Published in Blackstone Valley Call & Times on October 6, 2026
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Helena Buonanno Foulkes and independent candidate Ken Block squared off Friday, Oct. 2, at a gubernatorial candidate forum focused on issues affecting older Rhode Islanders, people with disabilities, family caregivers and those receiving behavioral health services.
Opening the forum, Carol Anne Costa, SACRI’s Executive Director, noted that Republican candidate Aaron Guckian, who had committed to attend, failed to show up after notifying organizers at 3 p.m. that same day. “We’ve adjusted the program, and we will move forward in a focused and streamlined way so that these candidates who have taken the time to be with this audience get the forum they deserve,” she said.
Introducing the Candidates
Foulkes, 62, a Providence resident, emphasized her 25 years at CVS, ultimately becoming president of CVS Pharmacy, where she worked on employment initiatives for people with disabilities and special needs. She said she doesn’t need to be “the smartest person in the room,” but wants to leverage community expertise. She highlighted her relationships with other governors, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, as sources of policy ideas. Her policy priorities include housing affordability and healthcare access, and she called for creating a “whole-of-government” approach to senior services.
Block, 60, a Barrington software engineer who founded Simpatico Software Systems, political reformer and author, is an independent candidate who describes himself as an “operational manager” with experience helping large multinational companies reimagine their business operations, contracting and delivery of complicated computer systems. He emphasizes a data-driven approach to problem-solving and decision-making and has firsthand experience with healthcare and aging issues as a caregiver for his mother, who had early-onset Alzheimer’s, and helping his in-laws with aging-in-place challenges.
Block, like Foulkes, has actively sought information from advocacy groups on aging and disability issues throughout his campaign. He focuses heavily on government efficiency, transparency and fixing “friction points” in state operations.
The forum, held at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, was sponsored by the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island (SACRI), AccessPoint Rhode Island and the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island.
Unlike many gubernatorial forums held throughout the Ocean State that focus heavily on taxes, housing, education and the economy, SACRI’s forum allowed the candidates to address issues that often receive less attention during political campaigns: aging in the community, long-term services and supports, nursing home care, Medicaid, family caregiving, behavioral health and services for persons with disabilities.
Spanning more than an hour, the two candidates fielded questions on strengthening the state’s Office of Healthy Aging, creating a multi-sector plan on aging, establishing a state advocate’s office and expanding long-term care. They also discussed unpaid family caregivers, workforce shortages, accessible housing, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, economic security for older adults and transparency in human services.
Where They Stand
During opening remarks, Foulkes emphasized that seniors are an “untapped resource” of wisdom and expertise. She proposed creating a “senior corps”-style effort and intergenerational mentoring programs. Block shared personal caregiving experiences involving his parents and now his in-laws in their 80s, stressing the importance of advocacy organizations in helping families find needed resources and support.
At that point, the two candidates addressed a multitude of topics during the forum. Here is a sampling.
The SACRI forum highlighted that Rhode Island’s 2009 law setting a 50% goal for Medicaid home and community-based services remains unmet, with general home and community services reaching only 20.1%. The state ranks 44th nationally in community support spending for older adults at $28 per adult age 60 and older, compared with the $53 U.S. average and $222 in Massachusetts.
Regarding long-term care, Block called for cost-effective alternatives to nursing homes for residents with lower care needs, including housing options. He also recognized the possibility of severe budget pressures, including potential Medicaid cuts.
Foulkes highlighted the staffing crisis, fueled by low wages and lack of health insurance for many home-care workers. She also raised concerns about the impact of federal immigration policies on the pool of workers available to provide care.
The candidates were asked about a long-term care workforce crisis that includes 512 nursing assistant openings and only 132 trained applicants; Medicaid reimbursement rates; support for unpaid family caregivers who provide an estimated $2.8 billion in annual care; and the need for accessible housing throughout Rhode Island, with only 85 of 2,194 units under development being handicapped accessible.
Block supported elevating the state’s Office of Healthy Aging (OHA) to a cabinet-level position to ensure seniors have a direct voice to the governor. His rationale: A substantial portion of the Ocean State’s population has interests that align directly with OHA.
Foulkes advocates for a “whole-of-government approach” to providing senior services, with a potential cabinet-level position for aging, looking to Maryland as a model.
Foulkes emphasized the need for creating a master plan on aging with accountability and deadlines. Block also pledged to either issue an executive order or support legislation to develop the state’s aging policies, programs and services.
