Thursday, July 21, 2011

In-Home Care Seen As "A Chance To Be Independent Again"

For many, a home is "where you are not in prison. Where you don't have to have somebody to tell you what you can do, when you can do it and how you can do it". Being able to be cared for at "home" is much more preferable to many than being placed in a nursing home. 

For Rosa Hendrix, who was interviewed by NPR, she said that not being in a nursing home "makes you feel so much better and know that you are somebody".

Rosa was placed, temporarily, in a nursing home for therapy after a bad fall, in which, she injured her leg.  However, her temporary stay lasted much longer than planned when her therapy took longer than first expected.  "Her Social Security check, which paid the rent on her subsidized apartment, was diverted to pay for the nursing home room. As a result, she lost her apartment and then had no home to go back to, nor family to help her".

An NPR study found out that, unfortunately, Rosa's story is all to common for many of those living in nursing homes.



Legislation such as SB 574 have made in-home care easier on the recipient and caregiver alike.  SB 574 provides a tax credit to individuals providing in-home care to senior and disabled relatives.
Also, HB 887 which allows a caregiver to use their ownl personal land, zoned as a single-family lot, to care for a mentally or physically impaired person has greatly eased the process of providing in-home care. 

For more of the story check out the link to NPR: "A Chance To Be Independent Again"
blog comments powered by Disqus

AddThis

Bookmark and Share