AUSTIN, Texas – A casi un año de que el Huracán Harvey devastara gran parte de la Costa del Golfo de Texas, un informe reciente examina las fallas que se presentaron en algunas instalaciones de atención a la vida asistida, para proteger a los residentes vulnerables.
El año pasado, después del Huracán Harvey, una fotografía viral de residentes en su instalación de vida asistida, sentados con el agua hasta la cintura, se hizo viral y ocupó las primeras planas.
Y un reporte reciente muestra que eso es sólo la punta del iceberg de las fallas en la protección de los tejanos más vulnerables.
Las historias de residentes con vida asistida que fueron abandonados y heridos al paso de Harvey, se destacan en el informe de Amanda Fredrickson, directora estatal asociada de contacto y defensa, en la AARP de Texas.
Fredrickson dice que un caso especial entre las instalaciones de asistencia es el de la ubicada en Victoria, porque perdió algunos de sus residentes durante la evacuación a Cedar Park.
“En ese caos que suele venir con las emergencias no siguieron su propio plan, y como resultado dejaron atrás a una residente. No se dieron cuenta sino hasta cuatro horas después. La encontraron encerrada en su habitación.”
El reporte indica que en una instalación de Houston dejaron a los residentes sin atención alguna durante la tormenta, y los de otra estuvieron en riesgo de enfermar por los hongos y el moho que aparecieron porque luego de la tormenta no se hicieron las reparaciones adecuadas.
Fredrickson dice que muchas unidades que fueron citadas por violaciones enfrentaron multas pequeñas, y a veces ni eso.
A medida que Texas entra al tope de la temporada de huracanes, Fredrickson comenta que el reporte es una alarma para contar con mejores políticas de protección a los residentes de las instalaciones de vida asistida, cuyos reglamentos actuales de precauciones para enfrentar desastres, son menos estrictos que los de asilos de ancianos.
“Como las instalaciones de vida asistida son el segmento de más rápido crecimiento entre los servicios de largo plazo que ofrecemos, ya es hora, o tal vez ya sea tarde, de poner más atención en cómo son autorizados y regulados.”
El informe hace varias recomendaciones; entre ellas, mejorar y ampliar la capacitación a los trabajadores, contar con protocolos de preparación más estrictos en las instalaciones de vida asistida, y crear un sistema de seguimiento para asegurarse de que las unidades estén cumpliendo con las exigencias de su licencia.
Fredrickson puede ser contactada en el 512-605-9747. El reporte (en inglés) puede consultarse en: https://states.aarp.org/2018-08-left-adrift-report/+
Después del Huracán Harvey, en 2017, una fotografía viral de residentes en su instalación de vida asistida, sentados con agua hasta la cintura, ocupó las primeras planas.
Y un reporte reciente muestra que eso es sólo la punta del iceberg de las fallas en la protección de los tejanos más vulnerables.
Las historias de residentes con vida asistida que fueron abandonados y heridos al paso de Harvey, se destacan en el reporte de la AARP Texas.
La directora estatal de contacto y defensoría de esta organización dice que entre las instalaciones de asistencia destaca una ubicada en Victoria, que perdió algunos de sus residentes durante la evacuación a Cedar Park.
En ese caos que suele venir con las emergencias no siguieron su propio plan, y como resultado se quedó atrás a una residente. No se dieron cuenta sino hasta cuatro horas después. La encontraron encerrada en su habitación.
El reporte indica que en una instalación de Houston dejaron a los residentes sin atención alguna durante la tormenta, y los de otra estuvieron en riesgo de enfermar por los hongos y el moho que aparecieron porque luego de la tormenta no se hicieron las reparaciones adecuadas.
Fredrickson dice que muchas unidades que fueron citadas por violaciones enfrentaron multas pequeñas, y a veces ni eso.
El informe (en inglés) puede ser consultado en states.aarp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2018-08-left-adrift-report.pdf.
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Advocates for people age 65 and older urged Colorado lawmakers to fully fund a program helping people remain in their homes and avoid placement in assisted living facilities.
Jayla Sanchez-Warren, director of the Area Agency on Aging for the Denver Regional Council of Governments, said home-based services cost under $2,000 dollars per year, on average, compared to $74,000 for nursing homes. Since most people cannot afford the nursing home charges, state and federal taxpayers have to pick up the bill after their savings are gone.
"It saves money for individuals, it saves money for the state, and it keeps people where they want to be; living in their own homes," Sanchez-Warren emphasized. "Someone who needs help with preparing meals and maybe showering should not have to go to a nursing home."
