Office of Lt. Governor David Zuckerman
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2023
Contact
Lisa Gerlach
Chief of Staff, Office of the Lt. Governor
(802)636-7047
Lisa.gerlach@vermont.gov
NEWS: Lt. Governor Zuckerman Releases Statement on Vermont’s Long-Term Care Crisis
MONTPELIER, Vt: On Friday, Lt. Governor Zuckerman released the following statement regarding Vermont’s long-term care crisis:
“The newly released rate studies from the Department of Vermont Health Access prove what Vermonters have known for a long time: Vermont’s long-term care services have been severely underfunded for years, since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, leading us to the crisis that we are facing today. Vermonters over the age of 60 make up nearly 30% of our population, and to continue to underfund crucial services that support older Vermonters, especially those who are unable to perform basic activities of daily life, is unconscionable.
“All people should be able to age in place with dignity and respect. We must adequately and reliably fund our long-term care sector so that Vermonters such as Darryl Rudy, who is living with Alzheimer's and relying on his partner as an unpaid caregiver, and Peggy Irons, who was forced to move her husband Paul to a care facility over an hour away from home due to a lack of programs in her community, can receive the assistance and care that they need.”
You can watch todays press conference held by the Long-Term Care Crisis Coalition and hear Darryl and Peggy’s full story, as well as stories of other individuals on the front lines of the long-term care crisis, here.
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