Program helps ease transitions for people with disabilities

Nevada Daily Mail

Moving back into the community is no easy task, especially for seniors and those with disabilities.

Most people would prefer to live in their own home versus an institutional setting such as a nursing home; however, there are times that a nursing home is chosen in hopes that at some point the person is able to move back home at a later date. When a person decides that they want to move back home, they often have to start over because they had to let their home go in order to pay for their nursing home care. There is now a grant to help those individuals transition from the nursing home back into the community. The grant is called Money Follows the Person. This grant assists the elderly and people with disabilities in moving back into a community living setting and allows them to receive their long-term care services from the Home and Community Based Service side. HCBS can include Consumer Directed Services, In-Home Agency Directed Services, Meals on Wheels, Nurse Visits, etc.

The overall goal of Money Follows the Person is "to support people who have disabilities and those who are aging to move from a nursing facility or habilitation center to a quality community setting that meets their needs and wants."

Eli (last name withheld due to privacy issues) is a person who just received the Money Follows the Person grant assistance. He can live in his own home now. But without the help of the Money Follows the Person grant, he might have had to stay in a nursing facility.

"There's no place like home" said Eli. "My health has improved, it is reassuring to have a responsible person come into my home and see to it I am being provided for. It is also a psychological boost."

Having a choice of where you want to live, is now being offered to people that are living in an institution such as a nursing home. With the MFP grant funds, more and more people are hearing about the opportunity of transitioning back into their own home and living in the community like Eli was able to do.

Susan Maples, Independent Living Specialist and Consumer Advocate at On My Own, Inc., said, "In the past, people have had to become their own advocate and vocalize that they want to return to their own home. With the MFP grant and initiative, nursing homes now ask the people if they want to return to the community to live."

Maples said, "My role is to help anyone who wants to transition into their own home from a nursing facility. I can help them find a place to live and get the items they need to live in their home. On My Own receives many donations and some of our donations included home goods such as bedding, dishes, towels, etc. I also help with start up tasks like getting the water and electricity turned on, a phone installed and other things that make the transition process from a nursing facility to independent living as smooth as possible."

To qualify for the MFP grant, individuals must qualify for Medicaid, home and community-based services, and must have lived in a nursing home for at least three months. The grant can provide up to $2,400 per person and helps break down the barriers of moving back into the community.

Eli said, "I had nothing to worry about. Susan helped me and had everything ready when I moved in; including stocking the shelves and refrigerator with food. I now do all my grocery shopping myself."

For Eli, the Money Follows the Person grant made the task of moving much easier.

The MFP grant money is available through 2016.

For more information contact a social worker at the nursing facility involved, or Susan Maples at On My Own, Inc. at (417) 667-7007.