Vermont Program Hailed As Model For Elder Healthcare

Karyn Crossman, a SASH coordinator pays a visit to 88-year-old Lloyd Piggrem, of Rutland. Piggrem is one of 100 clients Crossman works with through a statewide nonprofit that provides a variety of home-based support services. (Nina Keck/VPR)

In the U.S., an average trip to the Emergency Room costs more than $1,200. A one-month stay in a nursing home will run about $7,000 a month.

These skyrocketing costs, coupled with the nation’s aging population, are pushing the government to reign in Medicare spending and improve the health of older Americans.

A program that links health care and other services to affordable housing complexes in Vermont is doing both. As Nina Keck of Here & Now contributor Vermont Public Radio reports, it may become a model for other states.

Reporter

  • Nina Keck, reporter at Vermont Public Radio.
Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.

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