Older adults in Alaska now have more options for living with the adoption of a law establishing a new adult home care license to provide assisted living in a home setting.
SB 57, signed into law last week by Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R), establishes a new service and residential license type to support older adults or individuals who have severe disabilities and are seeking to live in a home setting. The bill also allows spouses and others who support those individuals to become paid caregivers when providing personal care under Alaska’s Community First Choice program.
“Despite Alaska being the biggest state in the United States, it also has the fewest options for assisted living,” Dunleavy said in a statement. “Meeting the needs of older Alaskans in their community is critical to supporting healthy aging and community sustainability.”
The state Division of Senior and Disabilities Services will administer the adult home care service by certifying and monitoring providers.
The program has the support of the aging services community.
“The Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association supports SB 57 and appreciates the focus on ensuring access to home- and community-based services that strengthen Alaska’s continuum of care, especially for the post-acute and community environment,” AHHA President and CEO Jared C. Kosin, JD, told McKnight’s Senior Living.
In a letter of support for the bill, Alaska State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Stephanie Wheeler, PhD, said that meeting the needs of older Alaskans in the community is “critical to supporting healthy aging and community sustainability.”
According to the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, the bill helps address the shortage of services and settings for older adults and others who require help with activities of daily living and other assistance to live more independently. The council said that approximately 2,500 older adults in the state are eligible for adult home care.
“HB58/SB57 creates an option that may enable some people to remain in a community setting when they might otherwise need to leave their communities and move into an institution, such as a nursing home,” a statement from the council read.
