Public Policy Position on Senior Citizens
Background
It is important to protect the dignity and well-being of the elderly. It has been said that our social system is "designed" for early death. People of all ages, including the elderly, have negative attitudes about aging. Few want to serve the old and a small fraction of the national and state dollar is spent toward aiding elderly to maintain maximum functioning.
The prevailing philosophy should be to maintain citizens' independence. The frail and vulnerable elderly and disabled are served by a system that contradicts this philosophy. A system of care which is constructed to maintain dignity, self respect, and independence offers choices.
In general, the active healthy elderly person needs few services. Problems emerge for those whose chronic health conditions make it difficult to carry out daily living activities. Gaps in the service system become evident as this group attempts to find and pay for essential services - such as shopping, meal preparation and light housekeeping.
Frail elderly continue to live with or near families, relatives, the church and other neighborhood and community supports. Often, however, children and relatives do not have resources available to help them keep their older relatives at home. They do not always have the stamina to provide continuous 24 hour care. Without alternatives that provide respite, families resort to institutions for care. This is a costly choice for the elderly emotionally and for the state financially.
Some specific needs identified by Senior Citizen Advocacy groups in New Mexico include:
- Rising health care costs for senior citizens call urgently for a rigorous health care cost containment program.
- The Community In-Home Care Bill, passed in 1983 as a pilot program for five counties needs to be continued and expanded.
- The Critical In-Home Care Program which provides payment through contracted agreement to relatives and others to care for disabled persons, primarily the elderly, in their own homes, usually on a round-the- clock basis continues to have a waiting list indicating need for expanding funding.
Policy Position
The New Mexico Conference of Churches affirms that the State shares a responsibility to protect the dignity, the well-being, and the quality of life of the elderly with special attention to the needs of those who are economically impoverished, handicapped, or physically or mentally disabled. We believe that wherever possible the provision of protective and supportive services for the elderly should be in their own homes or in the homes of relatives or competent care-providers rather than in institutional settings.
We concur with major senior citizen advocacy groups in support of:
- A rigorous health care cost containment program.
- Continuation and expansion of the State's Coordinated Community In-Home Care program.
- Expansion of the Critical In-Home Care Program to meet the current unmet need.
