HAT is a coalition of seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers and community agencies working together to advocate for expansion of homecare services and quality health care. We use songs, storytelling and other popular education and participatory research models to raise awareness of the growing need for quality services and housing and the important role they play in our community.
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The Laguna Honda Crisis / Home & Community-Based Services
Laguna Honda Hospital, the largest skilled nursing facility in the country, has been decertified by the federal government and is being told it must relocate all of its 600+ residents. People must not be sent to homeless shelters or out of the area. This is a moment to look at how our society deals with long-term care. San Francisco must put more resources into expanding options for people to get housing and services in the community.
- A recent report from San Francisco’s Budget and Legislative Analyst’s Office recommends putting more funding into existing programs that help people live in community. The Community Living Fund works to help people transition out of Laguna Honda but often faces a lack of housing that people on SSI and Medi-Cal can afford. Programs like Senior Operating Subsidies, HomeMatch, and portable rental subsidies should be expanded.
- We could consider more supportive housing buildings, with even more supports, for people coming out of skilled nursing facilities.
- There are models like OakDays in Oakland where people with significant disabilities are able to live in community settings with nursing care and autonomy.
Anyone at Laguna Honda can request to be placed in community, with all needed services. People who are directed to nursing facilities in the future, need to be educated about other options, when many have never been given options.
Resources:
Home & Community-Based Services: See below
Know Your Rights at Laguna Honda Hospital, from Disability Rights CA
Laguna Honda Resident Rights Town Hall Recording
SF Budget & Legislative Analyst’s Office Report on Housing for Seniors & People with Disabilities
Article from SF Examiner on Laguna Honda
Article on Institutionalization & Community Options
Study on life expectancy in nursing homes
The Supreme Court Olmstead decision
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Home and Community-Based Services
(Resources from Disability Rights California)
In Home Supportive Services (IHSS)
Home & Community Based Alternatives Waiver
- Home & Community Based Alternatives Waiver Info Sheet
- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/ltc/Pages/Home-and-Community-Based-(HCB)-Alternatives-Waiver.aspx
- https://www.ioaging.org/
California Community Transitions (CCT)
- https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/publications/the-california-community-transitions-cct-program-a-way-for-a-nursing-home-resident-to
- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/ltc/Pages/CCT.aspx
- https://www.ioaging.org/
Assisted Living Waiver
- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/ltc/Documents/Care-Coordination-Agencies.pdf
- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/ltc/Pages/AssistedLivingWaiver.aspx
Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly
Community Based Adult Services (CBAS)
- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/Community-BasedAdultServices(CBAS)AdultDayHealthCare(ADHC)Transition.aspx
- https://caads.org/resources/find-a-center.html
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The Right to Community Living: A Celebration & Training
Wednesday, July 6, 4-5:30 pm, on zoom
At this online event, we’ll celebrate the increase in the Medi-Cal asset limit in California and talk about how this can allow more older people and people with disabilities to qualify for In-Home Supportive Services and Medi-Cal to get needed home care and health care. We’ll also honor the anniversaries of the Supreme Court Olmstead decision (June 22) and the ADA (July 26) which affirm the rights of disabled people to live in their own homes in the community. Join us!
Speakers: Tiffany Huyenh-Cho from Justice in Aging and Bea Layugan from California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.
Put on by Senior and Disability Action and the San Francisco IHSS Task Force.
Sign up at bit.ly/AssetLimit
Contact jessica@sdaction.org for more information.
Information about the Medi-Cal Asset Limit Increase:
Fact sheet from California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform
Fact sheet from Justice in Aging
California state information
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Tips for Home Care Employers
Do you have an attendant or caregiver working with you or with a family member? Check out these Tips for Employers of Attendants/Caregivers (downloadable .pdf files.)
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Governor Newsom — Lead on Medicare for All! // ¡Diríjanos en Cuidado de Salud (Medicare) para todos!
