Ed Koch, Bob Weiner urge Home Care alternatives to Nursing Homes; Seek Congress address 'Silent Sadness of Seniors' forced unnecessarily to leave own homes

 

WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, July 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Mayor and Congressman Ed Koch, and former U.S. House Aging Committee Chief of Staff Bob Weiner, are rejoining forces as they did in the 1970's to urge home care alternatives to nursing homes.

 

Koch and Weiner, who was Koch's legislative assistant in Congress, say that "national policy has reversed" from "common sense legislation" Koch and Weiner worked on and got passed to

give senior citizens alternatives to nursing homes -- health care in

people's own homes.

   

In an op-ed today in Newsday, "Congress Must Restore Funds for Home Health Care", Koch and Weiner say, "As the health care debate takes off in the presidential campaign and in Congress, let's not ignore the silent sadness of growing numbers of elderly being forced unnecessarily into nursing homes."

 

They point out, "While the Medicare budget for nursing home

stays has dramatically increased over a seven year period (from $13.6

billion to now $15.7 billion), home health care has been cut by 25% (from $14 billion to $10.5 billion) and is being cut further in the Bush

Administration's proposed FY 2008 budget."

   

"Many of us have or have had older grandparents, parents, other

relative or friends living in nursing homes. In nearly every case, the

elderly person did not want to go; many cried over it. Home care allows the elderly to maintain their dignity and independence, sleep in their own beds, and stay in the house they have long enjoyed (or in the house of a child or relative) - unless their condition deteriorates to the point where an institution is absolutely necessary." However,

 

"Home health care doesn't have nearly the lobbying power of big institutions like the nursing home industry and the hospitals."

   

"In addition to providing a higher quality of life, home health care is

far cheaper - now averaging one-fifth the price of nursing homes and a tiny fraction - 3% - of the cost of hospitalization according to federal HHS Medicare statistics."

   

 Koch and Weiner conclude, "Senior citizens should not be forced into nursing homes for lack of alternatives. The new Democratic Congress needs to restore the priority of home health care for senior citizens."