I am going to vote “yes” on Question 1 — the universal home care initiative on the ballot next month — for a lot of reasons, the simplest of which is that I might, some day, need the help myself. I am already a senior citizen, and since my wife’s death last year, pretty much alone in the world. Knowing that professional home care was available, regardless of my ability to pay, would offer great peace of mind.
But I am not thinking just of myself. I have relatives who, so far, are still independent but are unwell and may also need the services the passage of Question 1 would provide. I can’t be of meaningful help because they live some distance away. Those twin realities — of an aging population and long distances between people — explain why Maine, in particular, needs a universal home care program.
That need is broad. A recent study by the Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine determined that 27,000 state residents would qualify for the program Question 1 would create.
Foes of Question 1 are looking after their own interests, not the public’s. They include the nursing home industry, which doesn’t want the competition from home care, and the state’s bankers, who don’t want to pay the slight tax increase on high incomes that would fund the program.
My wife passed quite suddenly, but many people will need disability and end-of-life care. For the sake of all those who might need the help, I urge a “yes” vote on Question 1.
Earle Kasregis, Roxbury
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