Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 172 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to encourage and express support for the efforts of the Executive Office on Aging and the Department of Health to develop the Self-Determination Demonstration Project, whereby services are directed by the consumer.

Testimony supporting this measure was received from Project Dana and one individual.

Your Committees find that as the number of elders increase at a rate faster than the provision of available elder services, new approaches toward the delivery of aging services must be explored. Long-term care and related services demand a tremendous amount of resources from the elder population and government. However, there are indications that resources are more efficiently and effectively utilized when elder consumers have more control over the services being provided to them. The Executive Office on Aging and the Department of Health are pursuing further study on this approach, and your Committees express wholehearted support for their efforts.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 172 and recommend its adoption.