Sand Mountain Reporter

The Alabama Silver-Haired Legislature is asking state lawmakers to consider passing resolutions that are intended to help the elderly throughout Alabama.

“That doesn’t always happen but, in the eight years we’ve been serving, we have had several that have been presented by our group that did get into bills,” said David Horton, who represents District 27 in Marshall County. He has been representing Marshall County for six years.

David’s wife, Marty, has represented District 26 for eight years, and sponsored a number of resolutions that made into the top five this year.

The Hortons are from Boaz.

They said each year the SHL chooses five resolutions from its annual session in Montgomery to bring to the state legislators and try to get them passed during the legislature’s next session.

According to the Hortons, the No. 1 resolution the group would like to see make it through Montgomery is a resolution asking the Legislature to appropriate another $12 million to expand the Personal Choices Program statewide.

The Personal Choices Program is a Medicaid waiver program that allows people the opportunity to receive reimbursement for a variety of personal health services and stay in their homes instead of being institutionalized.

The program currently is being piloted in seven west Alabama counties.

The second resolution called for a $3 million increase in funding for the SHL’s program to feed seniors who are considered to be shut-ins.

The third resolution would provide a tax incentive for caregivers who provide home care for the elderly or disabled people.

The fourth resolution urged lawmakers to increase the needs allowance received by nursing home residents to $60.

The final resolution would require nursing homes and assisted living facilities to provide identifying wrist or ankle bracelets for each resident.

Representatives from Marshall County sponsored one of the five resolutions.

The Silver-Haired Legislature is a group of seniors that mirrors the state legislature. Each district in the state has a SHL representative.

For more information, contact the Hortons at 593-2075.

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Serving Albertville and the Sand Mountain region

Publisher: Ben Shurett

1603 Progress Drive
Albertville, Alabama 35950

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