First on the chopping block: Aid for vulnerable people
April 11th, 2009
From the New York Times:
In the midst of the deepest and most widespread budget deficits in decades, more than 34 states have cut programs for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
Officials say the cuts may end up costing money over time, because they are often directed at preventive efforts that could offset longterm costs by keeping people healthy.
Arizona is among the states that have been hit hardest. Toddlers there with intellectual disabilities are not getting therapies that could bring lifelong benefits, and services to help people with disabilities live at home have been slashed.
Mary Lynn Kasunic, president of the Area Agency on Aging in Phoenix, described the potential consequences. “If you don’t give people a bath a couple times a week, change the linens and make sure they get their medicines, their health will decline much faster,” she said. “They end up in the emergency room in a crisis, and then in a nursing home.”
With audio from Mary Beth Thompson of Phoenix (above), who has reflex sympathetic dystrophy and is permanently disabled. “I can’t take care of the normal basics any more. I need help,” she said. “And I can’t get the help that I need because there’s no funding any more.”
Thompson is on a waiting list for state-financed services.
(Photo from New York Times)
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