State Data Reflects Especially Long Wait Lists in Upstate Rural Counties

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - As New York fails to adequately fund basic home services for older adults, rural family caregivers are stressed, cutting work hours or even leaving jobs because they do not have enough help, according to an AARP New York survey released this week.

The survey of registered voters 40 and older in New York's rural areas mirrors findings of AARP New York's other caregiving surveys. More than 70% of rural caregivers reported being stressed. Of the 70% who work, 62% have adjusted their schedules, 19% dropped to part-time and 13% left jobs to help an older loved one at home.

Nearly all have paid for transportation, home modifications and other expenses. Most (62%) want more financial help from the state and nearly 90% said New York does not offer enough help or they are not sure, and 90% don't have faith in nursing homes.

AARP New York says Governor Kathy Hochul could greatly reduce the burden on older individuals and their families by adding $42 million to the Enhanced In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP) and other programs. EISEP offers affordable delivered meals, transportation, housekeeping and personal care to older adults who do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private help.

But funding for EISEP only increased by $700,000 in the 2024 budget, even as the State Office for the Aging says 16,000 requests for these non-medical services are unfilled - a figure advocates believe is closer to 18,000.

"Thousands of older individuals in our less-populated regions wait months or even longer for help with housekeeping, grooming and meals," said David McNally, AARP New York Director of Government Affairs & Advocacy, who spoke today at a meeting of the Caregiving Working Group of the North Country. "In our rural communities, and across New York, family caregivers are counting on Governor Hochul to fund these in-home services for middle-class older New Yorkers so no one is left waiting. In addition to keeping people in their homes where they want to be, these services relieve the tremendous pressure family caregivers face."

Wait lists for EISEP and other programs are especially long in some upstate rural counties, according to the state's own numbers. The wait list in Cattaraugus County is close to 800, in St. Lawrence County it is around 560 and it is about 240 in Clinton County.