Activists protest administration senior care proposal

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Several hundred activists for the disabled -- most of them in wheelchairs -- protested Monday outside the White House, chaining themselves to a fence and shouting, "We'd rather go to jail than die in a nursing home."

The protesters argued that a new administration proposal to help nursing homes comes at the expense of home and community-based care. Many of the activists charged the proposal was politically motivated.

In his Sept. 16 radio address, which he delivered from a Washington nursing home, President Clinton announced he was sending legislation to Congress that would create $1 billion in new grants to improve nursing homes. The money could be used for hiring new staff, recruiting and retention, providing more training for caregivers and rewarding the best-performing facilities.

The activists, part of a group called ADAPT, said that in order to receive the funds, states would have to match the grants. That money, they said, would necessarily come from community and home-based initiatives, reinforcing an institutional bias that favors nursing homes over other types of care.

ADAPT organizer Linda Anthony called Clinton's announcement "a slap in the face" because "every day, people are locked up in nursing homes that don't want to go." She said they want equity for other forms of care and "freedom of choice" for people with disabilities.

Three of the activists met with White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, to present a list of their demands, which includes a meeting with the president and vice president.

The protest disbanded after Podesta told them the president would convene a meeting in October with administration officials, members of ADAPT and leaders of other disability groups.