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BEVERLY BOWEN
derlv, the only optional program offered by the county welfare department, is approaching a funding crisis, according to the new director. “Unfortunately, the state cut that budget. We have a little bit of money left but that will soon be depleted."
But Mrs. Bowen hopes a supplemental appropriation for companion services will be forthcoming from Richmond in December, and she sees justification for additional support for this program in a philosophical shift at the state level. The State Department of Social Services has adopted a “family focus" approach to social work, she explained. This recognizes that “the family is the central building block of society, so when the family structure is weakened, society is weakened. . .That’s why home care is so critical,” she said. A “family focus" stresses the importance of programs such as companion services which provide the assistance necessary for elderly people of limited means to remain in their communities rather than being placed in nursing homes at public expense, according to the director. “We need to keep older people in their own homes as long as possible,” Mrs. Bowen maintained. Not only is home care less costly, but “studies show that people do better at home — older folks and children, too.
“We have a gigantic foster care case load for our area," Mrs. Bowen continued, reporting that Rappahannock currently has 18 children receiving foster care. (That compares
See BOWEN, p. 17
72.4%