AARP calls Gov. Hochul’s budget proposal a ‘perfect storm that’s going to hit family caregivers in a very negative way’

And of those current and former caregivers, nearly 75% said they feel or felt stressed emotionally due to their caregiving responsibilities.

Under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal, the AARP argues, that stress could get worse and force family caregivers to make difficult decisions about whether they can continue to care for their loved one at home or will need to seek out a nursing home.

According to the AARP, the governor’s proposed budget fails to address financial shortcomings with programs that provide transportation, adult day care and home-delivered meals to older New Yorkers.

“It just seems unacceptable to me that this is the best New York State can do,” said AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel.

The AARP says there are more than 16,000 individuals and their families statewide waiting to receive these non-Medicaid home- and community-based services, and yet Hochul’s proposed budget cuts the $9.3 million legislative aid included in the 2023-24 budget for those programs.

With programs like these weakened, the AARP believes that could increase the burden on family caregivers and push more of them to consider institutional care, such as nursing homes. 

But Hochul’s budget, the AARP says, also hurts the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, which aims to have at least one visit per week per long-term care facility. The state had increased funding by $5 million for the program in recent years, which helped boost the number of visits. For instance, about 12% of Western New York nursing homes received one visit per week in the fourth quarter of 2023, which was up from 9% a year earlier with less funding.

But Hochul’s proposed budget would cut the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program by $2.5 million at a time when the AARP was lobbying for a $15 million investment to ensure the initiative…