Cuts in public funding cause increased nursing home admissions

Due to budget concerns, many states are cutting respite services, which provide temporary relief in the form of short-term home care workers, brief stays in residential facilities and adult day care centers, reports this April 30, 2012 article from McKnights Long-Term Care News.

These services, which are much less costly for families than skilled nursing facility stays, have been targeted by cash-strapped states.

Respite care often allows the elderly to delay or prevent being admitted to a nursing home.

These cuts will lead to more seniors being admitted to nursing homes. When people need long-term care and cannot afford to pay for it due to lack of responsible advance long-term care planning, they usually default to Medicaid. Each additional Medicaid long-term care recipient worsens budget shortfalls and crisis.