Connecticut
Gov.
Ned
Lamont
signed
a
bill
into
law
on
Tuesday
that
aims
to
improve
the
prospects
for
seniors
who
seek
to

age
in
place
in
their
current
homes.

The
law,
which
was
supported
by
senior
advocacy
organization


AARP,
creates
a
state
registry
of
home
care
providers
to
promote
awareness
and
accessibility
for
home-based
care.
It
also
requires
home
health
care
and
aide
agencies,
hospice
agencies
and
homemaker-companion
agencies
to
submit
information
about
their
employees
to
the
registry,
and
it
adds
more
avenues
to
publicly
accessible
information
for
aging-in-place
programs
and
more.

State
Sen.
Kevin
Kelly
(R),
former
co-chair
of
the
legislature’s
aging
committee
and
a
practicing
elder
law
attorney,
lauded
the
signing.
He
was
one
of
81
total
co-sponsors,
including
eight
of
his
fellow
senators.

“Whenever
I
ask
seniors
the
question,
‘Does
anyone
want
to
go
to
a
nursing
home?’,
the
answer
I
almost
always
get
is
a
resounding
‘no,’”
Kelly
said
in
a
statement.
“So,
if
people
don’t
want
to
enter
nursing
homes,
and
it’s
less
expensive
to
stay
home,
and
there
are
better
health
outcomes
from
staying
home,
we
must
pass
policies
which
help
seniors
age
in
place.
This
new
law
is
a
major
step
forward.

“This
is
what
our
seniors
would
expect
us
to
do.
I
thank
the
governor,
members
of
the
Aging
Committee
and
my
legislative
colleagues
for
getting
this
bill
to
the
finish
line
and
making
sure
the
voices
of
seniors
are
heard.”

The
bill
received

approval
from
the
legislature
at
the
end
of
April.
It
requires
the
agencies
that
employ
home
health
aides
and
other
professionals
to
provide
more
well-rounded
training
and
incident
responses
to
issues
like
harassment
as
the
state
aims
to
ease
the
process
for
aging
in
place
among
its
older
residents.

The
state
has
an
estimated
800,000
residents
that
are
at
least
60
years
old.
The
law
will
include
a
“regulatory
presumption”
of
Medicaid
eligibility
for
senior
residents.
It
also
will
expand
federal
funding
for
people
choosing
to
remain
in
their
homes
while
needing
some
outside
assistance,
such
as
a
home
health
aide.
Kelly
said
he
has
championed
this
presumption.

Data
from
multiple
surveys
and
studies
indicates
that

aging
in
place
is
a
dominant
preference
for
older
Americans
when
compared
to
the
prospect
of
dedicated
assisted
living
facilities
and/or
nursing
homes.

More
Americans
are
even

“splurging”
on
home
modifications
that
would
make
aging
in
place
easier,
including
handrails,
accessible
bathrooms
and
wider
doorways
to
accommodate
wheelchairs.

Connecticut
has
made
other
investments
into
senior
welfare
that
includes
aging
in
place,
including
a
program
that
pays
caregivers
living
with
loved
ones
who
require
special
attention.
The
program
is
seeing

a
rise
in
demand.

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