When Money Follows the Person
When Jane Smith (name has been changed to respect her privacy) was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her late thirties she could not have foreseen the impact it would have on her life. After spending twenty-five years living in her own home and raising two children, Jane’s physical impairments began creating barriers to her independence. Never one to quit, she hired contractors to make accessibility modifications to her home and continued to live in the neighborhood she had known for decades.
Unfortunately, Jane was then hospitalized several times and, following her last admission transferred to a nursing home. Feeling she had no choice, she reluctantly made the decision to sell her home. Jane tried hard to adjust to life in the nursing home, but she missed being independent and more involved with her family and community.
This story plays out everyday across our state. People of all ages with a wide variety of disabilities find themselves facing institutionalization, a move that takes away personal choice and independence.
And while there can be no doubt that our state’s budget crisis needs to be addressed, reducing community-based supports does not make financial sense.
According to an April 2009 report released by the Medicaid Institute at United Hospital Fund, of the individuals in New York State receiving Medicaid long-term care services in September 2007, about two-thirds were receiving services in community-based settings; the remaining one-third were receiving services in residential settings (mainly nursing homes). Of the $12.3 billion Medicaid spent on these programs, however, 53% was for residential programs and only 47% was spent on community-based programs. This imbalance clearly shows that community-based services are a more cost-effective approach.
ARISE’s Healthcare Advocate, Kara VanderVeer, is familiar with these statistics and she works hard to help people transition out of nursing homes. So when Jane Smith contacted her this past summer, Kara immediately met with her and they began working together to coordinate the supports Jane needed to move back to the community.
As a result of their efforts, Jane took advantage of our unseasonably nice weather to move into her own accessible apartment during the first week in October. Twice a day, a Personal Care Assistant spends time helping Jane with tasks she has trouble performing without some support. Is Jane loving her independence? You bet!
ARISE continues to find creative ways to advocate for and provide services that support independent living. We are excited to have recently secured a two-year $200,000 grant from the NYS Department of Health to operate the “Money Follows the Person” pilot project. The eight-county regional project focuses on outreach to people residing in nursing homes to inform them of their options, strengthening relationships between nursing homes and providers of community-based services, and working with discharge planners to coordinate referrals to needed supports.
While not all stories end as happily as Jane’s, our work at ARISE helps ensure as many as possible do. To learn more about our new Money Follows the Person Project, please contact us at (315) 472-3171.