AARP: Michigan too quick to put elderly in nursing homes

4:16 PM, April 5, 2012

By Robin Erb

Detroit Free Press Medical Writer

When it comes to long-term care, Michigan is too quick to place its elderly in nursing homes, according to a new report by the AARP Michigan.
In fact, 35 states spend fewer Medicaid dollars — the bulk of the funding for long-term care — on nursing homes, instead finding ways to help seniors age in place, said Lisa Dedden Cooper, author of the report. Those services include aides or nurses that visit seniors in their homes, for example.
Surveys are clear that seniors want to remain in their homes as long as possible, and by one estimate cited in the report, community-based services, on average, can save $57,338 per participant per year, Dedden Cooper said.
“We know what people want, and we know what costs less ... what Michigan is doing is neither of these things,” she said.
As the state ages and lawmakers continue to struggle with the budget, AARP wants to move the discussion of long-term care toward alternatives to nursing home.
The report is partly a response to a 2011 paper that suggested that some seniors might be better served in nursing homes. That 2011 report was funded by the Health Care Association of Michigan, which represents Michigan’s nursing homes.
Drawing from data in federally-mandated surveys of nursing home residents, authors said that many participants in home- or community-based care were more often hospitalized than those in nursing homes and they often reported being socially isolated. Plus, home- or community-based care might be seem less expensive than a skilled nursing facility, but participants may rely on other publicly funded services, according to the report.