Utah seniors want to age in place at home. Staying in their own homes is also more cost-effective than entering residential facilities. But a new study from Utah Foundation shows many of the programs they depend on are inadequately funded.
Without these programs, the risk increases that seniors will need to enter expensive full-time care facilities. As a fiscal matter, it is more expensive to subsidize these facilities than to fund services to help seniors stay at home where they want to be.
Utah seniors rely on nutrition programs such as Meals on Wheels, which delivers meals to homebound seniors. Caregiver services are less well-known than the nutrition programs, but they also provide critical support for those who take care of aging seniors. These programs are offered through the Area Agencies on Aging that exist in counties throughout the state, but funds are limited and constrain their reach.
View Article