Health/Caregivers—
By Suzanne Potter, producer, California News Service, bureau of Public News Service.
In California, 23% of adults, more than 7 million people, are family caregivers, according to data from AARP. Now, advocates are speaking out about how hard it is for low-income seniors to afford long-term care and in-home assistance.
Nationally, 130 million Americans provide care to a family member or loved one.
Anica Leon-Weil, a single mom from Santa Cruz, spent six years taking care of her late mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease, and said finding a memory care facility that takes Medi-Cal was difficult.
“There was no coverage for any kind of care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. The most affordable care that we could find was around $7,000 a month, and it also forced her to move out of her home,” Leon-Weil recounted.
The impending cuts to Medi-Cal are straining a system she called already wholly inadequate to address the needs of millions of older Californians, putting a burden on families who are already struggling to pay for housing, food, gas and healthcare. She added many areas lack memory care facilities that accept Medi-Cal.
Leon-Weil argued policymakers need to radically change course and start to prioritize people’s basic needs.
“Right now, we’re spending so much money on immigration, war, and bailing out corporations. If that money instead went towards the people, it would have a dramatic impact,” Leon-Weil contended.
Leon-Weil called on Congress to strengthen the safety net and consider programs like universal basic income, increased housing support, childcare subsidies, and universal healthcare, which would give low-income families the breathing room to provide care for aging relatives.
