Dr. Kate Clayton-Jones: Support home care for elders

If you are an aging adult with needs in home care, or you are caring for a loved one who wants to remain at home, you should support Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed supplemental budget (H.4003) for FY25 which includes $60 million to help address the deficit in FY 2025 funding for the State Home Care Program. It would allow caregivers to be compensated while caring for a loved one.

At Footcare by Nurses, our access to this funding directly impacts out ability to support the aging adults in our community and the number of people we can serve. And we all know health care costs are reduced when essential services are provided in home. That is the point of this bill. This is especially important in rural areas of Massachusetts where distances are far, and the cost of living is high.

The State Home Care Program is a program of the Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) network across Massachusetts. It incorporates services such as homemaking, personal care, home-delivered meals, day programs, complex care oversight by a nurse, and much more. These services prevent or delay more costly nursing homestays, while enhancing quality of life, and ultimately lowering health care costs.

I hope you will register your support for this vulnerable population by asking your local legislators to support the governor’s proposed bill. In western Massachusetts, contact State Rep. Natalie Blais at her district office 413 362-9453. 

Dr. Kate Clayton-Jones, CEO of Footcare by Nurses

Deerfield