Grappling With The Elderly Boom
It happens. It’s difficult. As a loved one grows old, caring for elderly parents can become a challenge.
Managers of adult day centers believe that they have a viable solution for many families, the reason they intend to vigorously fight for more funding during the spring legislative session.
The Connecticut Association of Adult Day Centers (CAADC) is pushing for more financial support from the state as adult day care centers increasingly face fiscal hardships.
“Absolutely, it’s tough,” said Holly Vannucci, CAADC president and director of the Enfield Adult Day Center. “The reimbursement from the state doesn’t go far and it’s a real problem.”
There are about 50 certified day centers operating in the state, but 16 have closed their doors in the past five years, many because there wasn’t enough money to stay afloat.
CAADC leaders argue that the state’s reimbursement rate of $63.55 per day falls short of what it actually costs to provide care for elderly clients, which averages about $78.
“[The state] reimbursement is very, very low,” Vannucci said. “For seven hours a day, we provide comprehensive care for our clients, including medicines, meals, activities and therapy.”
Reimbursements Fall Short
Although the state’s contributions have gone up by nearly 16 percent over the past four years — from $54.93 per day to of $63.55 per day — operators of adult day care centers maintain that costs have skyrocketed.
Costs have nearly doubled since 2000, increasing from $41 to $78.
Vannucci cited transportation as a factor, noting that Dial-A-Ride services for Enfield, Somers and Suffield provide free transportation to the facility. But the Dial-A-Ride in East Windsor, from which some clients reside, does not. The onus then falls on the center to burden those transportation costs.
“Transportation has become our number one issue,” she said.
Leading the charge for the adult day care centers at the state Capitol is Pat Rockwell, administrator of Senior Care Center of Hartford and a member of the CAADC. She spoke at a legislative hearing last week to further their case.
“This is something that continually comes up every year,” she said. “We’re the gap in long-term care for the elderly.”
Going Home
In lobbying legislators, Rockwell points out what day centers provide for thousands of families across the state.
“It’s such an important respite for all families that are in dire need,” she said. “Not to mention what it does for the actual person who isn’t stuck in a house all day looking at four walls.”
The services day centers provide are similar to what a nursing home does but with one major difference. “They get to go home at night,” Rockwell said.
As with many state-funded social programs, it’s a battle for dollars. Lobbying is expected to get even tougher this session with recession fears.
“Everyone recognizes there’s an issue, but we know that there’s only one pot of money,” Vannucci said.
Legislators are aware of the need. A CGA study found that 80 percent of residents want to remain in their communities when requiring long-term care. State Commission on Aging executive director Julia Evans Starr said the findings “strongly reinforce the fact that we need to rebalance the long-term care system.”
Adult day care centers will continue to state their case and hope help arrives before more centers bite the dust.
Sean O’Leary is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.
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