Block Grants To Keep Elderly In Their Homes Rolling Out

Brown County is getting a million dollar annual allotment to care for and keep the elderly and people with disabilities in their homes.

The program — which is also being implemented across the state — will keep people out of nursing homes or other institutions.

Brown County will put the money toward its IRIS program, which is short for “Include, Respect, I Self-Direct.” It allows clients to choose who takes care of them in their home, whether it is family or a contractor.

Brown County’s Aging Disability Resource Center runs the program in the Green Bay area which has 3,164 participants.

Patricia Finder-Stone is an ARDC board member. She says the block grant will allow people a longer and hopefully higher quality of life, with on-site health care and the comforts of home, including their pets.

“If they can’t have their little kitty or dog it’s very difficult, even though nursing homes do make an effort to let pets in to visit. It’s still not the same as having your cat cuddle up on your lap or pet your dog,” she said.

The program is also available to younger people with disabilities.

While Brown County’s waiting list for services has been eliminated, other counties still have a backlog.

Helen Marks Dicks, the state advocacy director of AARP Wisconsin, said the Medicaid block grants are rolling out across the state, but on a county-by-county basis.

“Dane County has got the program up and running but they have, I think, two more years to get everybody covered and completely abolish the waiting lis,” she said.

Marks Dicks added Wisconsin is, “On the verge of 100-percent coverage.”