The candidates split on how to provide sustainable funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Rhode Island’s 988 system has handled nearly 75,000 calls since its launch while maintaining a 98% answer rate.
Block explained his opposition to using a telephone fee to fund the program, citing the regressive burden such fees place on low-income residents. He has no opposition to the program itself. Foulkes supported a small monthly telephone fee, similar to 911 funding, to provide a dedicated funding source for the state’s 988 response system.
Both candidates emphasized government inefficiency and data-access problems. Block described himself as “an operational manager” who specializes in “understanding where an organization doesn’t work well” and called Rhode Island government “a target rich environment.”
He expressed frustration with “Rhode Island state government’s ability to provide data” and promised “dashboards and other things that will ultimately really let us understand much better than we can now where we’re spending the money.”
Foulkes similarly stated, “we need way more transparency everywhere in the state” and endorsed the Inspector General concept to track how government funds are spent.
Direct-care workforce challenges appeared across multiple questions. Foulkes identified “the gap in terms of the number of community healthcare workers” and how “low paid” the work is, noting that “most of them that I speak to don’t even have healthcare insurance themselves.”
Foulkes connected federal immigration policy to the state’s capacity to provide care, raising concerns about home-care providers and healthcare workers who are immigrants. Block pointed again to the nursing assistant shortage during the lightning round.
Foulkes proposed creating a state website to assist families in navigating the long-term care continuum, acknowledging “it’s really hard right now” to find appropriate services. She also called for helping Rhode Islanders at risk of losing Medicaid coverage, proposing a “Medicaid navigator system” using faith-based communities and senior centers to help people complete eligibility paperwork.
Both candidates warned about the severe stress on Rhode Island’s healthcare system. Block noted that Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital were “on life support,” stressing their importance to the state’s healthcare system. Foulkes pointed to Rhode Island’s more than $156 million first-year federal Rural Health Transformation Program award as an opportunity to strengthen healthcare delivery.
Foulkes and Block also supported creating a dementia services coordinator position at the Department of Health. They supported continuing the overdose task force’s progress and having dedicated substance-use and mental-health policy staff in the governor’s office.
Finally, in lightning-round responses, both candidates supported continuing Medicaid reimbursement rate efforts for direct-care staff; using 30% of state housing bond funds for accessible housing for older adults and people with disabilities; creating an Office of the Elder Advocate; and developing a multi-sector plan on aging.
While Foulkes supports eliminating the Medicare Savings Program asset limit and providing an annual cost-of-living adjustment to the state’s SSI supplemental payment, Block gave no answer because he did not have a cost estimate.
Here’s the Bottom Line
With federal funding uncertainty, the state’s ongoing structural budget deficit and fiscal limitations, will Foulkes and Block be able to make good on their policy commitments?
Block repeatedly declined to make specific funding promises on a number of policies, stating, “I don’t know what’s coming at us” and “my answer to you, with all sincere respect, is I just don’t know.”
Foulkes also acknowledged Block’s concerns about reduced federal funding and the fiscal limitations facing the next governor. “I need to understand at the end of the day what all of this costs and make sure that I’m not making promises to you that I can’t keep,” she said.
For older Rhode Islanders, people with disabilities and behavioral health issues, family caregivers and the organizations that serve them, that may ultimately be the most important question coming out of SACRI’s forum: not just what the candidates promise to do, but whether the next governor will have the resources and political will to do it.
Stay tuned.
Tag Archives for Carol Anne Costa
Shoring Up the Nation’s Fraying Social Safety Net
Last week, AARP Foundation announced its analysis of newly released Census data on poverty, income and health insurance coverage in 2025.
“At first glance, it sounded like good news,” observed AARP Foundation President Claire Casey during an 18-minute virtual media briefing on Sept. 24. “Poverty fell, and household income hit a record high, but the headlines can be deceiving and not reflect what is happening to older Americans,” she said.
Casey stressed to attending journalists that the key takeaway was that senior poverty, measured using the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), has risen for the fifth consecutive year, a trend not seen by any other age group. The SPM accounts for unavoidable costs like housing and health care.
According to the SPM, more than 10 million people age 65 and older are living in poverty, a number that has jumped roughly 45% since 2019. “And for perspective, we’re talking about an incredibly low bar. For a single renter, the poverty line starts at just over $19,000 a year,” Casey said.
