Tag Archives for Susan Sweet

Grandparents Take an Active role in Parenting and Caregiving

Published in Pawtucket Times on August 12, 2002

Susan Sweet, an elder rights advocate and a full-time consultant to nonprofit groups, has a jam-packed schedule that consumes much of her time.

However, the East Providence resident puts her two small grandchildren at the top of her schedule.

Grandparenting is the best time in Sweet’s life, who noted this role allows her to share both life experiences and wisdom with Zackary, age seven and a half and his sister Erika Lee, who is almost 10 months.

“My job as a grandparent is to expose Zackary and Erika Lee to things that they would not other wise be exposed to,” the 61-year-old Sweet says.

New experiences with the youngish grandmother include exposure to the world of music, art and cultural and ethnic diversity of the world.

With her grandchildren living on Cape Cod, Sweet keeps in constant contact through e-mail and telephone calls. Zachary visits grandma every two weeks, where she takes him out and about the Providence Children’s Museum, Waterfire and even to the aquarium in Mystic, Conn. Erika will get her turn to visit Sweet when she gets older.

“Grandparents are magical to their grandchildren,” especially those who don’t have the burden of everyday parenting responsibilities, Sweet insists. Moreover, the elder generation becomes the repository of a family’s history, where grandchildren can learn where they came from.

Like Sweet, grandparents across the nation are becoming actively involved with intergenerational parenting and caregiving, and this role is becoming more commonplace.

A newly released AARP study finds that aging baby boomers and seniors are taking a more active role in raising their grandchildren.

Almost half of those surveyed were under 50 when their first grandchild was born. The ages of those surveyed ranged from 45 6o 100 years, with a mean age of 64.

According to the AARP study, today’s grandparents believe they are teaching their grandchildren values and family history, entertaining them and listening to their problems.

About 68 percent of those surveyed see a grandchild every one or two weeks, and almost 24 percent say they see their grandchild from once a month to once every few months.

However, the study found that a principal barrier to more frequent contact was living too far away – almost 45 percent of the respondents said their grandchildren live more than 200 miles away from them. Another barrier to frequent contact was the grandchildren’s busy schedules (22 percent).

In those case, grandparents reach out and touch a loved one by phone – eight in 10 grandparents (80 percent) contacted a grandchild by telephone at least once every couple of weeks.  A smaller number (12 percent) reported using traditional mail  (i.e. letters, greeting cards, or videos) at least once every couple weeks, and 54 percent sent traditional mail at least every few  months.

The AARP survey found the most popular topics of conversation between grandparents and grandchildren are issues relating to school (84 percent), morals or values (78 percent), planning future visits (72 percent) and daily activities (72 percent).

However, conversations between grandparents and their grandchildren did not shy away from sensitive topics.

Almost 65 percent speak with their grandchildren about religion and spirituality. Conversations also centered on cigarettes (47 percent), alcohol (43 percent) and illegal drug use (45 percent). Almost a quarter (24 percent) said they talk with their grandchildren about sex.

Grandparents are also providing significant financial support for their grandchildren on a day-today basis. On average, grandparents report they spend $500 a year on their grandchildren with many spending money on their basic daily needs. About 52 percent provide financial help with the educational needs of their grandchildren, and almost 45 percent report they hep with living expenses. Meanwhile, about 25 percent say they assist with a grandchild’s medical expenses.

Fifteen percent of grandparents reported they provide child day-care services for their grandchildren to assist the working parent, nearly 24 percent of those also say they provide such care at least once a week to once every couple of weeks while the parents are not at work. Almost 80 percent who provide child care are looking after one or two grandchildren; another 17 percent care for as many as three or four grandchildren.

Finally, the survey finds that grandparents of all ages are involved in some form of physical activity with their grandchildren. More than half (53 percent) have exercised or played sports with their grandchildren within the past six months, and at least half in each age group engage in such activities with grandchildren.

Inaction on RIPAE Proposals Would Be a State Tragedy

Published in the Pawtucket Times on May 20, 2002

Lawmakers are rushing to finalize the state’s business, hoping to adjourn as early as the end of May.

With thousands of proposals in the legislative hopper, each representative was directed by House leadership to choose three of their own sponsored bills to push for in the Senate.

All legislative proposals that do not make the “priority” lists are as good as dead for the year.

At press time, one proposal, Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Elderly Program (RIPAE) moves closely to passage.

The House Finance Committee has put the proposal (H 7291) into the state budget article. Susan Sweet, a consultant and aging advocate said she expects full House passage of the state budget article by the end of the week.

Once passed by the House, the state budget article goes to the Senate for their consideration and approval. Sweet told All About Seniors that she believes that the Senate will quickly pass the budget, too.

With passage, the final state budget will be  forwarded to Governor Lincoln Almond.

Under H 7291, the state Department of Human Services would seek a waiver from the federal government, allowing Rhode Island to use Medicaid funding to pay for prescription drugs for low-income seniors with incomes up to $ 17,720 and couples with incomes up to $ 23,880.

The legislative proposal, authored by Lt. Governor Charles Fogarty and sponsored by Rep. Constantino and House Finance Chairman Gordon Fox, would enroll about 90 percent of the 37,000 seniors now enrolled in RIPAE. Because seniors would now qualify for prescription drug coverage under Medicaid all U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drugs would be covered not just those currently covered by RIPAE.

