Thousands of seniors in the Bay State will lose access to home care services this spring or will not be able to receive assistance due to impending funding shortfalls totaling millions of dollars, senior advocacy groups and advocates say. It is likely that it will be reduced.
Aging services organizations are calling on Gov. Maura Healey and the Legislature to allocate more funds to ensure continued services, as state budget officials worry about loosening tax collections and myriad spending requests. We are looking for support during this time.
Some organizations expect state-funded home care programs to run out of funding in February, while others are preparing for home care programs to be discontinued around March or April, a representative from a large organization said. said Betsy Crimmins, executive director of Mass Aging Access. 30 Aging Services Access Points and Regional Agencies on Aging throughout the state.
If left unchecked, the funding crisis could lead to layoffs of home care staff, long waiting lists for Bay Area residents wishing to enroll in care, an increase in hospitalizations of seniors and an increase in nursing home care, senior care providers say. This could lead to an increase in pressure.
“We're hopeful that the supplemental budget will cover this issue. We don't want to get into controlled intakes that could harm people,” Crimmins said, adding that ultimately the state will meet its needs. mentioned a process that could prioritize or reduce services for older residents depending on the situation.
She added, “One of my big concerns is that this really valuable direct care workforce is going to be fragmented, and if they start getting laid off, it's going to take a long time to rebuild that workforce.'' “I don't know how long it will take,” he added.
Asked whether the administration was concerned about a lack of funding for senior home care programs and whether more funding would be allocated in the supplemental budget, a spokesperson for the Office of Aging Affairs said the agency did not anticipate. He said he is considering how to deal with the extra costs.
“Costs have been higher than expected over the course of this year due to a variety of factors. Home care volumes have returned to pre-pandemic levels and efforts to increase hiring and retention to address workforce shortages have been successful. , we have an increasing number of aging residents,” a spokesperson told the news service on Tuesday. “The Office of Aging Affairs is working on this issue to ensure that our elderly residents continue to receive the quality services they need and that our workers have the support they need. ”
The Healey government is already planning to introduce a supplemental budget calling for more than $400 million for the emergency family shelter system, but funding is likely to run out in January. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said her administration will submit a spending request once the 2024 fiscal year closing budget, which the Legislature sent to the governor's desk on Monday, is finalized.
Crimmins said home care programs help older residents maintain independence and avoid more expensive care options, such as nursing home placement. In addition to medical care, home care staff assist with daily tasks such as bathing, meal preparation, laundry services, and grocery shopping.
Health care providers say demand for home care has skyrocketed due to the commonwealth's growing elderly population and the effects of the pandemic, adding to tight budgets. Meanwhile, the 2025 budget includes $390 million in Chapter 257 contingency funds for human services workers, which health care advocacy groups have hailed as a record investment.
Criminal organizations and other providers say they are working closely with the Department of Aging to resolve the fiscal year 2025 funding shortfall and are meeting with senior members of Congress to raise awareness of the issue. Ta. Mass Aging Access warned that without national action, more than 9,600 elderly people could be denied home care services in the “very near future”.
“It's very frightening. The last thing we want to do is figure out how to prioritize consumers, because everyone has needs for different reasons,” said the Cape Cod Islands Senior Services Executive. Clinical Services Officer Kim Nahas said.
CEO Marian Ryan said the organization has seen a “significant spike” in demand. At the beginning of this year, we were seeing approximately 300 to 310 new home care referrals each month. That number has risen to between 370 and 380, Ryan said.
“Every day we are seeing more demand,” Ryan said. “And budget-wise, we rely on state home health funding.”
The 2025 budget allocated about $237 million to nursing home care services, but Crimmins said the item was underfunded and based on outdated information about the number of seniors using services. said. Crimmins said an additional $35.2 million is needed to maintain home care services, but that number could approach $46.1 million as more people seek services.
Healthcare providers are also interested in home care case management, which helps older adults access available services and resources. More than $95 million is allocated in the budget, but Crimmins said at least another $4 million is needed for incident managers to assist Bay Starters. Crimmins said nearly $8.6 million could be needed to shore up the account if case demand continues to grow.
An EOEA spokesperson did not say whether the administration agrees with these budget shortfall estimates.
Lisa Gargon, CEO of Mystic Valley Elder Services in Malden, said health care providers will be in “crisis” this spring without additional state support to keep up with demand. He said it would be.
“If we don't cut services or put people on waiting lists who aren't as needy as others, we're going to end up running out of money,” she says. “If the state doesn't provide funding, we won't be able to afford to hire new people at all.”
Mystic Valley Elder Services had 4,180 people enrolled in home care in June 2023, compared to 4,524 in September.
Nahas said cutting services, such as offering showers only once a week instead of twice, could lead to more medical problems. Without an infusion of funding, limited services will result in more seniors being hospitalized, homeless, and ending up in protective services, which ultimately means more expensive care for seniors and the commonwealth. They may rely on facilities, Nahas and Ryan said.
Justin Reese, CEO of Coastline Elderly Services in New Bedford, said seniors may have to rely more on strained family caregivers. Leeds said he wouldn't be surprised if his organization ran out of home health funding or came close to running out of money in February.
Leeds said Coastline is experiencing record monthly enrollment for home care. Approximately 20 to 40 people register each month, but monthly registrations can exceed 100. Before the surge in new registrations this spring, the number of new registrations hovered around 10 to 15 people per month.
“If this trend continues, we're going to need more staff, but we can't hire them because we don't know if we have the funds,” Leeds said. “We have already had to eliminate other programs that are not funded through these systems but typically operate at a deficit.”
