Most older adults and people with disabilities prefer to live at home in their communities instead of being forced to live in an institution in order to get the assistance they need. Unfortunately, the option to remain at home isn’t available to everyone who wants to due to a number of factors, including lack of sufficient funding, inequitable distribution of resources, the impacts of systemic discrimination against older adults of color and others with marginalized identities, and the complexity of navigating the system.
Medicaid is the main funder for home and community-based services (HCBS) that enable low-income people to live with dignity and independence as they age. We advocate at the federal and state level to expand HCBS options in settings that are truly non-institutional, and provide information and advocacy assistance to state advocates to ensure that the older adults and people with disabilities in their states can access the care they need in the setting they prefer.
