Seniors who want to avoid nursing homes worry over new charges for home care, meals, nurses

Seniors pinched by new charges for home care help

WATERBURY, Conn. — Programs that help senior citizens live independently are facing budget constraints in several states, prompting new fees and waiting lists.

The in-home services include personal care assistants, visiting nurses and meal deliveries. They’re intended to help people age at home rather than move into more costly nursing facilities.

In Connecticut, elderly clients say a new 15 percent surcharge for in-home services is cutting too deeply into their budgets. And in North Carolina, there’s a dispute over creating a scoring system to determine how many hours of in-home care can be provided to the clients.

Officials say the fees and waiting lists, while difficult, are necessary to preserve the home care programs from elimination altogether.