At some point, everyone will experience old age and the challenges that come with it. When that time comes, you will require genuine love and probably constant care to carry out your daily chores. Sadly, it’s a common sight to see older people struggle while trying to keep up with even basic needs at this stage of life.
To mitigate such issues, we require a foolproof system to take care of the people who may not have access to dependable care in their old age. Things may be even worse for old people whose only child works multiple jobs to make ends meet and doesn’t have the time or resources to provide adequate care to their parents.
For instance, in-home caregivers can cost you $25-$35 an hour, while assisted living can go up to $10,000 a month. In such cases, people end up taking huge loans leading them into greater financial pits.
A Solution By the People For the People
A multitude of such cases in a busy city like New York can have detrimental effects on its economy, besides the well-being of its citizens. It is the responsibility of the governing bodies to address such problems that exist within their jurisdiction.
In this post, we will see how the great city of New York addressed and adopted a solution found by its citizens to mitigate the problem discussed above.
Today, organizations such as FreedomCare provide several caregiving programs so that you are able to provide good care for your loved ones with fewer hassles. Countless people have benefited from Medicare and Medicaid programs such as CDPAP.
Let’s take a look at how those provisions came into existence over the years to take care of the elderly who need special assistance.
How the Medicaid Program Evolved Over Time
Today’s CDPAP program has a 50-year-old history. Back then, older people requiring daily assistance had very few choices for proper elderly care. They were often accommodated in congested nursing homes or other poorly maintained institutions. As far as in-home care is concerned, the government deprived people of their ability to choose their caregivers and instead only allowed pre-approved government agencies to undertake the job. This not only took away their freedom of choice but led to worse problems like poor health.
To tackle this problem, a group called the Concepts of Independence for the Disabled was formed in 1977 by individuals who were fed up of the inadequate care offered by existing home care services. Their intent was to help the elderly and disabled individuals by letting them take control over their own care.
The activities started by these men grew over time and eventually came to the notice of the New York State Department of Health. In 1992, the department took over the program and made it official. Further, in 1995, the world’s most advanced Medicaid program was renamed as Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program or CDPAP.
Today, many individuals find comfort and quality care in LSS senior living communities, which have adapted to the evolving needs of the elderly. These communities provide a range of services that promote independence and well-being for seniors.
How it fared to date
As years went by, the number of participants in this program grew rapidly, and New York became one of the best places offering dependable care for the elderly. By the late 2000s, the CDPAP program saw an increase of more than 60% in its enrolled members. This surge made it one of the fast-growing community programs for elderly and disabled individuals. To date, the CDPAP program has touched all kinds of communities in New York State and beyond, aiding hundreds of thousands of individuals in need.
