Public invited to comment on Hawaii Long Term Care Commission report

HONOLULU—The public is invited to give comment on a draft Phase I report of the Hawaii Long Term Care Commission on Thursday, March 10 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the State Capitol Auditorium. The commission is administered by the Social Sciences Public Policy Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The report finds, among other things, that a large majority of Hawaii residents lack sufficient funds to pay for a nursing home or at-home care, and that the likely social and demographic consequences of the increased need for long-term care will include increased demands on caregivers, increased need for long-term care capacity, and higher government expenditures.

Phase II of the Commission’s work will be conducted in 2011, and will address public and private financing options, and develop a five-year comprehensive long term care plan that to “promote a full continuum of institutional and community-based services, including benchmarks to evaluate accomplishments for each year.”

For more information, visit www.publicpolicycenter.hawaii.edu/longtermcare.html.