THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 7, 1995 TAG: 9501070018
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Regarding ``Elderly: Cuts would reduce funds for day-care programs'' (news, Dec. 22):
As stated in the article, adult day care, home-delivered meals, transportation and home-care services allow older people to remain in their homes. These services also support family care-giving. Eighty percent of the care that older people receive in their homes and communities is provided by their families and not by the government. Therefore, it is important that families be supported in their efforts to keep their loved ones at home. I commend Ms. Emory, her family and the countless other Virginians like them.
In our effort to reduce state-government spending, it is not our intent to reduce critical services to people like Ms. Emory and her family. Rather, we are trying to provide for their needs and support their efforts by streamlining administration and less noncritical programs.
We have taken as much of the proposed reductions at the state level as possible. As a result, our department keeps 11.7 percent of the state funds we receive and the remaining 88.3 percent is sent directly to our 25 local agencies, including the SEVAMP Area Agency on Aging which serves the Hampton Roads area.
When we began this year's planning process, we encouraged all of our agencies to reduce administrative costs and to propose reductions in those programs that they considered to be noncritical before reducing community-based services such as home delivered meals and adult day care.
We commend John Skirven, executive director of SEVAMP, for a plan which calls for a $47,949 reduction (6.6 percent of his state funds for services). Mr. Skirven proposed reductions in the ID Discount Program, certain legal services and socialization/recreation activities in place of reducing home-delivered meals. However, Mr. Skirven's plan does call for a reduction in adult day-care services.
The governor and the Department for the Aging recognize that this is an essential service just as home-delivered meals are essential to the well-being of our senior citizens who participate in the program. Therefore, we look forward to working with Mr. Skirven to identify other options for streamlining in place of his plan for reducing adult day-care services.
THELMA E. BLAND, commissioner
Virginia Department for the Aging
Richmond, Jan. 3, 1995 by CNB