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October 14, 1999 DES MOINES, Iowa -- For years the state agency on elder affairs and its 13 area agencies have sought to help Iowans age successfully, independently and self-sufficiently - with dignity. Now the agencies find their ability to provide the same services stretched between ever-increasing numbers of older Iowans and stalled funding legislation in Congress. "An increased number of needs, increased number of people and if we are lucky, the same number of dollars," said Greg Anliker, a division adminstrator at the Department of Elder Affairs in Iowa. "It continues to stretch the resources in both staff and dollars that we have." The agencies provide funding to and monitor local non-profit organizations that provide home-delivered meals, personal care, homemaking service, chore service, information service, nutrition monitoring and adult day care to needy Iowans over 55. All of the services aim to keep the seniors in their homes and out of nursing homes. Jean Allsteadt, contracted services director at Aging Resources of Central Iowa in Des Moines, which serves eight counties including Polk County, said seniors don't want to give up the independence of their home. "Most people do not want to go to a nursing home," Allsteadt said. "They want to stay at home with help. As long as they are in their home, they're still participating, they're paying taxes, they're buying groceries." She said the agency does not have enough money to provide all the needed services -- it can't supply funds for all of the organizations that want them, and when it can, the monetary amount is not what the organizations want or need. "What you do is serve people not as often or you serve fewer people," Allsteadt said. "There just isn't enough money to go around." The Aging Resources of Central Iowa and the 12 other area agencies receive funds through the Department of Elder Affairs in Iowa under the Older Americans Act of 1965. The act needs to be reauthorized every three years, but this was last done in 1992. The funds won't stop because of this, but the legislation would pave the way for future appropriations. The reauthorization has been slowed by debate over an interstate funding formula. The current formula bases each state's funding on the percentage of elderly in the state. States like Florida and Arizona want the funds distribution changed to the number, rather than the percentage, of elderly. Anliker said that rural states like Iowa would lose money in that formula because the state's percentage of elders is increasing -- but the increase in numbers is not as large as in other states. Iowa ranks first in the nation of percentage of persons aged 85 and older at 1.99 percent and fourth in the nation of percentage of persons aged 60 years and older at 19.91 percent. Iowa 2010, a forum created by Gov. Tom Vilsack for Iowans to participate in the future of the state, takes as one of its assumptions that Iowa "will continue to age significantly, particularly in rural counties. Unless something changes, the relative proportion of young people will continue to diminish." If a number-based formula is passed, it would likely include a "hold-harmless" clause, which would retain Iowa's money but give increases in the national funds to the states that have the greater increases in population. The proposed reauthorization of the act would also allow for ammendments for improving the projects and programs that can stretch the most out of every dollar. An example of this is President Bill Clinton's proposal focused on giving financial incentive such as tax advantages to family members who care for elderly relatives. "If we have families that are willing and able to do that, we ought to be making it easier for them so they continue to have an incentive to do it," Anliker said. "And maybe bring new family caregivers into the picture that are willing to take on that task." Marvin Webb, director of the Great River Bend area agency on aging in Davenport, said his agency didn't have enough money to provide all the care needed and that having more family caregivers would free up some resources. Still, programs such as this cannot be funded until the legislation is on the books. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the Chair on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, has presented a bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act this session that includes a $125 million support program for caregivers similar to Clinton's. Grassley told the Senate that nationwide surveys found that family caregivers on average spend more than $2000 per year for food, medication and other expenses related to care giving. There is also a reauthorization bill in the House of Representatives, which is cosponsored by 230 representatives including Reps. Leonard Boswell, Jim Nussle and James Leach, all of Iowa. However, it has been referred to committee and is unlikely to see the floor. In the meantime, Webb hopes to curb future demand on his agency for services by providing information on healthy living and lifestyle changes for future elders. "I think one of the initial steps is to look at supporting caregivers, because a lot of baby boomers that are living in our communities today are caregivers for adults," Webb said. However, the same baby boomers currently caring for elders is expected to become a large increase in the elder population themselves. "Baby boomers are stereotypically known for their large demand for things," Allsteadt said. "They are going to want services, and I'm not sure where they are going to come from." "We really don't know what it will look like. It is hard to tell. We are trying to struggle with keeping the money that we do have," she said. |