Advocacy
Time to Get Loud at the Legislature!
By Maddy Bynes, Special to Never Too Late With the Legislative Session entering its fifth month, we continue to look towards the budgeting process to ensure that older adults get the care and support they need in their own
Protective Services, often for reported self-neglect, or they might end up in an emergency room. Generally speaking, the cost of caring for an individual in their own home through an Area Agency on Aging like PCOA is less costly. It is estimated by AARP that 77% of older adults wish to remain in their own homes and communities as they age. We cannot help them achieve this vision without the vital services that allow older adults the independence to do that. Over the past several years, these services have both become more in demand and more expensive. For providers, increasing minimum wage, wage compression, and stiff competition from other lower-wage jobs has meant that it is more difficult to recruit and retain workers, ultimately impacting service delivery. It is for this reason that over the past several years, we’ve been focused on increasing funding to the Area Agency on Aging system just to keep up with increased demand and inflation. Last year we were fortunate to receive an addition of $2 million statewide in one-time funding from the legislature for this purpose. Through these funds, we were able to provide incentives to providers to obtain more workers. However, these are not one-time services and our provider agencies continue to need financial support and
homes. The process seems to be in a deadlock, with the Legislature and the Governor not being able to compromise on key policy issues impacting Arizonans. Whatever compromises are made, we need to make sure that there is adequate funding to provide home and community-based services across the state, both in the Area Agency on Aging system and beyond. This year, we continue the push for sustained funding for home and community- based services for Area Agencies on Aging. As loyal NTL readers know, home and community-based services, also known as HCBS, are the backbone of in-home care and consist of services like adult day health, assistance with bathing and dressing, meal preparation, shopping, bed linen changing, caregiver respite, home nursing, and home delivered meals. These services are the primary buffer to the slow expansion of people needing more expensive support, such as a nursing home placement or other forms of institutionalization. If older adults do not have equitable access to these services, they are more likely to come to the attention of Adult
stability to retain their staff. That is why this year we are working hard to make that $2 million on-going. We can’t do it without your support! Last year we heard from legislators that the most impactful advocacy Area Agencies on Aging can do is to get constituents to write letters to their legislators explaining the needs of their community. Last year we sent hundreds of letters to legislators letting them know the importance of these funds. This year we need to do the same. Please help us by going to advocate.pcoa.org and clicking “Take Action” today! Once there, you can send a letter directly to your legislators about this very issue. It is so important that we all participate in advocacy to let our legislators know the impact that they have on our community. Make sure your voice is heard today!
May 2023, Never Too Late | Page 25
Pima Council on Aging
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