MA budget cuts threaten senior health services

More than 300 disabled senior citizens in Massachusetts will enter the new year on a waiting list for basic home care services, not knowing when or whether the assistance might arrive, because of state budget cuts. Just a couple of months ago, there was almost no wait for a home care aide who could help with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, and grocery shopping, the kind of services that keep people out of far more expensive nursing homes. But budget cuts announced October 15 sliced nearly $4 million, roughly 3.6%, out of the program. The budget cuts resulted in a waiting list that, on December 15, stood at 320 and is expected to grow, especially after the state announced a second round of budget cuts of up to $1 billion.