Resource Centers Proposed to Aid Seniors, Disabled

Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has proposed a bill that would benefit seniors, functionally impaired adults and their families by providing information through special hospital-based resource centers.

The 24-hour resource centers would be staffed by long-term care professionals who could advise patients and their families on their options. Staff members would also develop long-term care plans and refer patients to the appropriate local agency, including home health care, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.

“Our goals are twofold: First, improve seniors’ and functionally impaired adults’ quality of life by increasing their ability to live independently in their community,” Jackson said in a recent statement. “Second, reduce costs to families and the state by helping these patients access the lower-cost services that make the first goal possible.”

Jackson added that many families with frail elderly members know only about nursing homes, an expensive way of providing care. But another option, she said, is home health services, which allow people to live in their own homes and save money.