Hawaii Takes Important Step Toward Long-Term Care Reform
By: State: Hawaii | Source: aarp.org
Legislation that is expected to pave the way for solutions to Hawaii's long-term care crisis has passed with the support of both legislative leaders and the governor.
Act 224 establishes a commission to identify long-term care reforms. It is seen as an important step toward a comprehensive, statewide system that will allow people to age in place rather than in a nursing home.
"This is a victory for advocates of long-term care reform in Hawaii, but it's only the beginning of a process that we hope will bring clarity to a challenge of staggering proportions," said Stuart Ho, AARP Hawaii volunteer state president.
Earlier this year, an AARP survey of more than 1,000 registered voters in Hawaii revealed that nearly three-quarters worry about being able to get long-term care services in the setting of their choice. Almost eight in 10 support advocacy by AARP Hawaii to increase funding for services that help people stay in their homes or communities as they age.
Elder advocates agree that Hawaii needs to take a comprehensive look at reforms to make the entire long-term care system work as efficiently and effectively as possible. The passage of Act 224 is a first step.
"It's time to focus on what is truly a silent crisis in Hawaii: the prohibitive cost of long-term care and sobering lack of nursing-bed capacity in a state with one of the fastest-growing elder populations in the country," said Ho.
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Residents Concerned with Health Care and Long-Term Care
2008 Hawaii Health and Long-Term Care Survey
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The Public Policy Institute report, A Balancing Act: State Long-Term Care Reform, examines the extent to which states have ‘balanced' spending between home and community based services and nursing homes.
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