FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2013
MEDIA CONTACT:
Catherine Edwards, Executive Director
573.619.6185
Twitter: @ma4voice
MISSOURI aging advocates see SEQUESTRATION CUTS resulting in increased nursing home placements
Jefferson City, Mo. – This week, Congress returns to Washington, DC from a week-long recess, no closer to averting the March 1 across-the-board cuts called the sequester. “These cuts will be devastating to programs and services for Missouri’s seniors”, said Catherine Edwards, Executive Director of the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (ma4).
“Because of the compressed time-frame in which the cuts will be implemented (7 months) the cuts will have the effect of a 9% reduction; some estimate the effect could be as high as a 10.2% cut in Older Americans Act services, Edwards explained.
This translates into:
§ A $1,509,230 cut in the Nutrition Program (Title III C- congregate meals, home-delivered meals);
§ A cut of $640,659 in Supportive Services (Title IIIB – transportation, case management, personal care);
§ A cut of $312,435 in preventive and caregiver support;
§ A cut of $38,344 in Title VII (Elder Justice) services, including the Ombudsman program and other elder abuse prevention efforts, key OAA programs which protect the safety of seniors living in nursing homes or similar institutional environments. Cuts would leave more nursing home residents at serious risk of abuse and exploitation. (Source: Dept. of Health and Human Services - Administration on Aging)
Aging advocates contend that any “savings” from the sequester would pale in comparison to the added costs, resulting in premature nursing home placement for seniors who can no longer stay in their homes and communities because of reduced federal funding for home and community services, including care givers.
The programs of the Older Americans Act delivered through the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA’s) are the only source of support and healthy living options for a great number of older Missourians. Without the cost effective home-based support that the AAA’s provide, most of these seniors would lose their choice of where they prefer to live and be forced into costly and unnecessary facility based care.
“Now is the time for Congress to take decisive action to protect our seniors,” said Edwards. “Missouri seniors expect their representatives to reach out to their colleagues on both sides of the aisle and to come to an agreement on deficit reduction measures in a bipartisan way.”
ABOUT MA4
The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (MA4) was founded in 1973 to serve as a statewide advocate and resource for older Missourians. MA4 is comprised of the state’s 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), which were created under the 1973 amendments to the Older American’s Act of 1965. For almost 40 years, these local agencies have been providing vital services, programs and information to millions of Missourians and their caregivers, including legal services, home-delivered meals, disease prevention and health promotion, transportation, public benefits counseling, senior centers and in-home services. The 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) provide a coordinated network of care in implementing statewide initiatives that are designed to help older Missourians maintain their independence and give them a voice in articulating their concerns and changing needs.
As the official statewide association of these agencies, MA4 is dedicated to carrying out its mission of service, information and advocacy to improve the lives of older Missourians and to plan for the changes that will take place as the aging population grows in number and importance in the next decade.
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