It was an honor to celebrate Older Americans Month by providing testimony before the Ohio Senate Health Committee on issues concerning older Ohioans.
Throughout the state, our agency and others like us have been at the center of this pandemic. Area Agencies on Aging have been quick to respond to meet the needs of older Ohioans through additional services, enhanced case management and work combating social isolation. We have delivered these essential services — including vaccine outreach and coordination — while adapting our procedures to protect our staff and partner providers. We are busier than ever — not just battling COVID-19, but preparing for the community support that will be needed as we emerge from the pandemic.
The demand for in-home services and supports isn’t going away. In fact, it is becoming increasingly more apparent that home is where older Ohioans want to be. Our state is at a critical impasse, as legislators are currently deliberating the opportunity to invest key dollars in home- and community-based services through the state budget so that aging at home is a real option for all of us.
Throughout the state, people are essentially on a waiting list for in-home services because Ohio’s historical lack of investment for these services has created a statewide workforce shortage. In the best cases, care is delayed; in the worst cases, Ohioans are going without care. Delayed and deferred care often leads to negative health outcomes and may trigger the utilization of more costly forms of care, such as emergency room visits or hospital admissions.
Lawmakers are in a unique position to help by supporting a proposal before the legislature in the operating budget that supports home- and community-based services through increased reimbursement rates. A reasonable investment now would help reduce the current workforce turnover rate, which is 51.3% for direct-care workers. It would also help recruit more people to the workforce, enabling increased access to care.
Everyone should have the freedom to choose to live well and grow older in our homes and communities. Services facilitating these choices are currently not available for everyone who needs them, and providers cannot afford to help those most in need because of our workforce shortage. I hope that Ohio uses this budget cycle to make a proper investment in home- and community-based services so that home is a real option for all of us as we age.
