HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

39
Mrs. FISH. Do you think that shows good reasoning in what I
have mentioned about rather than the people who do not have tolike
my mother, she does not have to go to a nursing home; she can
be taken care of at home. And by sending her to the nursing home,
I would have to pay that regardless. That is the only way they
allow you to get in there, when you have to pay your own way. But
if there were a fund to help, as I asked, does that show reasoning?
The Government would still be better off and would not be paying
the full extent of the patient's care in the nursing home.
Chairman MELCHER. Oh, yes. Providing home health care assistance
is by far the best investment of anybody, because the patient-your
mother, in this case-is more content at home, and you
are more content in having her at home. And so providing that assistance
is extremely vital and should be our first step.
Mrs. FISH. Right. This is for people like my mother who can; I
am not judging people who cannot be taken care of at home. That
is another story, as the other ladies showed us.
Chairman MELCHER. Mrs. Yelineck described the care that is
needed for her husband at this particular time, which is probably
more than you can do at home. But even so, his desire is to come
home, and when he does, health care assistance must be available
there. Mrs. Yelineck will not be able to handle it by herself.
Mrs. FISH. Are there funds at the present time, like the one
health care that I have to hire the girls from there?
Chairman MELCHER. There are none at the present time.
Mrs. FISH. They are funded somewhat. Where does that come
from, then, the 9 hours a week that I was offered, or given?
Chairman MELCHER. I think you are talking about a Michigan
State plan. There are some home health care funds available for
Mrs. Fish--
Mrs. FISH. It does not come through the Government per se?
Chairman MELCHER. But I think that is a Michigan plan, and
there may be some Federal assistance in it-there is some Federal
assistance in it, but it is done through the State, and each State
decides how they are going to handle it, and they are going to contribute
some.
Mrs. FISH. So it is State-funded, then, in other words?
Chairman MELCHER. There is some Federal assistance in it; 50
percent is Federal.
Mrs. FISH. I see.
Chairman MELCHER. But it is up to the State, then, to match that
and then carry it forward. And what we are finding-it varies from
State to State. In your case, it simply is not nearly enough. Did you
say it amounted to 9 hours?
Mrs. FISH. Nine hours. They call it respite hours. Nine hours a
week is all I could have.
Chairman MELCHER. Yes.
Mrs. FISH. That is all they had money for at the time.
Chairman MELCHER. Did that run out, or can you still get 9
hours a week?
Mrs. FISH. No. It runs out. And right now, there are not any
funds to help.
Chairman MELCHER. We are just starting on our quest to be of
assistance in passing catastrophic coverage, but so far what we are