Between 2020 and 2025, the percentage of Americans 65 and older living in poverty increased from 9.4% to 15.4%, according to the SPM, the largest increase for any age group measured.
Casey also highlighted the continuing economic disparities facing older women, whose poverty rate is about 17%. She attributed this, in part, to lifetime inequalities, including the gender pay gap and career interruptions for child care and elder care.
Taking a Look at Poverty Before Retirement
To better understand why senior poverty keeps rising, Casey argues that we have to look at what happens before people turn 65.
While discussing the newly released Census data, Casey compared it with findings from AARP Foundation’s new Economic Security Monitor, a quarterly survey tracking financial stability among adults age 50 and older living on low incomes.
The latest Monitor found significant hardships among adults ages 50 to 64, a group traditionally considered to be in their peak earning years.
Nearly one-third reported running out of food before they had money to buy more, 70% said their household expenses had increased in just the last three months, and one-third could not cover an emergency expense of more than $100.
Many assume that employment in their 50s brings peak financial stability, but for millions of Americans preparing to retire, the numbers tell a different story.
More than 7 million people between ages 50 and 64, about one in eight, are already living in poverty, Casey pointed out.
“That’s our warning sign. If people are already struggling this much before retirement, we know where they are headed,” Casey said, noting that “we have to act now or senior poverty will keep rising.”
“But what’s even more troubling is that you don’t have to be in poverty at 55 to age into it,” Casey warned. An individual can work full-time throughout a career, do everything right, and still end up impoverished in retirement. Only one in four older adults with low incomes has access to a workplace retirement plan, she noted.
Casey also pointed to problems facing low-income workers between ages 50 and 64, particularly those who lose jobs or work in low-paying occupations because of age discrimination or early health complications. They are more likely to experience long-term unemployment, and only 10% will find a new job with equal or higher pay, she said.
Programs exist to help seniors facing poverty, but getting those benefits can be difficult. “Older adults miss out on an estimated $58 billion in benefits each year because the system is hard to access,” Casey said.
“As Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid requirements change, I worry that eligible people, especially those 55 to 64, will lose access,” Casey said, stressing the importance of maintaining these lifeline benefits and helping states deliver them more effectively.
“Each year since 2020, more and more older adults have fallen into abject poverty,” Casey said. “Today’s release confirms what we see every day in our work—that rising prices, an eroding social safety net, and diminishing access to quality jobs are creating extreme precarity for older adults in our communities.”
Advocacy Groups Weigh In
Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, says the Census numbers underscore the need to protect Social Security as Congress considers how to address the program’s long-term financial shortfall.
“The 2025 Census poverty data and AARP analysis make one fact unmistakable: retirees and future retirees are being pushed into deeper economic insecurity,” Richtman said. “Cutting earned benefits would intensify the crisis,” he cautioned.
The National Committee believes Congress should require wealthy Americans to contribute more to extend Social Security’s solvency while improving benefits for current and future generations.
Here in Rhode Island, advocates say the numbers tell a similar story.
Carol Anne Costa, Executive Director of the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island (SACRI), points to Census data, the Elder Index, and United Way of Rhode Island’s ALICE report as evidence that many older Rhode Islanders struggle to pay for housing, food, health care, utilities, and transportation.
“The data tells a troubling story,” Costa said. “The share of older Rhode Island households living below the federal poverty level rose from 8.9 percent in 2019 to 12.3 percent in 2024. This is not an abstract statistic, she said, noting it represents older adults having to make impossible choices between paying rent, filling prescriptions, keeping the heat on, or buying groceries.
Costa added that one in four older Rhode Island households has income below $25,000 a year. According to the 2026 Elder Index figures cited by SACRI, an older adult renter in good health needs approximately $34,152 annually to meet basic expenses. An older couple in poor health who own their home needs approximately $45,996.
But poverty statistics alone do not tell the whole story.
“The federal poverty measure does not capture the full extent of hardship facing older adults,” said Maureen Maigret, SACRI Policy Advisor. She pointed to the recent United Way of Rhode Island ALICE report, which found that 53% of older Rhode Islanders do not have enough income to meet necessities.
“This situation is getting worse, not better,” Maigret said. “Rhode Island must treat affordability impacting older adults as an urgent public policy priority.”
SACRI is urging state policymakers to move forward with its Older Adult Affordability Agenda, beginning with eliminating the asset limit for the Medicare Savings Program.
