By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
As I sat with family and friends watching the fireworks light up the night sky on Independence Day, I thought about the freedoms we enjoy and about the program in Illinois that makes assisted living affordable to older adults of all incomes.
By combining apartment-style housing with the availability of personal assistance and support services, the program called Supportive Living enables older adults to live independently rather than in a nursing home. The focus is on personal choice, dignity, privacy and individuality.
In particular, the program is designed to serve low income older adults who cannot afford private pay assisted living, including those on Medicaid or who only receive monthly Social Security benefits.
On paper, most states have Medicaid-waiver programs that are designed to provide older adults on Medicaid with access to assisted living. Unfortunately, most other states also have adopted rules and procedures designed to significantly limit the number older adults who can actually take advantage of the program.
Capping the number of people who can benefit from the program at artificially low levels of no more than several hundred.
Establishing reimbursement rates that are so low that assisted living providers cannot afford to participate or can only afford to take care of a few residents.
Requiring that older adults in need of assistance move into and live in a nursing home for a period of time before they can become eligible to move to assisted living.
Requiring that a person first apply for and be approved for Medicaid and then apply for and be approved for a voucher before moving into assisted living.
In contrast, the Supportive Living program has grown significantly since the first Supportive Living community opened for occupancy in September 1999. Today, there are nearly 120 Supportive Living communities located throughout Illinois. Together, they house nearly 9,500 apartments. On average, 60% of the residents of these communities are on Medicaid.
I know that Illinois is not a state that comes first and foremost to mind when you think about the states that are at the forefront of creating innovative programs. But with Supportive Living, Illinois has created a model program for affordable assisted living that emphasizes the opportunity to live independently with dignity for as long as possible.
We encourage you to let your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers know about this special program.
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
