Final arguments on Proposal 4
Proposal 4 would amend the state constitution to create the Michigan Quality Home Care Council, and allow home health-care workers limited collective-bargaining rights. For full Bridge coverage of Proposal 4 — and the other statewide ballot proposals this year — visit our Ballot Mania page. For an analysis of the proposal by the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan, click here. Advocates were asked to make their case on how to vote on Proposal 4:
No: Prop 4 |
Yes: Prop 4
will protect
aged, disabled
By Dohn Hoyle/Citizens for Affordable Quality Home Care
Those who are aging or have a disability tell us that they want to stay in their own home instead of going to a nursing home or other institution. If that’s their choice, our priority is to ensure that they are safe and healthy in their own homes.
On Election Day, voters across Michigan have an opportunity to help seniors and people with disabilities get safe, quality care in their own homes, by voting yes on Proposal 4.
Also known as Keep Home Care a Safe Choice, Proposal 4 ensures our loved ones can direct their own care while remaining independent and healthy in their own homes.
Proposal 4 will help persons who need assistance to remain in their home, get assistance from screened home care workers who help perform many tasks, from getting dressed to taking their medication. Proposal 4 establishes a registry that requires home care workers on it to undergo strict background checks, an important safeguard to prevent neglect and abuse.
Proposal 4 directly impacts the care and safety of countless Michiganders, especially our most vulnerable citizens.
Those of us who work directly with seniors and people with disabilities know firsthand what a real difference quality home care makes. When seniors and people with disabilities choose home care, they are happier and healthier. Home care allows our loved ones to live in familiar, comfortable surroundings near family, friends and their communities. By staying in their own homes, seniors and people with disabilities also avoid costly alternative settings, including nursing homes.
Proposal 4 contains many important safeguards to protect seniors and people with disabilities.
First, it establishes the Michigan Quality Home Care Council, which would oversee a registry that links home care recipients with pre-screened home care providers in their area.
Second, it requires home care providers on the registry undergo strict criminal background checks to ensure safety for seniors and people with disabilities.
Third, it connects home care providers to critical job training so they can better care for seniors and persons with disabilities.
Furthermore, Proposal 4 will save taxpayer dollars in avoided institutional costs, since home care is significantly less expensive to taxpayers than nursing homes, according to non-partisan studies by the AARP and the conservative Anderson Economic Group.
In addition to promoting quality care, Proposal 4 and the registry it creates will also help keep our loved ones safe. By better screening home care workers, we can prevent abuses as well as exploitation, neglect and abandonment of seniors and people with disabilities. According to estimates by the Michigan Department of Human Services, about 14,000 elder abuse cases are reported on average each year.
That’s why a diverse coalition of groups endorses Proposal 4 and urges Michigan citizens to vote yes.
Michigan’s leading senior and disability rights groups, such as the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, the Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan, Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Arc Michigan, and many more have endorsed Proposal 4. Faith leaders, veterans groups and many others also urge a YES vote on Proposal 4.
And, law enforcement leaders, local police chiefs and prosecutors across Michigan agree that Proposal 4 will promote better care and safety for loved ones.
Proposal 4 promotes greater security, it gives those who need assistance more choices and it saves money for them and for taxpayers.
Vote “yes” on Proposal 4 for the health, safety and peace of mind of those we care about.
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