By the way, I got a great piece of advice. Someone asked Buckminster Fuller, the famous architect, for advice on how to live a long life. His answer was 'always use the bannister.'

I'm so grateful for your office, Senator King.

Take note of what she just said. Twenty-five percent of the residents in Aroostook County today are over 65. That's extraordinary.

I urge this committee to focus on the impact that Medicare and Medicaid payment policy is having on veterans' access to post-acute care services.

So that's compounded by additional regulations that increase cost but don't provide any additional funds; is that correct?

So on a dollar to a nursing home, the State of Maine puts up roughly 40 percent, the feds 60?

I urge this committee to focus on the impact that Medicare and Medicaid payment policy is having on veterans' access to post-acute care services.

Stabilize the workforce. This is directly tied to increased reimbursements, as you've heard, which need to be tied to inflation.

I'm sorry nobody said we're not gonna return these phone calls, it just didn't happen.

One of the concerns--and I've heard this when I've met with their agencies, particularly in rural Maine, is an epidemic of loneliness.

Could you define expansion? Are we talking 20, 30 percent, 40 percent? I mean----

So it's a vicious circle. The workload goes up, the staff burns out and leaves, and then you've got another gap.

Will that access information include information about VA availabilities?

Every day that you delay a nursing-home placement, the veteran is happier and the taxpayers are happier.

If we don't have the people to staff them, it ain't gonna work.

By the way, I got a great piece of advice. Someone asked Buckminster Fuller, the famous architect, for advice on how to live a long life. His answer was 'always use the bannister.'

We want to keep that permanent.

I don't think there's one in Washington County either.