Sanchez-Warren noted adequately funding home-delivered meals, transportation, in-home assistance and similar services would cost the state $20 million. The number of people age 65 and older is projected to rise from 928,000 to 1.3 million by 2035, according to Colorado State Demography office data, outnumbering people 18 and under over the next three decades.
Federal support for community based services has dropped, and state-based funding is stuck at 2019 levels.
Sara Schueneman, state director of AARP Colorado, said demand has risen dramatically. Nearly eight in 10 Coloradans say they want to age in place in their communities.
"There is a growing population of older adults in the state of Colorado, and there is growing demand," Schueneman pointed out. "We are trying to support more people with less money because there is so much need."
Advocates urged lawmakers to increase funding by at least $5 million in the state's annual budget, and increase the amount year over year to ensure people can access services.
Sanchez-Warren added right now, their largest transportation provider has a 700 person waiting list. If someone needs to get to a doctor's appointment or a dialysis treatment, they have to wait at least two months for a ride.
"You can't get a home delivered meal right now," Sanchez-Warren stressed. "It used to be where you would come out of the hospital, and maybe your doctor said you should get home-delivered meals. And within a couple of days we could get you into a program and there would be a meal at your door. Not anymore, it's on a waiting list."
Disclosure: AARP Colorado contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Health Issues, Livable Wages/Working Families, and Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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Senior and older-adult groups are frustrated by cuts to services in New York's budget proposal. This includes cuts to home-care programs and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program.
It comes a year after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state's Master Plan for Aging, a legislative framework to help New York seniors age in place.
Rebecca Preve, executive director of the Association on Aging in New York, feels this lack of funding undercuts the state's dedication to helping seniors. She described how service providers are dealing with already low funding.
"And what that means is, if you go to your locality to ask for a home-delivered meal or a personal care aide to assist you in your home, because of the funding issue, a lot of people are being placed on waiting lists for those services," Preve explained. "In the state, currently, we have about 18,000 service lines that are waitlisted."
She added that doesn't begin to capture the numbers of people at a crisis point who are reaching out to their local Office for the Aging. The pandemic increased service demands for local Offices for the Aging. But the difference now is, there aren't any federal stimulus dollars going out to fund these programs -- and yet the need for services remains.
According to Preve, if the state doesn't boost this funding, seniors will either leave the state or possibly die from a lack of necessary services.
Without proper caregiving services, this responsibility falls to family members. An AARP report shows family caregivers in New York provided $39 billion in unpaid care in 2021 -- a $7 billion increase from 2019.
Preve noted without a fully funded support system to help them, things just get harder for these caregivers.
"We know that working caregivers are missing time at work. They're either leaving the job market entirely for their caregiving duties, or they're cutting down the number of hours that they're able to work," she stressed. "We know that the mental-health impact on caregivers is incredibly significant."
Considering the ongoing challenge, Preve isn't certain what lies ahead. She noted some people rely on skilled nursing facilities or Medicaid instead of Office for the Aging services. But some might make too much to qualify for Medicaid, making them ineligible.
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It's International Women's Day, and AARP is highlighting the important role older women will play in this year's election.
The organization recently conducted a survey on the priorities of women voters age 50 and older in the 2024 election. The rising cost of living topped the list for this group, along with concerns about caregiving.
"Women have varied life experiences," said AARP Oregon state director Bandana Shrestha. "They're not a monolith, but there are certain things that really stand out - related to financial security, related to family caregiving. They also feel like their voices are not heard and that they want elected officials to really pay attention to the issues that matter to them most."
Women in this age group are split nearly evenly when it comes to a choice between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race. However, among women age 50 to 64, 15% are undecided, making this a large group that could swing either way.
People age 50 and older comprised nearly 60% of voters in Oregon's 2022 election, with more than half of them women. Shrestha said that's important in the upcoming election.
"They're a large voting bloc," she said. "They care about the issues, they are caring for their loved ones and often, especially those women in the middle, they're a sandwich generation. They're caring for the younger loved ones but they're also caring for their parents. So they're juggling a lot."
Shrestha said politicians should take note of women age 50 and older.
"There is a lot of stuff that can be done through policymaking and through prioritizing what is important to the real people, and this is a great year to do that," she said. "Women's History Month and International Women's Day is a great day to lift up the voices of women, especially women 50-plus."
Disclosure: AARP Oregon contributes to our fund for reporting on Consumer Issues, Health Issues, Livable Wages/Working Families, Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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