“Eliminating the asset limit would allow thousands more eligible older Rhode Islanders and people with disabilities to qualify for help with their Medicare Part B premiums,” Maigret said. For eligible individuals, she noted, that can mean savings of at least $2,400 each year because the federal government pays the Part B premium.
Costa calls it a practical solution that would put money back into the pockets of low-income older adults while bringing additional federal dollars into Rhode Island.
The Economic Progress Institute (EPI) also warns that the federal poverty numbers do not fully capture the financial squeeze facing Rhode Islanders.
Nina Harrison, EPI’s Policy Director, points out that although the Census Bureau’s Official Poverty Measure fell by 0.5 percentage points nationally in 2025, the broader Supplemental Poverty Measure did not change significantly. She contends that even though incomes may have risen, they did not rise enough to offset higher costs.
Harrison also warns that changes in federal healthcare and food assistance policies will put additional pressure on low-income Rhode Islanders. She cited the loss of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits and federal changes to SNAP and Medicaid as particular concerns.
EPI’s 2026 Rhode Island Standard of Need report, scheduled for release Monday, takes a closer look at what Rhode Island households need to cover basic living expenses. Harrison says its findings show that nearly 40% of Rhode Island households cannot afford their basic needs, including many older residents. More than half of Rhode Island women age 65 and older who live alone cannot meet their basic needs, she said.
“Without significant intervention and harm reduction, OBRA and related federal policies are sure to increase the poverty rate and human suffering,” Harrison warned.
She is urging the General Assembly to find ways to protect food and healthcare assistance for Rhode Islanders who lose federal benefits and to strengthen other programs serving low-income residents.
A Final Note…
As previously stated, the numbers the Census Bureau released tell us something important. The nation’s overall poverty rate may have fallen in 2025, but millions of older Americans are being left behind.
Casey’s warning at the start of the press briefing deserves the attention of Congress and state legislatures. Since millions of older Americans face financial difficulties, it is no surprise that many ultimately end up in poverty after retirement.
For many, the financial problems begin years before they collect their first Social Security check. They retire with little savings, no pension or workplace retirement plan, and not much room in their monthly budget to cover increased rent, a broken refrigerator, or an unexpected medical bill.
AARP Foundation efforts to call attention to senior poverty should serve as a troubling warning to Congress as it debates the future of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Older Americans Act, and SNAP.
Congress must address Social Security’s long-term financial problems before automatic cuts to program benefits take place in 2032. Tens of millions of retirees, disabled individuals, and survivors already living on the financial edge would see their situation worsen. Congress must also ensure that changes to the nation’s social safety-net programs don’t make it harder for eligible older Americans to get the help they need.
Rhode Island lawmakers also have their work to do. Eliminating the asset limit for the Medicare Savings Program would be one concrete step toward helping low-income older Rhode Islanders stretch their limited monthly incomes.
To review AARP Foundation’s June 2026 Economic Security Monitor (full report), go to AARP Foundation Economic Security Monitor Fact Sheet.
To review AARP Foundation’s June 2026 Economic Security Monitor (fact sheet), go to AARP Foundation Economic Security Monitor Fact Sheet
Download the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 Poverty Report, go to Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025
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RI’s New Budget Considered a Win for Older Adults
Published in RINewstoday on June 15, 2026
As the 2026 legislative session wraps up, lawmakers approved a $15.2 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2027. The budget blueprint (H 7127 Aaa) aims to provide economic relief, improve education and health care, and advance government reforms without raising broad-based taxes or fees.
According to House Communications Director Larry Berman, the House floor debate began at 3:35 p.m. on Friday, June 5, and lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes. House lawmakers offered 16 amendments, and 10 were approved (none of these targeted aging programs and services). At 7:20 p.m., the budget passed on a vote of 65 to 10, with 64 Democrats and one independent voting in favor, while all 10 Republicans opposed it.
Greg Pare, Senate Communications Director notes: “On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, the upper chamber debated the House proposal for two hours and 17 minutes, beginning at 4:20 p.m. and concluding at 6:37 p.m. Senators considered 12 amendments, but none were approved. The Fiscal Year 2027 budget passed 32-6 without changes. Senators Samuel W. Bell (D-Dist. 5, Providence) and Leonidas “Lou” Raptakis (D-Dist. 33, East Greenwich and West Greenwich) joined the four Republican Senators in opposing passage of the budget proposal.”
