Elderly feel pinch of state budget

The Boston Globe published an article today about the troubles facing many elderly residents of Massachusetts. According to the article, this year's budget includes $2.5 million to expand a program set in place to provide free counseling to seniors in need of information about nursing home care. This program helps many seniors stay in their own homes rather than being forced into nursing home care. However, the administration has still yet to expand upon this program. As we discuss welfare services in class, it is important to consider not just the potential for a policy to work, but the individual people who are impacted by government actions. It is important that the elderly in particular are able to be informed about the major life decisions they face, such as moving to a nursing home; this should not be dependent on a political agenda!