The devastating death toll in the nation’s nursing homes has given new emphasis on possible alternatives for the care of the country’s senior citizens. Nationally, the death toll in nursing homes has been about a third of all reported COVID-19 deaths, and it has been 40 percent in Louisiana.

The biggest fear some senior citizens have is dying alone in a strange place without family or friends nearby, according to americareinfo.com. An AARP study found that more than 90 percent of senior citizens want to stay in their home as long as possible, even if they need outside help.

Staying at home in Louisiana or using the services of community care facilities has been difficult. The Advocate in an editorial said the “state relies too heavily on nursing homes, with tragic consequences.”

Nursing homes in other states receive over half of the available Medicaid dollars for elderly care, according to the newspaper. In Louisiana, the AARP said nursing homes get four of the five long-term care dollars. Legislative efforts to change that have been unsuccessful, and that has compounded the fear felt by senior citizens.

That fear of being alone has been widespread during the coronavirus pandemic because families of loved ones in nursing homes have been unable to visit their loved ones. Many Americans have died in nursing homes or hospitals without their families being there and that takes a tremendous toll on both patients and families.

Understandably, for those seniors who need exceptional care, nursing homes may be their only option. Many require 24/7 medical care from a doctor or nurse and living at home is extremely difficult.

Louisiana has many nursing homes that have done an exceptional job of protecting their residents from the coronavirus, and they have kept residents’ loved ones well-informed.

Senior citizens in this state who prefer to live at home can only do so now if they are able to hire health care workers or professional home care agencies. As americareinfo.com said, seniors at home “age in place” among their friends and surroundings in which they feel secure and comfortable.

More of Louisiana’s senior citizens deserve to age in place at home. The 11,000 individuals who are on a waiting list for home health care assistance deserve more consideration than they have been getting from state legislators.

The coronavirus pandemic has made living away from home more difficult and deadly, and that should be motivation enough for the Legislature to give senior citizens other alternatives.

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This editorial was written by a member of the American Press Editorial Board. Its content reflects the collaborative opinion of the Board, whose members include Crystal Stevenson, John Guidroz, Mike Jones and Jim Beam.