Seniors would pay a small copayment rather than the 40 percent co-payment currently charged.

With the passage of the state budget article, then “cleanup” begins on all legislative proposals, Sweet noted, adding that the two other RIPAE proposals have not been acted upon yet.

These legislative proposals would make prescription drugs more affordable to seniors and persons with disabilities who are not covered by the Medicaid waiver.

One bill (H 7290) would allow seniors enrolled in the RIPAE program to buy prescription drugs not currently covered by RIPAE at the discounted state price.

The other (H 7524) would allow low-income disabled persons on Social Security Disability Income who are between ages of 55 and 65 to become members of RIPAE and purchase prescription medications at the state discounted rate. Under booth, the state would be able to obtain the manufacturer’s rebate available through RIPAE.

Sweet along with other aging advocate groups, has called on the Rhode Island General Assembly to pass the three RIPAE proposals, which don’t cost the state one penny.

Not acting on them will continue a tragic trend that is well-documented in Rhode Island and nationwide.

That is, the high cost of prescription drugs forces many seniors on fixed incomes into not taking their prescribed medications at all or using only partial doses.

Moreover, noncompliance can lead to unnecessary hospitalization, nursing home admission and premature death.

Even in the shadow of a huge state budget deficit, lawmakers have the opportunity to lower the spiraling out-of-pocket costs of costs of prescription drugs, at no cost to the state.

The Ocean State is now posed to enact sound public policy that will result in no fiscal impact to state coffers.

If Congress is not ready to tackle this aging policy issue through the creation of a Medicare pharmaceutical benefit, then the Rhode Island General Assembly must take the lead and pass the three RIPAE proposals.

Simply put, it is the right thing to do on behalf of older and disabled constituents.

Confronting the Long-Term Care Dilemma in Uncertain Times

Published in the Pawtucket Times on January 14, 2002

 Aging advocates are about to find out how many slides you can cut the Rhode Island budgetary pie, especially when lawmakers are predicting that the state’s deficit could soar to hundreds of millions.

With the backdrop of a recession, pushing to keep funding at current levels for existing programs and services this legislative session may be their only hope as advocates for affordable health care and housing, education, disabled persons, seniors, and low-income families call for their fair share, too.

Meanwhile, CHOICES, a broad-based coalition of provider organizations and advocate organizations, will push this legislative session for more funding to keep Rhode Island seniors in their homes.

The coalition representing home care agencies, assisted-living facilities, adult day care, housing, senior center, disabled and senior advocates and Meals on Wheels, will continue its efforts to urge the General Assembly for reforms to Rhode Island’s long-term care system, said Paula Parker, Executive Director of Rhode Island Partnership of Home Care and a CHOICES member.

“Consumers must have options to choose programs and services that can provide them with greater independence in familiar surroundings,” Park told ALL About Seniors, adding that this is an underlying principle of CHOICE’S philosophy.

During the state’s prosperous years, Rhode Island’s allocation for home and community-based services slowly inched up from seven to eight percent of the state’s total long-term care budget.  Parker noted, however, that General Assembly funding for long-term care services continued to be heavily weighted toward funding institutional facility care.

“The challenge today is to continue the momentum of increasing state support for home and community-based services in less prosperous times,” Parker said, because the start’s rising elderly population creates a need to expand options in long-term care.

Susan Sweet, a consultant, long-time consumer advocate and CHOICES member, added that the seven-year-old coalition plans to continue its education efforts to inform legislators and the public about the cost savings of home and community care for elders as opposed to institutional care.

For example, Sweet stated that full-time adult day care five days a week may cost up to $ 10,000 annually as compared to an average $38,000 bill for nursing facility care.

Options in the state’s continuum of care include assistance with the costs of pharmaceutical drugs, community-based programs, rehabilitation facilities and nursing facility care. Sweet said, “A menu of available choices allows seniors and their families to seek out and receive the most appropriate and cost-effective care for their current situation. That’s what CHOICES is all about.”

Can long-term care options assist lawmakers in controlling the state budget while providing needed services for seniors?

Yes, said Sweet. “Not only is the quality of life greatly enhanced for elders and their families when institutionalization is delayed or eliminated, but also individual assets and state contributions to care through the Medicaid program are greatly reduced or eliminated,” she said.

Recognizing that lawmakers must work within severe budgetary constraints. Sweet said she believes it should be fiscally short-sided not to recognize the significant budgetary savings that home and community-based care- and preventative care- bring to situations that, without intervention, would lead to costly health care such as hospitalization and protracted institutional stays.

“The challenge for Rhode Island is to continue progress on creating less restrictive and less expensive community services while continuing funding for needed acute and long-term care,” Sweet said, stressing that in a tie of decreasing revenues, this will not be an easy task.

Lawmakers must either conform the long-term care crisis now for today’s seniors in the shadow of the state’s current budget deficit or in later years, when the state’s demographic time bomb I ready to explode. For today’s seniors and for the aging baby boomers who follow in their footsteps, lawmakers, state agencies, providers and seniors  must cooperate in crafting a seamless long-term care system with options that enhance quality of life and provide independence. This may take years.

But until then, amid competing interests for limited state dollars, advocates for better long-term care will have to roll up their shelves with the support of senior and disabled constituents to get this year’s slice of the state budget pie.