My husband, a licensed clinical professional counselor, traveled to area nursing homes several times a week to visit with residents for various reasons, mostly depression.

For some of these elderly senior citizens, this was the only contact they had with a caring human being outside the nursing home. Furthermore, it was their time to have a someone’s full attention on them, to hear about their loneliness, their vulnerability, their fears, their anger. It was their time to unload a huge burden without fear of recrimination.

If my husband were independently wealthy, he would provide this service free of charge, but alas, he has bills to pay, a family to sustain. As of July, he’s no longer been able to see these clients as their dual-insurance Medicare/ Mainecare precludes coverage of LCPCs.

The ramifications of this recently passed bill are numerous, not only for those whose livelihood depends on these insurances, but most painfully for the elderly, who comprise a large portion of Maine’s population, and for whom these visits are something to look forward to every week.

Cidalia Thibault

Skowhegan