Studies have also shown that instead of racing to get the extra services, many seniors are reluctant to accept extra help. It's only really in the extreme cases that they accept they need an outsider to come in. The financial side is just as surprising. About 20 percent of SCAN's subscribers meet all state criteria for nursing-home admission. Yet more than 95 percent, like Castoria in Brooklyn, are able to live at home.
Advocates say that can save taxpayers millions of dollars.
They point out that the Census Bureau estimates that 55 percent of all seniors who end up in a nursing home spend down all of their money within a year, and then become dependent on Medicaid. And that doesn't touch on the human side. Here in Brooklyn, for instance, Castoria's eyes sparkle as Noah and Herta Plotkin drop by to help her with groceries and other odds and ends. They can use those to buy health-related items, like neck and back cushions. Or they can save them up and cash them in when they need help themselves.