Why A Young Man Died In A Nursing Home, A State Away From His Mom

Why A Young Man Died In A Nursing Home, A State Away From His Mom
(National Public Radio)
January 17, 2013

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily Express] Zach Sayne was 25 when he died earlier this month at the place that had been his home for 15 years — a children’s nursing home in Alabama.

But that was too far away, 200 miles too far, for his mother in Georgia. Nola Sayne was trying to bring him back, closer to her home. The story of why she couldn’t reveals the bureaucratic traps, underfunding and lack of choices that plague state Medicaid programs.

We told the story of Nola Sayne and her son Zach in our 2010 series, Home or Nursing Home: America’s Empty Promise to Give the Elderly and Disabled a Choice. One story was about the surprising number of young people — teens and those in their early 20s — living in American nursing homes.

The story explained Nola Sayne’s dilemma and why parents often had no choice about placing their young sons and daughters into nursing homes.

For Nola Sayne it happened 15 years ago when Zach was just 10 and had a feeding tube inserted into his stomach. Zach had cerebral palsy and seizures. He was partly blind and couldn’t talk. No other after-school program would take him.

Entire article:
Why A Young Man Died In A Nursing Home, A State Away From His Mom
http://tinyurl.com/ide0117134
Related:
Home Or Nursing Home: America’s Empty Promise To Give The Elderly And Disabled A Choice
http://www.npr.org/series/131105200/home-or-nursing-home