With an ad hoc group of people, he helped establish an independent living center in his town, and got his name on the draft of the original New York State legislation that instituted the right of clients to choose their own in-home health care workers or independent nurse contractors and have them reimbursed for their services by Medicaid. Slater continued to work through the agency nurses with whom he was familiar until an extended hospital stay broke his ties to his community and forced him to start anew. So, instead of choosing people I didn t know for my health care, moved to Newfield, New York, where my sister lives. She found this woman with wonderful organizational gifts, who held a meeting and found four people prepared to care for me for a month. Since Slater s arrival in his new home, he has coordinated his own hiring and put together a team.
Slater emphasizes the importance of reliable and professional care.
People should be able to pick and choose their own in-home health care workers. They ve put this into practice in Tompkins County where I live, says Slater. Now, I ve got nine personal attendants who rotate shifts to provide me with 24-hour care. James Slater reads and responds to his e-mail with the help of his personal care assistant. With his health in order, Slater will have the option of returning to his freelance writing career.