GAMBLING AND WINNING - WITH SENIOR CARE

Yes, you can benefit from those folks who gamble at LOTTO!  That is, if you are sixty years of age or older, need health care and reside in West Virginia.

This is possible due to Governor Joe Manchin, III, who in 2007 introduced legislation that was passed by the 78th Legislature of West Virginia to expand senior services throughout the state.  Simply, it takes the money paid in licensing fees by establishments who run casinos to be used exclusively for senior health care.  The amount is between ten and eleven million dollars a year.  The service is called The Lighthouse Program and is administered by the WV Bureau of Senior Services; direct services are provided by senior centers throughout the state.

I count myself a winner in this program because I was able to enroll my Mother, who will be 103 on Valentine’s Day, to receive senior care.  Based on income, Mother pays only a dollar an hour for up to ten hours of care each week.  To be eligible, a person must meet the age requirement and be evaluated by a registered nurse.  Also, the person must meet two of four needs:  Personal Care (Grooming, Bathing, Dressing, etc.), Mobility (Transferring and Walking), Nutrition (Meal preparation and Shopping), and Environment ( Light Housekeeping - Bed Making, Dishwashing, Laundry, etc.)   The service is delivered by trained health care providers all of whom have been required to clear a Criminal Background check.

Ten hours a week means a great deal to a family member caring for a spouse or parent just in freeing one up for personal time or to provide the opportunity to run errands and attend to necessary business outside of the home.  And, financially, it means a savings of between eighty and one hundred dollars a week.  Importantly, I have been told that the national government is looking at this successful program with the possibility that it might be installed across the country.  So yes - winning through gambling is a reality in this instance.  Bravo for Governor Manchin and bravo for West Virginia.