NM ranked 28th for long-term care

While New Mexico may rank near dead last among all 50 states in child and family well-being, the state ranks better in how it delivers long-term services to older residents, people with disabilities and family care givers.

The just released scorecard from AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, ranks New Mexico overall 28th in the nation, based on 25 indicators in five key categories: Affordability and access; choice of setting and provider; quality of life and care; support for family caregivers; and, effective transitions between nursing homes, hospitals and homes.

We experienced a 3 percent improvement to 51.4 percent in the number of adults age 21 plus who have disabilities and are receiving Medicaid, said AARP state director Gene Varela. New Mexico is ranked 23 in this measurement.

“What that means is more people have become eligible for services under the Medicaid expansion” that was part of the Affordable Care Act, and in applying for that “they realized that they were eligible for long term care services.”

Under the “choice of setting and provider” category, 64.1 percent of Medicaid funds go toward long term services and support services, giving New Mexico a ranking of third.

“New Mexico has been willing to put Medicaid and other state funds into allowing people to remain in their homes and receive long term services there, as opposed to going into facilities,” Varela said.

New Mexico is ranked second in the nation in the number of home health and personal care aides per 100 adults 18-plus with disabilities. We now have 33 per 100, up from 28 per 100 in the last AARP study done in 2014, Varela said.

Under the “support for family care givers” category, New Mexico is ranked 30th overall, and 32nd in “supporting working caregivers.”

“The vast majority of older New Mexicans want to live independently at home as they age, but because the cost of long term-care remains unaffordable for most middle income families, this can only be done with the help of unpaid family caregivers,” Varela said.

More than 419,000 residents help their aging parents, spouses and other loved ones to stay at home by providing assistance with bathing and dressing, transportation, finances, wound care, injections, and more. The value of this unpaid care is estimated at $3.1 billion.

“We need to figure out how to support them, and not necessarily with monetary compensation, but with things like flexible working hours and being able to use sick leave or vacation hours for caregiving duties,” Varela said.

New Mexico has a dismal ranking of 49th in the indicator for “affordability and access to long-term services and supports,” based on the cost of nursing home care and long term care insurance, he said.