Home Sweet Home

by Donya Currie - 1/01/2012

With a new legislative session under way, AARP is pushing to shift more long-term care dollars to services that can help Marylanders live independently in their own homes as they age.

The state ranks near the bottom — 45th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia — on funding for home- and community-based services for older people and those with physical disabilities, according to a 2011 scorecard cosponsored by AARP. Most people would prefer to stay in their homes for as long as possible, and long-term care services delivered at home typically cost a third as much as institutional care.

To learn more, go to longtermscorecard.org. To ask lawmakers to allocate funding for home- and community-based care, look for contact information at mdelect.net.