WHEREAS, New Jersey is a state where independence, dignity and choice
is fostered to support residents as they age; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey must prepare to meet the individual and societal
needs of our adult population and their families as they grow older; and
WHEREAS, government, for too long, has denied older adults the right
to choose where they receive services if public sector funding is paying
for the needed care; and
WHEREAS, policy changes are essential to support an expanding elderly
population that desires to stay at home with supports in the caring community
of New Jersey versus going into a nursing home; and
WHEREAS, caregiving by unpaid family or friends has become an important
issue because so many New Jerseyans are finding themselves or will find
themselves in the role of caregiver for a loved one; and
WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey must support innovative and cost-effective
initiatives for services and programs that are responsive to the unique
needs of a growing corps of volunteer caregivers and a diminishing workforce
of paid caregivers; and
WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey encourages a society free of ageism
and the stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are
old, specifically by protecting older adults' right to work, a decent
retirement, protective services when vulnerable and end-of-life care with
dignity; and
WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey recognizes that older adults are respected
members of the community and provide an invaluable resource of social,
cultural, historic and spiritual enrichment and leadership; and
WHEREAS, in Executive Order No. 100 (2004), I called upon the Department
of Health and Senior Services to develop a home and community health care
"bill of rights" to support New Jersey's aging population;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JAMES E. McGREEVEY, Governor of the State of New
Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
- The State of New Jersey hereby recognizes a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
to support the independence, dignity and choice of citizens as they
age. This Bill of Rights and Responsibilities safeguards the following:
- freedom, independence and individual initiative in planning and
managing their own lives; and
- full participation in the planning and operation of community-based
services and programs for their benefit; and
- access to viable, affordable and cost-effective services and
programs that are molded by the principles of strengthening independence,
affirming dignity and expanding choice; and
- the ability to remain in their communities and in their homes
with the support of community-based, long-term care services; and
- a system where long-term care needs are met, regardless of income,
in a culturally and linguistically sensitive way as they change
over time; and
- access to public and private services, allowing aging in place
where possible, and the ability to transition between the various
forms of long-term care with minimal disruption and maximum attention
to quality of life; and
- an opportunity to choose a healthy lifestyle, and be supported
in this choice by effective, culturally appropriate programs designed
to foster health and wellness without regard to economic status;
and
- support for family members and other persons providing voluntary
care, known as caregiving, to older individuals needing long-term
care services; and
- a community where greater choice, control and flexibility are
built into a progressive system of assistance for older and disabled
individuals, families, friends and neighbors; and
- protection against abuse, neglect and exploitation in the community
and in health care settings; and
- consumer empowerment to make informed quality of life decisions;
and
- a long-term care system that is visible, trusted and easy to
access for both information and assistance by all communities in
New Jersey.
- This Order shall take effect immediately.
GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 27th day
of September in the Year of Our Lord, Two
Thousand and Four, and of the Independence
of the United States, the Two Hundred and Twenty-Ninth.
/s/ James E. McGreevey
Governor
[seal]
Attest:
/s/ Mark J. Fleming
Deputy Chief Counsel to the Governor