Residents of Larrabee Village in Westbrook didn’t let a snow storm slow them down last week, as they boarded a bus and headed to Augusta to tell legislators why they can’t afford to lose their independence.
A proposed state budget cut of $700,000 that supports independent living pilot projects for low-income, frail elderly in subsidized apartments would have the biggest impact at Larrabee Village, an affordable housing complex for seniors. About 40 of the 150 residents of the housing complex receive services funded by the state, including a 24-hour, on-call resident assistant, transportation to the grocery store and housekeeping, which are administered by the Southern Maine Agency on Aging.
The elimination of funding to independent living projects is part of a $65 million cut from the Department of Health and Human Services proposed by Gov. John Baldacci.
As she was getting on the bus to Augusta, Patricia Kirlin, 64, who suffers from stomach problems, said she was living in fear for her health before moving into Larrabee Village a year ago. Not ready for assisted living, Kirlin now receives the care she needs, while retaining the independence she loves.
The activities offered at Larrabee Village, like bingo and a quilting club, “keep your mind up,” Kirlin said.
Despite her health problems, she said, “I didn’t want to stop living. I wanted to keep living. You can live here.”
The 22 Larrabee Village residents were among many elderly people and their caregivers who packed a hearing room in Augusta on Feb. 7 to tell the Appropriations Committee that without state money to pay for help with basic needs like cooking a meal or getting a shower, many would no longer be able to stay at home and out of institutional care.
Their testimony capped a week of emotional hearings where those affected by the proposed $65 million in cuts to Health and Human Services in the governor’s proposed supplemental budget came to Augusta to tell legislators why their services should be spared.
The news is only going to get worse, however, since Baldacci announced the budget deficit could grow by another $99 million and the Department of Health and Human Services could be asked to find an additional $34 million cut.
Those who made the trek to Augusta to protest the cuts begged legislators to find another way.
Sen. Philip Bartlett, D-Gorham, and Rep. Tim Driscoll, D-Westbrook, sent a letter to the governor last week in opposition to the cuts -something Driscoll said, financially, “doesn’t seem to make any sense.”
According to Driscoll, if the residents of Larrabee Village need to move into nursing homes, many won’t be able to afford them, and the state will end up spending more money on the more expensive services.
Aside from the financial factor, Driscoll said, “it’s all about the quality of life,” and that, at Larrabee Village, they can “live their lives to the fullest.”
The Larrabee Village residents were one of the largest contingents at the hearing, where they were introduced by John Gallagher, head of Westbrook Housing. Gallagher explained the senior housing works because it combines state, federal and local money to keep its occupants living independently and outside of more expensive nursing homes.
“I love Larrabee Village,” said Betty Stevens, 93, who lost her husband and spent time in an assisted living facility near her granddaughter’s in Philadelphia.
“It costs $3,000 a month. We got three meals a day and there was a doctor on hand and a registered nurse, but the services are not as good as they are at Larrabee Village and the rent there is much, much less,” she said. “I never thought I’d be happy living alone in a multiple dwelling, but I’m very happy
at Larrabee Village.”
Gerald Finks, the president of the resident council at Larrabee Village, said the funding cuts could break up a community that is working.
“It would drive some of these individuals, such as Betty, into a nursing home or assisted living. These folks at Larrabee Village are very, very independent. I think they deserve to continue and Larrabee Village deserves to continue as it is right now. It should not have to change,” he said.
Stephen Farnham of the Aroostook Agency on Aging came to testify in support of independent housing programs there that serve 21 people. He talked about a man who lived alone in shack without running water. When he finally could no longer cut the wood to keep himself warm, he came to an independent living facility in Caribou, where he lived for three years. When he was finally transferred to a nursing home, he died.
“When I take a look at these 21 people, I scratch my head and say, ‘What are we going to do with them?'” Farnham said.
“They’re all your moms and pops,” said Patricia Gravel, a state worker who takes care of her 80-year-old father at home and is on a waiting list for home care services.
“I work very hard up here in the capital,” she said, and just need help to “give him a shower every day, cook him a warm meal, help him get dressed and take his meds.”
When the residents returned to Westbrook, Finks said he thought the hearing went well and was proud of his fellow residents for speaking up for themselves.
“They’re intensely independent. That’s why it’s so wonderful,” he said. “We’re all trying to pull together to maintain this building because it would be a catastrophe if anything happened to it.”
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