Supporters of adult day health care services delivered petitions with 112,000 signatures to the state Capitol Thursday, all opposing the program’s elimination. Governor Jerry Brown has proposed eliminating the services as a way to save more than 177 million dollars. Celine Regalia, with the California Association for Adult Day Services, says the programs help the elderly as well as disabled adults and their families.
“These centers are part of the community” Regalia said. “When a center closes it’s like closing a hospital down. It’s been a resource in these communities. So it’s not only the family caregivers being impacted, it’s the participants themselves and it’s a community that’s losing a vital program.”
Regalia says without such services many people would be forced into expensive nursing home care. The Association says 37,000 participants statewide would be affected by a shut-down.