Three days later, Gov. Dan McKee signed the 393-page Rhode Island General Assembly Fiscal year 2027 budget proposal at 10:30 a.m. at Children’s Friend in Providence.
While much of the attention surrounding the Fiscal Year 2027 budget focused on programs and services, lawmakers also approved several significant policy changes and revenue measures. Chief among them is a new tax on annual income exceeding $1 million. The phased-in surtax is expected to generate approximately $142 million annually when fully implemented, providing additional revenue to help support state services and offset potential reductions in federal funding.
The state’s budget also creates an independent Office of Inspector General to strengthen government accountability and oversight. In addition, the Rhode Island General Assembly approved increased funding for hospitals, behavioral health and home-care providers, child welfare programs, public transit, and higher education, while authorizing an audit of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
Investing in Rhode Island’s Aging Programs and Services
Although these initiatives will affect Rhode Islanders across all age groups, the budget also contains provisions that directly impact older adults, caregivers, and aging-service providers throughout the Ocean State.
The Fiscal Year 2027 budget expands eligibility for exempting Social Security income from state taxation by removing the age threshold. Under current law, taxpayers who have reached full Social Security retirement age (67 or older) and have incomes below $107,000 for individuals and $133,750 for joint filers are exempt from paying state income tax on their Social Security benefits. With the passage of the budget, the age requirement has been eliminated.
The state budget also increases funding by $200,000, bringing total funding for senior services grants to $1.8 million.
Meals on Wheels, which provides nutrition services to older adults, was also on lawmakers’ radar. The budget increases funding for the program by $50,000, bringing total state support to $730,000.
The Rhode Island General Assembly’s approved budget allocates $4.1 million to fund the “Eat Well, Be Well” program for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. This funding will help older Rhode Islanders struggling with the high cost of groceries.
Under the program, eligible SNAP households will receive an incentive of 50 cents for every dollar spent on fruits and vegetables, with the benefit loaded onto their electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards, up to a maximum amount to be determined by the Rhode Island Department of Human Services.
The budget also increases funding for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank by $1 million, bringing total state support to $2.95 million to address food insecurity among families, including older adults.
In response to a significant increase in complaints regarding care, the budget provides additional funding to the state’s Office of Healthy Aging to support the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, administered by the Alliance for Better Long-Term Care.
The budget allocates funding for full cost-of-living increases in nursing home reimbursement rates, with 80 percent of the increase directed toward direct-care staff compensation. Gov. McKee’s proposed budget had limited the increase to 2.5 percent.
As for the state’s nursing facility minimum staffing requirements, the budget includes $200,000 to implement the Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act. The provision requires the Rhode Island Department of Health to enforce staffing requirements at all nursing homes. The funding will support contracted services to collect and analyze data and calculate penalties for noncompliant facilities.
The state budget also includes $3.1 million to begin a phased opening of new beds at the Rhode Island Veterans Home. The funding is expected to increase capacity by 16 beds in each of the next two years, bringing the facility to its maximum capacity of 192 residents.
Assisted living facilities will see increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for caring for residents with dementia and those with higher personal-care needs. Advocates say the increase will help facilities accept and care for these residents while reducing premature nursing home placements.
The Fiscal Year 2027 budget also doubles the amount of assets that Medicaid home-care recipients may retain, helping older adults cope with rising housing costs and other basic needs.
Several provisions within the budget are intended to address the growing shortage of primary care providers, including assisting providers with medical school costs and seed funding for a new medical school at the University of Rhode Island (both of which were components of the Senate’s package of priority health care bills).
In addition, the budget fully funds rate increases for home- and community-based services recommended by an Office of Health Insurance study. The governor’s budget proposal had funded only half of the recommended increases. SACRI says the additional funding should improve worker compensation and help prevent waiting lists for services.
A nursing home behavioral health per diem add-on included in the budget provides additional resources for facilities caring for residents with both nursing and behavioral health needs, helping to avoid unnecessary transfers to acute-care settings.
Finally, an additional $13.5 million was included in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget to help the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority maintain services and avoid service reductions.
The Aftermath: Lawmakers and Aging Groups Debate Budget Proposals’ Impact
“I am proud of this budget, which addresses the concerns and struggles of everyday Rhode Islanders, including our older residents, who need access to health care, who need to be able to pay their bills, and who need to know that their government is honest and effective,” said Christopher R. Blazejewski. “This budget is the result of months of listening, prioritizing, and identifying ways to fix what isn’t working, he stated.
