By The Star Staff
Family Secretary Ciení Rodríguez Troche said Wednesday that, regrettably, a system similar to that of the Child Support Administration (ASUME by its acronym in Spanish) must be created by law to meet the needs of senior citizens in Puerto Rico.
“I give you this answer with regret,” Rodríguez Troche said in a press conference. “Unfortunately, it seems that we are going to need legislation that is much more specific in relation to that. One of the things that was discussed in the [government] transition hearing [earlier Wednesday] is how sometimes non-supporting parents go to the United States. In other words, parents go to the United States and forget that their children stay in Puerto Rico and have to eat. The same thing is happening to us with seniors.”
“So certainly the possibility of establishing legislation similar to what happens in ASUME with minors for seniors is something that should be in the pipeline; it is something that we should not rule out,” she added. “Obviously, mediation processes should be the first avenue of action, but there are hundreds of cases and people who have sat down with me or in some way or another have brought me the concern that, you know what? In my house there [were] seven children and I have been left alone. So I think that -- and again, I say this with regret because in a responsible society this should not happen -- but we are going to have to be much stricter in the measures that are adopted to ensure that our elderly with families are cared for.”
Attorney Verónica Ferraiouli Hornedo, a member of the incoming Transition Committee, said she was surprised that the Family secretary stated that there are no federal funds available to care for the elderly.
“I was surprised to learn that there were no federal funds for these programs,” she said at a press conference. “Because working for the Resident Commissioner’s office, I have seen many grants that are available, but they are competitive and you have to go ask for them.”
Ferraiouli Hornedo said they will try to train officials of the new administration in the operation of available federal funds and how to request them.
The attorney also noted that federal funds for long-term care through the Medicare programs, which in the states cover the costs of long-term care and hospices, amount to around $800 million.
She said that as part of Governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón’s Government Plan, the Family Department will establish by regulation an administrative process for outlining the contribution per family member to the care of the elderly.
During the government transition hearing earlier in the day, the Family secretary addressed the growth in cases of abandonment of older adults by relatives.
“I can understand the validity of a son or daughter going to the United States to seek a better future. The part I could not understand was that they called me on the phone to tell me that I had to take care of their father,” she said. “In that sense, an effort has been made to activate everything that has to do with the ASUME Prospera program. And that is another program that we have already, even at the legislative level, proposed to give more support to. Right now, it is a voluntary program where people go to clarify their situation and see who is going to feed daddy or mommy or who is going to take care of them in what way. The reality is that, unfortunately, voluntary action does not necessarily work.”
“So, we have to be much more rigorous,” Rodríguez Troche said. “That program operates with a budget of about $538,000. So, it is a program that we have to look at in order to expand. It may cost me $2 million more a year that would have to come from the General Fund, but at the end of the day, if it means that our adults will be cared for in their homes by their relatives, the savings to the treasury will ultimately yield savings. Why? Because then I will not have to assume the full subsidy of that elderly person.”
Subsidized adoptions must not become ‘a business’
Rodríguez Troche also said at Wednesday’s transition hearing that she does not want to turn the issue of subsidized adoptions into a business.
“We believe that this is an area that we can strengthen, that we can begin to promote differently,” Rodríguez Troche said in response to questions from César Alvarado Torres, a member of the Incoming Transition Committee. “The last thing I want is for someone to want to adopt a minor because he is going to receive a subsidy. This is not a business.”
“However, we can recognize that there are some children who have unique challenges that, due to the cost of the services themselves, no middle-class person could assume the costs of treatment for many of our minors,” she added. “So, we could talk about that type of mechanism.”
Rodríguez Troche said the issue of adoption of minors over 6 years old represents a problem because people interested in adopting are looking for children younger than 6 years of age. In addition, some of the minors over 7 years old have health conditions, and families interested in adopting cannot necessarily assume treatment costs.
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