Homebound care funds are endangered
Geraldine Flynn of Point Lookout was born with cerebral palsy and will be among those affected by Gov.-elect Andrew M. Cuomo's plans to redesign the Medicaid program. Credit: Alejandra Villa
I am writing to express our frustration that a vital form of respite care for family caregivers is being eliminated in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's 2011-12 budget ["Medicaid expands as $1B in cuts loom," News, March 2].
In Nassau County, the Education & Assistance Corp.'s Senior Respite Program has offered support for the past 25 years to more than 150,000 residents. This unique program provides a volunteer companion to a homebound individual. The family caregiver receives much-needed time off, and the ill adult makes a new friend. It is the only program of its kind in Nassau County. The program often forestalls the need for more expensive forms of care, delays the need for Medicaid and actually saves public money.
The people who are being hurt are our friends and neighbors we don't see or hear from very often. Many can't go to the doctor for a needed appointment, they can't go out to the store routinely and can't get out to meetings to voice their opinions.
Something is wrong with cutting a program that keeps families together and saves taxpayer dollars.
Debbie Deverall
Editor's note: The writer is the director of the EAC Senior Respite Program.
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