“It provides relief today while being fiscally responsible and putting our state in a better position in the years to come,” notes Blazejewski.
“This budget reflects many of the Senate’s priorities, including funding health care initiatives and supporting seniors and Rhode Islanders in need,” said Senate President Valarie J. Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence). “This is a responsible, balanced budget that provides relief for Rhode Islanders, including our older residents, while investing in and strengthening programs that support seniors, she says, noting that it complements other legislation the Senate passed this year to support older adults. She sponsored legislation to protect against the growing national threat of deed theft, a scam by which thieves defraud seniors of their real estate.
“These budget decisions reflect real progress for Rhode Islanders who rely on long-term services and community supports,” said Executive Director Carol Anne Costa. “We are encouraged to see the state make investments that strengthen care, support the workforce, and help older adults remain in the settings that best meet their needs.”
According to Costa, “SACRI fully intends to return in the next session to pursue the Medicare Saving Program’s asset test removal, the creation of the Office of the Elder Advocate, and secure a tax credit for caregivers. “These efforts do not come with huge price tags and in fact, infuse money back into the RI economy,” says Costa.
Costa emphasizes that Rhode Island’s aging population and adults with disabilities deserve nothing less, as the organization continues to be the voice for progress on their behalf.
“As the cost of food continues to skyrocket, our seniors, those with long-term care, and other Rhode Islanders living on a fixed income are being further squeezed. This budget helps ensure they can still get the healthy meals they need through targeted investments in SNAP and organizations like Meals on Wheels and the RI Community Food Bank. This budget brings us closer to ensuring food security for all Rhode Islanders,” says Lt. Gov. Sabrina Mattos, says Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, chair of the state’s Long-Term Care Coordinating Council.
“We appreciate the legislature’s commitment to strengthening Rhode Island’s long-term services and supports through this year’s budget,” says Mag Morelli, president of LeadingAge Connecticut & Rhode Island. “The investments in assisted living, community-based services, and nursing home care recognize the growing needs of older adults.
By supporting Medicaid reimbursement rates that more closely reflect the cost of care, this budget helps providers deliver essential services while promoting stability, access, and choice for aging Rhode Islanders.”
Hopes Dashed: Budget Fails Rhode Island’s Caregivers
Meredith L. Sheehan, Director of Public Policy, Alzheimer’s Association, Rhode Island Chapter: “More than 22,000 Rhode Islanders live with Alzheimer’s disease, and 37,000 serve as caregivers. We applaud budget investments in senior centers, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and assisted living providers, but are disappointed funding was not included for a Dementia Services Coordinator, a dedicated position needed to develop a coordinated statewide response to dementia.”
“I am encouraged by the 2027 budget’s funding that strengthens our support for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) and their caregivers, including increased Medicaid reimbursement for specialized assisted living and for nursing home care,” says Chris Gadbois, DNP, RN, chair of RI’s Council on ADRD.
“People’s ability to remain safely in their homes will be supported by increased rates for home and community-based services and an increase in the asset limits,” notes Gadbois.
However, like Sheehan, Gadbois expressed disappointment that funding for a state Dementia Service Coordinator within the Rhode Island Department of Health was not advanced in the past budget proposal, adding, “We will continue to collaborate with state leadership for this critical position, as well as reintroduce legislation to ensure healthcare providers’ and facilities’ competency in caring for individuals with dementia.”
“The Office of Healthy Aging appreciates Governor McKee’s continued commitment to older Rhode Islanders and to the systems of support that help people age with dignity, connection, and independence. We remain focused on working with state and community partners to strengthen access to services and supports for older adults, caregivers, and families across Rhode Island,” says Maria E. Cimini, MSW, Director, RI Office of Healthy Aging.
Lori Light, the state’s long-term care ombudsman, welcomes FY 2027 budget investments in aging-in-place programs. “It strengthens our advocacy for nursing home and assisted living residents,” Light said. She urges continued funding to expand ombudsman services, allowing the agency to handle increasingly complex complaints and ensure all residents receive timely support.
To view all provisions of H 7127Aaa, the state’s enacted 2027 Fiscal Year Budget proposal, go HERE – https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7127Aaa.pdf
