CONTROVERSY 5

YES, YES Families Should Provide for Their Own

Katelyn Harwell Stephanie Lide Jason Sirmon

 Population aging; older couples risk spousal impairment, turning to adult children for help life expectancy= need for long-term care Long-term care is very expensive!

 Jane Quinn- finds transfer of assets to be a troubling practice on the borderline of legality and social morality
Care will worsen as more well-off people exploit the system

Stephen Moses- impoverishment due to nursing home expenses Suzanne Kunkel- directly paying family members to care for older adults at home (consumer direction programs)
Consumers hiring primarily family members were healthier, safer, and are more satisfied with services caring for love and money is possible

Morals SHOULD be > $$$

*Filial Responsibility= adult childrens job to care for parents; considered law, custom and ethics *Exchange Theory of Aging= reciprocal balance; parents care for children knowing they will receive help when needed ***Help available for caregiver burden ex) social supports and respite care

Mom with autistic daughter fears losing Medicaid waiver services because of state budget cuts

Medicaid is the central reason for states budget and financial crisis
There is a limited amount of money available Medicaid introduces inequities across families, age groups, and social classes

Older adults prefer family members over strangers to care for them;
desire to remain at home

 Issues revolving around paying family caregivers

Concerns of neglect, safety and negative effects on family relationships

As adult children seek the best care for their aging parents will consumer direction become a permanent policy?

Filial Responsibility
Responsibility of caring elderly by adult children 30 US states have laws but are rarely enforce

Alaska Connecticut Georgia Maryland

Arkansas Delaware Idaho Nevada

California Kentucky Indiana N. Carolina

Singapores Maintenance of Parents Act

60 yrs of older Sues the children Lump sum or monthly allowances Basic amenities (food, shelter, clothing) Illegitimate, adopted and step-children

22 Million in Stimulus Dead People or Inmates

89,000 of $250 each

$18 million dead (72,000 checks) $4.3 million prison inmates

US Government pays out trillion to 46 million 60 million dollar fraud business Florida puts Medicare fraud above cocaine LA Homeless to 3 squares, drugs for millions in fraud 6 times as much as Wal-Green 550 million from Obama to help fix the problem
September 2010 / CBS news

Your Tax dollar

19 19 13 $100 8 16 20 Social Security Defense (discretionary) Medicare Medicaid Other Mandatory programs (small potatoes)

26 seconds caregiver abuse 94 Year Old Woman Caught On Tape Armenian gang arrested for US healthcare fraud