Two aging Florida parents are fighting for their son to be able to get insulin shots for his diabetes, administered by the caregivers in a group home. A bill under consideration in the state legislature could help make that happen.
Anthony Mancuso’s son Adam has developmental and intellectual disabilities.
“We’ve been taking care of him throughout his entire life of 35 years, and we always felt that he would always, always be with us," Mancuso said. "Unfortunately, we’re aging, he’s aging, and we realize that for his safety and his well being, he needs to go into another setting where he will be safe.”
Mancuso and his wife found a group home for their son. It’s licensed by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. But two weeks away from Adam’s going there, he was diagnosed with diabetes. He would need daily shots of insulin going forward. Mancuso learned that meant either the family would give the shots or Adam would have to go into a nursing home instead of the group home.
“The doctor gave me a needle, an epipen," he said. "He says, ‘Here. Tomorrow morning, you will give him this shot, or eventually your son will die.’ So, in the morning [laughs], I did it! It’s very simple, three minutes, and it was done. And I must say my son’s health has increased tremendously because of it.”
However, Mancuso told the committee, he’s 74 and his wife is 76, both with health issues. It’s only a matter of time, he said, before they won’t be able to give Adam his shots. But according to the bill analysis, licensed nurses are the only people who are allowed to administer insulin at facilities licensed by the state. So, Mancuso looked into getting professional nurses to give Adam his shots in the group home.
“The majority of them do not want Medicaid payment," Mancuso said. "They want private pay, which is extraordinarily expensive. In fact, for one year, one shot, three minutes per day, okay? 365 days per year -- you’re looking at a sum of approximately $80,000 per individual. My son’s entire budget isn’t that high.”
Mancuso said his son’s group home can feed him and draw his blood, but can’t give him insulin. That means Adam’s only other option would be living in a nursing home, but Mansuco says that’s not what he wants for his 35-year-old son.
“I thought surely this had to be something we could fix through rule," said Vero Beach Republican Senator Erin Grall.
Grall says the problem requires a legislative change. She has a measure that creates a new section of law allowing direct-support professionals or a client’s relative to administer insulin in an APD licensed group home to a client with a developmental disability.
It’s a move Stuart Republican Senator Gayle Harrell supports. She says diabetes is becoming more and more common. She says it likely affects about 20 percent of the population in the course of their lives -- including members of her own family.
“My grandson was diagnosed at age 3," Harrell said. "He started taking his own insulin at age 10. There is no reason why an individual who is trained -- and the training would take approximately half an hour to show everything you would need to know as to how to calculate how many units you’re going to take, looking at your blood sugar -- a whole variety of things…”
Grall hopes her bill will be a solution for the Mansuco family and others. She says she’s seen information that suggests dozens of Florida families are in the same boat.
The Senate Committee on Children and Families passed the bill unanimously.
