Elderly, their families, will suffer if diocesan Respite Care cut

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PROVIDENCE — Irene Belsky can’t wait to see her many friends at the adult day care center where she spends two days a week.

The elderly woman’s daughter, Gaye Belsky-Gluck, said that without respite care, she wouldn’t have time to run family errands and her mother would be lonely and bored.

Belsky is one of 350 individuals helped by the diocesan Respite Care Services program, which partially funds the cost of the woman’s stay at the day care facility.

Kathleen McKeon, supervisor in the Office of Community Service and Advocacy, said while Governor Donald L. Carcieri wants to keep more elderly and disabled out of nursing homes, proposed cuts will force agencies that provide respite care to drastically cut services, making it more difficult for caregivers to look after individuals in residences who need consistent skilled nursing care.

“The savings of keeping these people at home is enormous,” she emphasized.

The Respite program is funded through a $303,000 legislative grant from the state Department of Elderly Affairs. McKeon said a letter could be coming from that department in the near future advising the Office of Community Services and Advocacy to return 10 percent of the funds in response to budget cuts. She added that it’s also possible that funding for the Respite program will be cut in half next year.

“This goes against the plan to support people in the community,” McKeon said.

She emphasized that respite is a way to provide short-term relief to a primary caregiver who looks after someone on a day-to-day basis over a long period of time. McKeon added that the primary objective of respite is to preserve maximum independence of the care recipient and caregiver while simultaneously preventing or postponing institutionalization of the care recipient.

“One of the things that supports family members is the Respite Care Services Program. We can provide respite care for caregivers to take care of their own needs,” said McKeon, adding that the service is provided to allow caregivers to have time off to shop, attend to personal business and medical appointments, rest or take a vacation.

The diocesan Respite Care Services Program offers information, referral and service coordination to all families who meet basic non-financial eligibility criteria, regardless of income.

Traditional Respite Option provides services through approved vendors to income-eligible individuals age 60 or older without regard to illness. Services are delivered through approved providers such as home health agencies, adult day service centers, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Respite workers may provide personal care in addition to respite if they are licensed as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).

Family Directed Respite Option allows income eligible individuals with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or dementia or their representative decision maker to choose and manage their own independent respite care worker. Caregivers have the option to hire another family member to provide respite care, or may choose outside help.

McKeon said that most eligible families receive four hours a week of respite care in their home, or a day of adult day care in an approved facility. Some families choose to take their allocation and use it at one time to place their loved one in a nursing home for a week while they take a vacation or go into the hospital.

Belsky-Gluck said that her mother thrives at the Hope Adult Day Center in Cranston.

“It’s wonderful over there,” Gluck said. “They love her over there and she loves going. “It’s a very positive experience.”

Gluck said that her mother needs the stimulation and socialization that the day care provides.

“When she’s home, all she wants to do is sleep,” the Cranston resident said. ‘I can’t entertain her 24 hours a day.”

Gluck said that without the assistance that she receives from the Respite Care Services Program, she could not afford to send her mother to the adult day program. She added that last month when her mother spent nine days at an approved assisted living facility, her family paid $1,350, while Respite contributed $900 to the cost of the short term placement.

“I am very grateful to the diocese,” she noted. “It has been such a blessing. I think that the state of affairs in Rhode Island because of the economy and what’s happening in the country. ... We need to help our own people here,” she concluded.

For more information about the Respite Care Services Program, call 421-7833, ext. 111.