Adult centers struggle to transport clients
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By Crystal Lindell | Friday, March 10, 2006 |
SPRINGFIELD — Rising gas prices and higher insurance costs are putting the pinch on adult daycare centers.
Despite having no new money in the governor’s proposed budget, centers throughout the state are lobbying lawmakers to more than double the amount of money they get from the Illinois Department of Aging for picking up and dropping off their clients.
“Our adult day centers across the state have been really struggling to continue their operation,” said Karen Cripps, adult day services director for Addus HealthCare, which operates adult daycare facilities in Marion, Mount Vernon, Springfield and Homewood.
When patients cannot get to centers, family members sometimes decide to put them in nursing homes. That can cost $45,000 a year compared to just $15,000 a year for adult day care.
“It’d be a much more expensive venture, because then you’re looking at (the Department of) Public Aid possibly picking up the tab,” said Lynda Vogt, director of a Moline adult daycare
The group has not seen an increase in the $4.15 they receive per trip since fiscal year 2000, even though the Department of Aging requires that the centers provide transportation. They are asking lawmakers to add $1.75 million in funding so that the reimbursement rate would double to $8.30 per trip.
“Insurance has doubled, tripled and in some cases quadrupled for adult day centers facilities, as gas prices have also increased by about 42 percent,” Cripps said.
Januari Smith, Department of Aging spokeswoman, said that because the money was not included in the governor’s proposed budget, it could be hard to find the funds.
“This was brought to our attention after the fact,” Smith said. “We are very sensitive to the needs of the people that provide this important service and we are looking into the proposal of giving them an increase.”
Vogt said an increase is vital. In her facility, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois In-Touch Adult Day Care, 82 percent rely on some sort of state aid to pay for their services.
“Right now we’re covering 240 square miles, but we’re going to be pulling that in related to the transportation costs — between the gas prices and bus maintenance.” Vogt said. “When a bus goes down for us it can be real issue. Nothing’s cheap.”
Cripps said the bus drivers are trained in CPR and first aid. The drivers also have to know how to deal with all types of patients, including those with Alzheimer’s who can be hard to transport because they tend to unbuckle their belts and become agitated.
“When you’re talking about a frail person who is taking care of a spouse it’d be very difficult to load that person in and out of the vehicle,” Cripps said. “We’re also talking about people who are wheel chairs or use walkers, which makes it very difficult to get in an out of car.”
Debra Hoefs, manager of BroMenn Healthcare Adult Day Services in Bloomington, said about two-thirds of their clients rely on the transportation.
“It’s not a drop-off service like the city buses, which is usually curb to curb,” she said. “We actually go up to the doorway and make sure they’re in and out of their home very safely.”
Crystal Lindell can be contacted at
(217) 789-0865 or crystal.lindell@lee.net.
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