Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill Tuesday that aims to improve prospects for seniors seeking to age in their current homes.
The law has support from top advocacy groups AARP, creating a national registry of home care providers to increase awareness and accessibility of home care. It also requires home health care and assistance agencies, hospices and homemaker companion agencies to submit information about their employees to the registry and provides more public access to information for things like aging-in-place programs.
State Sen. Kevin Kelly (R), former co-chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Aging and a practicing elder law attorney, applauded the signing. He is one of 81 co-sponsors, including eight fellow senators.
“Whenever I ask seniors the question, ‘Does anyone want to go to a nursing home?’, the answer I get is almost always a resounding ‘no,'” Kelly said in a statement. “So if people don’t want to go into nursing homes, and it’s cheaper to stay at home, and there are better health outcomes for staying at home, we have to pass policies that help seniors age in place. This new law is a step forward An important step forward.
“This is what our predecessors wanted us to do. I thank the Governor, members of the Council on Aging, and my legislative colleagues for getting this bill done and ensuring that seniors’ voices are heard.
The bill was approved by the Legislature in late April. It requires agencies that employ home health aides and other professionals to provide more comprehensive training and incident response on issues such as harassment, as the state aims to streamline the aging-in-place process for older residents.
The state has an estimated 800,000 residents over the age of 60. The law would include a “regulatory presumption” of Medicaid eligibility for older residents. It would also expand federal funding for those who choose to stay home but need some outside assistance, such as a home health aide. Kelly said he supports that hypothesis.
Data from multiple surveys and studies indicate that aging in place is a primary preference among older Americans compared to the prospect of dedicated assisted living facilities and/or nursing homes.
More and more Americans are even splurging on home modifications to make aging in place easier, including installing grab bars, accessible bathrooms and wider doorways to accommodate wheelchairs.
Connecticut has made other investments in senior welfare, including aging in place, a program that pays caregivers to live with loved ones who need special care. Demand for the program is increasing.
