Man Losing Aid That Lets Him Live at Home

DUFF, Tenn. -- For 17 years, Christopher Hughes' body held his mind prisoner.
Most of his teachers labeled Hughes "profoundly mentally retarded." The athetoid cerebral palsy that wracks his body with involuntary movements also prevents him from speaking words. Hughes, 34, cannot sit up unassisted. He cannot scratch an itch, bathe himself, eat, drink, go anywhere on his own, even across the room.

Tennessee Limits at-Home Services

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is limiting the amount of home-nursing and personal assistance services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to reduce budget costs, an approach that could push more people into community-based homes.
The Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities has been notifying families who use the at-home Medicaid waiver programs of the new limits since March. The department has been looking to make the changes for two years and got approval in February from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.