Our citizens of the state of New Hampshire are overwhelmingly in favor of aging in place, being able to stay in their homes and communities as they get older. This often requires the availability of affordable services for their care. The facts are that New Hampshire is 50th of 51 states/regions (including Washington, D.C.) when it comes to the amount of Medicaid dollars spent on community- and home-based services.
There is a person in my life who suffers from Alzheimer’s. She is significantly impacted and completely dependent on others for all of her daily living needs. She is unable to be alone. Her family has made the decision to care for her at home. They have found many instances where they have had to pay significant sums out of pocket for various facets of her care.
As an AARP volunteer, I am aware that this organization and the Alliance for Healthy Aging support the rate increase in our state budget for providers of these home services. Please applaud the Department of Health and Human Services for recommending this increase and the governor for including it in the proposed budget. Please urge your senators and representatives to support these efforts now and going forward.
BEV COTTON
Weare