ENZI CALLS FOR NEW EFFORTS TO COORDINATE, STREAMLINE SYSTEMS OF LONG-TERM CARE

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today said that older Americans and individuals with disabilities have insufficient options when accessing long-term care and community services, and called on Congress to build on creative solutions to address this growing problem. “Today’s long-term care, community services, and support system is fragmented and unavailable to most Americans,” Enzi said. “We need a coordinated response that involves all levels of government, the private sector and most importantly our citizens to provide a streamlined system of care, services, and supports.At today’s HELP Committee hearing titled “Community Services and Supports: Planning Across the Generations,” Enzi said that while most Americans do not have the resources necessary to pay out of pocket for long-term care in a institution like a nursing home, there are other, less costly community options available to assist individuals who need help and support. “Less costly, community based services and supports are being actively pursued and funded, thanks to provisions of the Older Americans Act that we passed last year,” Enzi said. “The programs place an emphasis on empowering persons with disabilities, older people, their families, and other consumers to make informed decisions about long- term care options, and to access these services easily.”Enzi said that one successful method for empowerment is to provide streamlined access to health and long-term care through Aging and Disability Resource Centers programs (ADRCs). ADRCs were made permanent under the Older Americans Act reauthorization bill that Congress passed last year when Enzi was Chairman of the HELP Committee. Enzi said that a key provision to a broad health care reform bill that he plans to introduce shortly will build on ADRC programs to help seniors stay in their homes and communities as they age. “ADRCs provide individuals with disabilities, seniors, and their families with information on how they may remain in their own homes with high quality of life for as long as possible through the provision of home and community-based services, including supports for family caregivers,” Enzi said. “My legislation will build on this goal to empower people to live with dignity in their own homes rather than in an institution.”“As the baby boomer generation ages, we must continue to think outside of the box as we have done with the ADRCs,” Enzi said. “We must ensure that seniors and individuals with disabilities, particularly those in rural areas, have access to community- based long-term care and services. These one-stop shops should serve as examples for the future of long-term care.” ####