The Impact of Budget Cuts on the Independent Living Movement
Phone Accessibility Issues in Nursing Home and Assisted Care Facilities
How the Build Back Better Act Could Impact People with Disabilities in Georgia
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In mid-2020, the Independent Living Network in Georgia lost $809,980 in funding. These cuts came at a time when there was actually an increase in need for Georgians with disabilities who were strongly impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. We are calling for a full restoration of these funds as a first step in addressing the needs of Georgians with disabilities.
Back in mid-2020, the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency cut supplemental and state funds by 100% for the Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and 25% for the Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC).
Since CILs throughout the state are often staffed by people with disabilities, as soon as these budget cuts went into effect, they eliminated a significant number of jobs for Georgians with disabilities.
Also, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgians with disabilities have become even more isolated and in need of services than before the pandemic began.
These budget cuts have critically limited the centers’ abilities to fulfill the increased requests for services during this time of greatly increased need.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic’s disproportionate effect on people with disabilities, what is needed is not just a restoration of funds, but an increase in supplemental and state funds. However, a full restoration of funds would be a step in the right direction.
Such an restoration or potential increase would help to:
strengthen the existing CILs and SILC impact of their currents service,
provide resources to rehire and hire qualified staff, and
improve outreach to the disability community in rural and underserved counties.
These budget cuts are doing untold damage to a community that is already compromised and marginalized.
A dramatic first step in starting to address the needs of people with disabilities would include the restoration of the $809,980 cuts, which includes:
$743,230 for the Centers for Independent Living
$66,750 for the Statewide Independent Living Council
If you do not have one already, all of us will eventually have a disability if we are fortunate to live long enough. If these budget cuts do not directly affect you yet, they are likely restricting funding for a family member or somebody with a disability that you care about.
We believe that Georgia can do better than this by including all of its citizens in public life and making sure that basic needs are met for everyone. Restoring this funding is one step in this direction.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many residents of nursing homes were not able to easily access telephones while under shelter-in-place restrictions. This lack of access created widespread inhumane conditions during a public health crisis for an already at-risk population. If left unaddressed, this situation will certainly repeat itself. Even in normal conditions, this lack of easy access to telephones creates an unnecessary barrier for basic social engagement for a population vulnerable to social isolation and depression.
We believe that this problem has a simple solution: requiring nursing homes to provide a landline phone for each resident bed.
Nursing homes and assisted care facilities are currently not required to meet the same standards as hospitals regarding individuals’ access to telephones. Hospitals are mandated to provide a landline for each patient bed, whereas nursing homes are only required to provide a single public phone for all residents to access.
This deficiency in nursing home standards came into sharp focus during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Necessary shelter-in-place guidelines protecting residents’ health and safety also unfortunately disrupted the daily social interactions and routines of residents. The feelings of distress, isolation, and uncertainty the entire population experienced were exacerbated for nursing residents who were even further isolated and faced much higher mortality risks with Covid.
In the midst of these already taxing and frightening conditions, nursing home residents frequently did not have easy telephone access. In many cases, residents had to wait for staff to bring them a front desk landline in order to return a call. This approach was also an ineffective and burdensome addition to an already overworked and at-risk staff.
Even in normal conditions, it has been proven that socialization is necessary for human beings to maintain normal levels of health. According to Mayo Clinic Minute, “socializing not only staves off feelings of loneliness, but also it helps sharpen memory and cognitive skills, increases your sense of happiness and well-being, and may even help you live longer.” Interaction is even more crucial for individuals living in nursing homes due to the fact they are at a greater risk for depression. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that the pandemic increased mental health issues with seniors with “one in four (24%) adults ages 65 and older reported anxiety or depression in August 2020.” Seclusion of residents may not be permanent, but the results may be long-term.
In addition to the social and mental support normally provided by access to telephone communication, the lack of access to phones is particularly dangerous during a period where quick decisions are frequently required to protect nursing home residents’ health and safety.
We believe this is a problem that can easily be addressed by requiring each individual room be equipped with a landline.
Although individual cell phones may seem like a good option, they are cost prohibitive for some. However, even in cases where residents have cell phones, they are more susceptible to being stolen, damaged or misplaced, making them a less reliable means of communication.
We believe that all federally and state-funded nursing homes be required to provide landlines in all rooms to each bed. Current Department of Community Health policy says that “a public phone must be available in the lobby and accessible for a wheelchair user.” We believe this is insufficient. Rather than a single phone for all residents to use, nursing homes and assisted care facilities should be required to meet the same standards as hospitals, which mandates one phone be accessible for each bed in the facility.
This simple and cost-effective provision would help ensure that residents have access to families, friends, health care providers, and other residents in times of crisis. This will promote healthy and humane conditions for residents and reduce the strain on the nursing center staff.
Additional Resources
One in Four Older Adults Report Anxiety or Depression Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic | KFF
Mayo Clinic Minute: The benefits of being socially connected – Mayo Clinic News Network
As Georgia continues to grow, fewer affordable and accessible housing options are available to those who truly need it.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition:
If the Build Back Better Act passes, it pledges to provide funding for stable housing for all Georgians which can potentially lead to productivity in all aspects of life. This will equip Georgia to address the growing situation of displaced members of our community.
If the act passes, Georgia could potentially receive hundreds of millions of dollars, helping to:
Affordable and accessible housing isn’t just needed for individuals earning extremely low incomes. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, “individuals should make $24.90 per hour ($51,792 per year) in order to rent a two-bedroom home or $20.40 per hour ($42,432 per year) for a modest one-bedroom.” With that in mind, it is nearly impossible to find suitable housing for low and extremely low-income families.
The Statewide Independent Living Council receives calls almost daily from individuals searching for affordable and accessible housing. As rents increase, it is nearly impossible for many with disabilities to find a suitable place to live. This often forces individuals further away from community resources like public transit.
The money from the Build Back Better Act could potentially provide additional consistent funding to the Home Access Program (HAP), which modifies homes for people with disabilities to make their current residences accessible so they do not have to relocate. Having stable, affordable, safe, and accessible housing has a positive impact on other aspects of life such as work and education. When Georgians have stability, the community succeeds.
Additional Resources
Georgia | National Low Income Housing Coalition (nlihc.org)
NHTF_StateAllocations_37B_2021.pdf (nlihc.org)
NLIHC Releases Out of Reach 2021 | National Low Income Housing Coalition
About The Gap | National Low Income Housing Coalition (nlihc.org)
