In addition to passing a $8 billion dollar budget that merely placed a band-aid or kicked-the-can down the road, on the majority of the huge challenges we face as a state like properly funding Public Education, increasing teacher pay, giving long-lasting solutions to our Retirement/Pension System, and actually providing comprehensive solutions and funding to our Infrastructure (roads, bridges, rail, broadband), last week state leaders (solely Republicans) also managed to shut-down and killed a measure which would have increased funding for full-time Elderly Caregivers. Ironically this measure found its death on Alzheimer’s Day at the Statehouse.
Caregivers are defined as a family member or paid helper who regularly looks after a child or a sick, elderly, or disabled person. Yep, unfortunately, denying funding to this group of selfless South Carolinians is as bad as it sounds.
Democrat and former nurse Mary-Gail Douglas of Fairfield offered up an amendment during the budget debate that sought to increase assistance for caregivers of the elderly, many of whom care for stroke survivors, dementia and Alzheimer’s patients etc.
She rose to give an impassioned speech, which was met with an applause, pleading “for more than 700,000 caregivers in our state…because they don’t have lobbyist”.
And if you thought no one would dare to rise to speak against an amendment to help full time elderly caregivers–Wrong. Republican leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee did the (dis)honors. However, the current Chairman of House Ways and Means, Brain White, did offer to move the money for the program from a “meal assistance program” if it was adopted (how kind -_-). Really Chairman White?! While we do respect the efficiency, Chairman White knows better and we expect him to correct this in the near future. We will be watching.
Representative Douglas explained to her colleagues that the $400,000 increase would benefit fulltime caregivers who care for the elderly in their homes instead of nursing homes. She explained that these funds are often distributed to receipt at approx. $400 per case and that the funds allowed for caretakers to take an average of 5-7 days off from their daily duties. She also revealed that In-Home Elderly Care actually saves the state millions of dollars in associated nursing home cost.
The amendment was ultimately defeated courtesy of the majority party, the “compassion members’ of the Republican Caucus, in a 43-66 vote.
With votes like this it stands to reason why South Carolina keeps finding itself at the bottom of the list when it comes to quality of life.
We simply ask Republican leadership in the House, “What would Jesus do?”