HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

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approximately $700 to $800 a day. And we were not told at the
time that she had used up all her hospital days, which I was not
that fully acquainted with Medicare, and so the days that she was
not entitled to, she had to pay for those days in her hospital stay.
So up to date, from 1983, she has spent $41,000 all-told.
Chairman MELCHER. Forty-one thousand dollars-of her own
money?
Mrs. FISH. Of her own money.
Chairman MELCHER. Medicare paid most of it?
Mrs. FISH. This is up and above what Medicare paid. The doctor
bills range in price from $1 to $1,900 as each doctor sent his bills,
which is something that should be controlled, in my estimation.
Chairman MELCHER. You said your mother was 97 years old right
now.
Mrs. FISH. Right now, yes.
Chairman MELCHER. So 4 years ago, she was 93.
Mrs. FISH. Yes.
Chairman MELCHER. And she had $40,000 cash?
Mrs. FISH. Seven years ago she had approximately that amount,
from the sale of their home. That is when my Daddy left, and we
sold her home.
Chairman MELCHER. How much more has she got?
Mrs. FISH, That is what I am here for. At the present time she
has $4,000 and $4,000 for her burial expenses. When one of the
ladies from social services applied for mother's Medicaid, she was
not eligible, because she does get $440 in Social Security, which
pays for 2 weeks of part-time nursing care. I myself am a heart patient,
and I take care of her exclusively myself when I do not have
a nurse's aide for 4 hours and sometimes up to 5 or 6 hours a day,
occasionally.
Medicaid wanted me to get rid of that money, and then she could
go on Medicaid. And I asked, "What will we do for funeral expenses?"
and they did not care. The fact was that she still had that
much money in her possession, which the $4,000 at $800 per month
would be gone in approximately 3 or 4 months. To have available
funds for good home care and TLC is what I'm mostly advocating
for people like my mother-we do not see too many little 97-yearold
ladies running around the streets. And this lady is one of the
most alert people. I have a picture you gentlemen can pass around,
and you will not believe this little lady is 97 years old. She is alert,
and she was given up three times. They asked us if we wanted her
to be a "no code," which means no resuscitative measures, and we
said to do all they could for her, and it was worth it. She is 97 and
still her mind is usually better than mine; a very alert "young"
lady of 97 years old.
My request is that mostly in our area of Michigan, what we need
is home care services; just asking for part-time respite hours or dollars
to help the family, and the Government, as we say, would still
be saving tremendous amounts of money. It would still put people
to work. There are nurses' aides all over, desiring work, and no
place for them to work. If some formula or help would come in just
getting people like myself part-time assistance, it would mean a lot.
In the nursing home, she had to pay all that herself. She was not
eligible for any assistance because she can feed herself, although