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Expanding California’s Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) for All
The Problem: There is a crisis in our state facing people with disabilities, seniors and their families to access the long term services and supports they need to live and age in their homes and communities. People are living longer and the senior population will double by 2030. Already seniors are one-fifth and people with disabilities are 1 in 4 of the California population. Yet there are countless barriers to support people with disabilities and seniors who desire to live and age at home. Most of us will need at least one year of access to home care in our lives but few have the resources to afford it. The truly poor can access home care through Medicaid—one of the largest budget items in the state and a system that is facing unsustainable demands. Everyone else must either pay out of pocket or become very poor to access services and supports.
Furthermore, homecare workers are amongst the lowest paid which contributes to high turn over and a growing shortage relative to the need. According to a 2018 PHI study, there are 2.1 million U.S. home care workers who earn a median wage of $11.03 an hour and $15,100 a year. Thus, 20 percent of home care workers live in poverty, compared to 7 percent of all U.S. workers. And the majority don’t have retirement savings to pay for the LTSS they will need.
The Solution: Organizations of seniors, people with disabilities, family caregivers and homecare workers are coming together with the goal of creating a new way to help Californians afford their long term services and supports: a new LTSS benefit The benefit will specifically be for those who do not qualify for Medi Cal: middle class Californians. We believe that providing this benefit will not only increase opportunity and access for middle class people with disabilities, older adults, families and workers but it will help to increase the sustainability of the Medi Cal system and expand funds that could be used to raise wages in the industry..
The Work: Paving the path towards this benefit takes long standing policy work and grassroots support. The experts of this problem, people impacted by this crisis such as people with disabilities, seniors, family caregivers and paid homecare attendants, must be the ones to inform the policy work. California’s policymakers must hear from their constituents so they may learn from those directly impacted by the crisis of affording and accessing long term services and supports.
Who is doing this work: We are organizations of seniors, people with disabilities and family caregivers as well as homecare workers. We include members of the Grassroots Committee of the CA Aging and Disability Alliance and the Care Council of Northern CA. We include: Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network, CA Domestic Workers Coalition, Ca Foundation for Independent Living Centers, Senior & Disability Action, United Domestic Workers- ASFME, CARA, Family Caregivers Alliance, Jobs with Justice SF, Elder Action, SEIU 2015 and many more.
Click here for more information.
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CONSERVATORSHIP / SB 1045
SB 1045 is a bill that passed at the state level to expand conservatorship law to include substance abuse and to expand the criteria for losing one’s civil liberties through conservatorships. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to implement this new program. There is concern that it will take away the rights of people with mental health disabilities and substance abuse WITHOUT providing voluntary services. Drug treatment, mental health services, and housing must be available when people ask for them!
Read the statement that the Voluntary Services First coalition put out.
Check out a fact sheet or read more on this issue!
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IHSS Task Force News
The IHSS Task Force is a place for up-to-date conversations about how IHSS and home care in San Francisco is changing, and what needs to be done to ensure that the needs of seniors and people with disabilities are met. The group brings together leaders of government agencies and non-profit organizations involved in IHSS, along with consumers and providers, recognizing the need to hear the voices of those directly affected by the program.
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Sign up for Support at Home!
Support at Home is a voucher program to help seniors and people with disabilities pay for home care so they can live safely in their homes. If your income or savings is just barely too high for Medi-Cal and IHSS, but you can’t afford the out-of-pocket costs, this program is for you. To be eligible, you must be 18 or older, need assistance with 2 or more Activities of Daily Living, have less than $40,000 in assets (excluding a home and car) and less than $80,000 in income (for a single person). Please help spread the word!
To sign up, call Institute on Aging / IOA Connect at (415) 750-4111. Click here for more information.
Click below for flyers in multiple languages.
Support at Home Flyer 2017 English
Support at Home Flyer 2017 Chinese
Support at Home Flyer 2017 Spanish
Support at Home Flyer 2017 Vietnamese
Support at Home Flyer 2017 Russian
Support at Home Flyer 2017 Tagalog
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For more information about HAT, please call SDA at 415-546-1333.
Building a movement of seniors, disabled people, and allies 