Most people don’t think much about old age until they are approaching it personally, but when the topic comes up, many people admit that they don’t want to go to a nursing home. We want to spend the last years of life at home, where the surroundings are comfortable and familiar.

Most Mainers cannot afford today’s $98,000-per-year average cost of nursing home care. If admitted, residents soon use up their assets and have to rely on MaineCare (Medicaid).

Most of the nursing homes take good care of residents; that is not the issue. And there are people who must have specialized nursing home care. But many Mainers could stay at home much longer if enough good home care workers were available throughout the state.

Home care is much less expensive than nursing home care. Maine has a very large number of older residents and in order to allow them to get care at home, more well-trained and caring in-home workers such as homemakers and personal care providers are needed. Providing home care is not easy work and many workers are poorly paid right now.

There is a bill in the Legislature, LD 1350, that would increase the wages, benefits and job supports that will ensure that Maine can train and keep good workers, while avoiding or postponing the huge cost to taxpayers for nursing home care.

Maine’s representatives must pass LD 1350. It will save taxpayers money and improve elderly people’s lives.

Ellen Field, New Gloucester