To the editor:
After reading the recent article on area nursing homes’ financial shortfall I am left feeling only part of the story was told.
I was a CNA-M, CRMA, BPC for 32 years. All but two of those years were spent working in long-term care. So, I have some understanding of how the funding process works. Mr. Cyr is correct with his presentation of the Mainecare underpayment issues. But, what he fails to mention is his facility and others in the area also receive a large portion of their income from skilled rehab as well as private pay patients.
This poses a problem for people who cannot afford to pay privately for nursing home care. Case in point. My mother has dementia which has progressed to the need for nursing home placement. Not one nursing home from Fort Kent to Houlton would admit her. Why? She is a Mainecare patient. But, many of these homes have empty beds.
They are refusing Medicaid patients because they are poor and rely on Mainecare. This is an outrage! If the bed is there it should be filled.
The poor elderly population of Aroostook County are being discriminated against because of their inability to pay! My mother has been on a waiting list at all area nursing homes. I was told by one in particular that yes, she is on the list but probably won’t be admitted because of her Mainecare status and was told that we should get together as a family and pay privately to ensure admission! So, my siblings and I should use our retirement savings to fund her care?
We have found placement for my mother four and one half hours from her home and husband of 65 years. She was admitted to Glenridge in Augusta on Jan. 6. This is just plain wrong, when there are indeed empty beds in Aroostook County!
