By Emily Ramshaw in the Dallas Morning News, AP/Houston Chronicle:

Disability advocates say medically fragile Texas children are being forced into institutions when they reach adulthood rather than continuing to receive home care, despite a state provision that was designed to keep them in their homes.

Advocates say state officials are interpreting the provision so narrowly that almost no one can qualify. Since the measure went into effect two years ago, the only people who have qualified are those who sued to get funding.

In one case, a young man died within a day of moving to a nursing home. His longtime doctor had warned the state that he was too fragile to live in an institution. The cause of death is still under investigation.

State officials say cost puts them in a difficult position. It can take more than a half-million dollars a year to provide home care for the severely disabled, money that can serve more than a dozen people with lesser disabilities.

“There’s always the debate: Should a lot of people get a moderate amount of care, or should some people get an excessive amount? There’s really no right answer,” said [Laura Albrecht, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.]

This entry was posted on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 6:35 am and is filed under budget, caregivers, health aides/direct support workers, institutionalization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.