'I'm just desperate': Family searches for affordable care before assisted living closes

Like so many others, Laura Towe struggled with the decision to move her mother into an assisted living facility.

Towe has another difficult decision ahead as Renaissance Terrace, the assisted living facility her mother lives in, prepares to close in April because of "funding decisions by the TennCare CHOICES program."

She and the families of the other 44 residents are grappling with finding quality, affordable care for their loved ones.

"A lot of people that are losing a really, really good home," Towe said. "I think the state of Tennessee is failing the seniors that need them."

Renaissance losing thousands a month

Towe's 78-year-old mother, Shirley Wright, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in May. She went through chemotherapy and was placed on a feeding tube. Living at home was no longer an option.

"It was a very hard decision to make," Towe said. "Just the decision alone for her to ... not be able to live by herself anymore in her home. She lived (alone) in her home for 26 years."

Renaissance Terrace closing: Affordable assisted living facility to close in Knoxville, citing a lack of state funding

In October, Towe found Renaissance Terrace and said "it was a godsend."

The Fourth and Gill facility provides 24/7 care for its residents, half of which participate in TennCare's CHOICES, the state-run Medicaid agency's program for seniors and adults with physical disabilities.

According to Renaissance Terrace CEO Tim Howell, the facility is losing $30,000 a month because of increased operation costs, and the Senior Citizens Home Assistance Services board voted in January to sell the building.

The Senior Citizens Home Assistance Services is helping residents find other care options in the area, but the task has left Towe and her mother frustrated and confused with TennCare.

Limited affordable options

Towe has two main care options for her mom: finding an alternative assisted living facility that accepts CHOICES residents, or opening up her own home to care for her mother.

The TennCare CHOICES program provides reimbursements for both types of care. For residents living at an assisted care living facility, TennCare will reimburse the facility $1,305 per month per CHOICES resident. Because of federal regulations, all TennCare is permitted to cover is the actual cost of the services provided to a person in an assisted care living facility. Residents are responsible for their room and board.

This is a recent reimbursement bump funded by the American Recovery Plan; until the pandemic, TennCare CHOICES reimbursement rate was $1,100 per month per resident and hadn't increased since the program started 12 years ago. Funding for TennCare and the CHOICES program is approved through the legislative budget process each year.

According to Howell, $1,305 per month for senior care is "not enough money to provide 24 hour a day care with qualified staff" at Renaissance Terrace, despite the care it provides is cheaper overall than private assisted living care facilities and typical nursing home care.

If she moved her mom into her home, Towe says TennCare will pay for up to 10 hours per day of in-home care services at a reimbursement rate of about $21 per hour, nearly $6,000 per month. According to Towe, TennCare will also pay for minor home modifications to help make her home more accessible for her mother.

"What I don't understand is if the state's willing to pay that, plus any kind of home improvement for her to be safe at home, why are they only reimbursing $1,100 a month for a place that's going to give her 24-hour care?" Towe said.

Patti Killingsworth, Tennessee’s chief of long-term services and supports, said in an email obtained by Knox News that TennCare "has faced difficult budgetary decisions (with double digit years of budget reduction requests)" and "prioritized services for people above higher payments to providers."

According to Killingsworth, nearly 9,000 more people have access to in-home care each year, "allowing them to receive services in the setting of their choice."

The in-home attendant would help with daily necessities, like getting out of bed, taking a bath and getting dressed, but they cannot administer medicine. And since the attendant is only there for 10 hours a day, Towe would have to care for her mother the other 14 hours.

"(Renaissance Terrace) has allowed me to go by there and be a daughter. To just hang out with her and enjoy her," Towe said. "And she's more at ease as well, because she knows it's not a burden on me anymore."

However, finding an alternative assisted care living facility is proving to be difficult for Towe.

"After I started calling around, a lot of places don't take the TennCare Medicaid plan," Towe said. "And if they do, they want an additional ... $1,600 to $1,700 a month. And (my mother) doesn't have it. And I don't have it. I mean, besides quitting my job and losing everything that I'm working for. Yeah, no, I can't care for her like that, you know?"

Towe is considering a facility in Loudon County that is willing to work with Wright's financial situation.

"But why do I have to move her from a county that she has lived in, voted in, paid taxes and worked in? She volunteered at the O'Connor Senior Citizens Center for 12 years," Towe said. "Why should I have to move my mother out of a county that she's lived in her whole life?"

TennCare Communication Director Amy Lawrence said TennCare health plans will work with any members who may be impacted by the agency's decision to arrange transition to an appropriate living arrangement.

Towe is still exploring the options, but she hasn't given up on Renaissance Terrace yet.

Still fighting for a miracle

Since she heard that Renaissance Terrace was closing, Towe has been calling everyone from Gov. Bill Lee to President Joe Biden to Congressman Tim Burchett to fight for it to stay open.

"I'm just desperate," Towe said. "I'm just very desperate for a donation from anybody in our community. And I know that there's money out there."

According to Howell, Senior Citizens Home Assistance Services hasn't received a donation to keep the assisted living care facility open past April.

"I guess we're not receiving any miracle funding at this point," Howell said.

For Towe, that would be the best case scenario: a miracle, tax-deductible donation that would temporarily keep Renaissance Terrace afloat.

"And then we could work on the state," Towe said. "And we would find a long-term solution where they're going to give this money to these people. Instead of them being at home with 10-hour care, they're (at Renaissance Terrace) with 24-hour care, and it's still saving money for the state. It only makes sense."

Rebecca Wright: Higher education reporter at Knox News
Instagram | Twitter | Email | 865-466-3731
Enjoy exclusive content and premium perks while supporting strong local journalism. To get started, visit knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Renaissance Terrace assisted living resident seeks affordable housing