I am writing today as an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) home care provider in Lake County. I am currently taking care of my disabled son.

 

The IHSS program allows the elderly, the disabled elderly and the younger disabled persons to receive care at a huge savings to our local, state and federal governments. “In-home” means exactly that – they receive care in their "own" home instead of being placed in an institution, which costs taxpayers up to 8 times more than home care.

 

Here are some facts.

Fact 1: Any one of us, or our family member(s), could become disabled in an instant; lose everything we have and need to rely on Social Service programs to help us (I speak from experience, on this subject).

 

Fact 2: We're all getting older. Our retirement savings may not be enough to last us, for the remainder of our life, and we may have to (I say again) “rely on Social Service programs to help us.”

 

At this point in time, our state government is planning on cutting into the IHSS program, which is already a lean program. This type of fiduciary cut could lead to institutionalizing people who are currently IHSS recipients.

For those who do not move into institutions, their safety could be placed in jeopardy if they do not receive the care that they need. If our state government is attempting to justify cuts to this program, legislators must take into consideration that if thousands of people are placed in institutions, taxes will have to be increased to cover the extra costs.

 

So you ask yourself, “What can I do?”

The answer to the question is simple: Get involved. Work with others who are dedicated to ensuring that the voices of those who rely on vital programs such as IHSS, are not silenced, but rather heard from every corner of Sacramento.

 

Our elected officials are the people that have control on how these programs are funded, and we are their voting constituents. We need to speak up. We need to help protect our most vulnerable residents and the programs that serve them.

 

This nation started with a group of people that came together and wrote the Constitution – which became the backbone of democracy. It's up to us to remind our elected officials, that even in difficult times, it's about “We the people.”

David W. Smith lives in Nice.