Iam comforted to know every day that there are dedicated caregivers and a loving community that took care of my mom at Parkway Pavilion in Enfield. It can seem daunting at first to make the decision to send your loved one to a nursing home, but once you realize that every facility really is a home filled with people caring for your loved one just as they would their own, you’re immediately at ease. That was the case for me and my family, and I am thankful for that.
I lost my mom in 2017. However, I continue to volunteer at Parkway on a weekly basis. I know that Connecticut nursing homes are underfunded. This puts access to care at risk for those who need it the most. Like my mom, Medicaid is how the majority of long-term care facilities are funded, but the amount of funding that nursing homes receive does not cover the actual costs of care.
My family wouldn’t have been able to afford sending our mother to Parkway Pavilion if it wasn’t for Medicaid, but the fact that it doesn’t fully cover the cost of operating a nursing home doesn’t make any sense.
Funding goes toward care, basic upkeep, equipment and resources. It’s also used to hire staff and offer more competitive pay. This is especially important during today’s labor shortages. Facilities have to go above and beyond to attract caregivers. Even though nursing homes are doing everything they can to increase their wages and offer better incentives, they need proper government funding to make it work.
Underfunding can and has forced nursing homes to shut down. For families this is a devastating thought. Sadly, it’s the reality for many, as there have been several nursing home closures in the Constitution State which have forced residents to find new homes. Often, these residents have to relocate farther away from friends and family. If our facility were to close, I don’t even know where I would have placed my mom.
Nursing homes need an increase in Medicaid funding if we want them to be able to continue providing the high-quality care our seniors need and deserve. Every nursing home provides specialized care to their residents, and our state legislators should, at the bare minimum, make sure they are able to afford the costs.
And now with the Biden Administration expected to force nursing homes to meet a new staffing standard with no new funding, it has never been more important that our state legislators act on increasing Medicaid funding. The looming one-size-fits-all staffing requirement will be devastating for seniors. If the rule is implemented, nearly 300,000 residents could be displaced. Better Medicaid funding will give nursing homes more resources to hire the caregivers they need.
I urge our state legislature to think of their own loved ones who need care now or might in the future this legislative session and increase the Medicaid reimbursement level for nursing homes. We do not have time to waste.