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Kitzhaber cuts rile seniors at hearing Hundreds show up to tell legislators to save programs By Bill Varble They came in wheelchairs and walkers � some with seeing-eye dogs and oxygen bottles � to argue against Gov. John Kitzhaber�s budget cuts for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. "The only down way is to a nursing home," said Marcelyn Bowles of Ashland. Bowles said she�s suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for more than 50 years. She told members of a committee chaired by Oregon House Speaker Mark Simmons that the only way she can continue to live at home is through the household help she gets from a visiting caregiver paid for by the state. Bowles spoke at a hearing on seniors and the budget held Saturday morning at The Orchards Assisted Living Center in Medford. Several hundred people, most of them seniors, jammed a large meeting room at The Orchards in a scene that featured a political role reversal, with Republican legislators expressing concern over cuts proposed by a Democratic governor. "What a shame it is that people have to come and beg to be helped in the richest nation on Earth," said Ed Alcantar, 73, of Grants Pass. Rep. Rob Patridge of Medford, running the hearing in Simmons� absence, told Alcantar the purpose of the hearing was not to make people beg. "It�s to put a face on this," Patridge said. Seven other representatives from the Legislature attended the hearing. Kitzhaber�s proposed budget would affect Oregon Project Independence and two Medicaid programs. OPI is a state general fund program that serves seniors at risk of institutionalization who can�t qualify for Medicaid. The typical OPI benefit is $150 a month for help with bathing, shopping and housekeeping. The goal is to keep clients out of expensive institutions. Nearly 200 Southern Oregonians are OPI clients. The governor has defended the cuts as necessary to increase funding for children�s programs. The Medicaid programs provide similar aid to the poor and place clients in assisted-care centers. Nearly 500 here are served by Medicaid. The cuts total more than $3 million in Southern Oregon. Tom Wollard of Portland-based Generations, which operates The Orchards and three other assisted living facilities in Southern Oregon, said the facilities could be forced to close. More than 70 percent of residents are Medicaid clients, Wollard said. "I hope you look at what this is going to do," he said. "I don�t know where I would go if I did not live here," Orchards resident Dorothy Brady said. "Under a tree someplace?" Eleanor Gates said she could be forced to live with her son, who works all day and wouldn�t be able to help her. She said she lives on $100 a month after her rent is paid and spends $92 on prescriptions. Dorothy Levitzow, speaking from her wheelchair, said she�s proud to live at home, where she has help with cleaning and laundry. Levitzow and Gates are OPI clients. Don Bruland, head of the Rogue Valley Council of Governments� aging efforts in Jackson and Josephine counties, said 222 clients at Medicaid levels 15 through 17 would be cut off. Those levels are for people who need help bathing, grooming, dressing. Another 232 clients in assisted living facilities would be cut $300 per month. The cuts would raise caseworkers� case loads and end funding for senior mental health projects, Bruland said. "I have had the privilege of participating in the creation of Oregon�s nationally recognized system of services," he said. "It is my fear that at a time when we should be improving Oregon�s long-term care system ... we are, in fact, dismantling it." Oregon�s senior population is expected to double in 20 years. The Rev. Paul Robinson, of Medford, suggested political fallout, saying, "I think anybody who votes to reduce these services is going to owe the seniors an explanation." Sharon Ely, 37, who is legally blind, showed up with Brolin, her German shepherd seeing-eye dog. She said without help in shopping an other chores, "I wouldn�t be here today." Alcantar, a volunteer with several senior programs, found irony in the fact that his generation � recently labeled "the greatest" in Tom Brokaw�s best-selling book � was being denied dignity in old age. "These are guys that hit the beaches at Tarawa and in Europe," he said. "I believe the best society is one that takes care of its elders. I know the hurts and pains of seniors. I see it every day." Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.