Older Americans in Government Program Struggle to Buy the Basics

Older Americans in Government Program Struggle to Buy the Basics

Living simply is at the heart of Alex Morisey's Quaker religion. The 82-year-old graduated from a good college and spent years working in nonprofit organizations. He helped farmworkers, people living in public housing, and the mentally ill. He was also an aid worker in Central and South America.

Now he lives in a nursing home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But halfway¹ through the month, he has almost no money.

Morisey is one of many Americans living in nursing homes who face a difficult situation. To stay in the nursing home, they must hand over all their income and only receive a small payment, as low as $30 a month, to buy the things they would like. The payment is called the personal needs allowance, also called a PNA.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans living in nursing homes have their care paid for by Medicaid. Medicaid is a health insurance program that is administered by the states. It is paid for equally by state governments and the federal government. In exchange for the coverage², all retirement³ and other income people on Medicaid would receive is used to pay their nursing home costs.

That means the only other money residents receive from the government is the PNA. The allowance is meant to pay for anything the nursing home does not provide. This can include telephones, clothes or a birthday present for a grandchild.

In some states, the PNA can be only $30 a month and it cannot be higher than $200.

"It's really one of the most humiliating things for them," said Sam Brooks⁴, a lawyer for The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. "It can really be a point of shame," he added.

Medicaid is meant to pay health care costs for poor adults and children or those with other special needs. Medicaid was created in 1965 along with Medicare, the federal government health insurance program for retired⁵ Americans.

In 1972, the U.S. Congress established the personal needs allowance, and set the lowest amount at $25.

Had the PNA been linked to inflation, it would be about $180 today. Congress raised the minimum only once, to $30, in 1987.

The small allowance is difficult for nursing home residents who do not receive support from family or friends.

Marla Carter visits her mother-in-law at a nursing home in Owensboro, Kentucky. She sees how poor some residents are. With a $40 allowance, they are dressed in clothing that is the wrong size. Some have no socks or shoes. Basic supplies run low.

"That's what was so surprising to us," Carter said, "the poverty."

She was so upset that she and her husband started a nonprofit, Faithful Friends Kentucky, to give out needed supplies to nursing home residents in the area,

"You bring a soda⁶ or a toothbrush and they'll get so excited," she said. "It's so sad to me."

Several states have increased allowances. But most remain low. The American Council on Aging, a non-profit group, says 28 states have allowances of $50 or less. Five states give residents $100 or more each month, including Alaska, which offers $200 monthly. Four states – Alabama, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina – remain at $30.

Morisey, of Pennsylvania, entered a nursing home after a fall and, once here, learned his income would no longer be his.

Pennsylvania's allowance is $45, and after a monthly $20 haircut and $5 tip, it is difficult to decide what he should buy with the remaining $20.

"It's the little things," he said. "You don't think about these things until you no longer have them."

His small savings⁷ are nearly gone now. Without help from his church, he could not pay for a phone.

Words in This Story

nursing home –n. a place where people who are old and cannot take care of themselves live

allowance –n. an amount of money, usually paid monthly, to someone who does not work

humiliating –adj. something that makes someone feel foolish or ashamed

shame –n. a feeling of guilt⁸, regret or sadness that you have done something wrong

resident –n. a person who lives in a particular place

triple –v. to become three times bigger

quadruple –v. to become four times larger

church –n. a Christian religious group

1 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。