Sausage and Legislation

Becky Zaseck is President and CEO
of REAL Services

I am told that there are two things that you don’t want to see being made – Sausage and Legislation. I will follow that advice because I am very fond of the polish kielbasa sausage that we are known for here in Northern Indiana.  What would Dingus Day be without it?

And I always believed that the legislative process was interesting and logical.  In recent years however, we seem to hear that extreme opposing views and partisan politics result in gridlock, impeding progress of any kind.   Media outlets – on every channel – report that nothing is getting done through the legislative process and the other side is to blame. 

We have an example right here in Indiana of how progress can and does happen.  During the last legislative session, State legislators (Democrats and Republicans, Senators and Representatives), worked together to support a piece of legislation that will assist the elderly and disabled.  Joan Cuson, Director of the Area Agency on Aging here at REAL Services testified on numerous occasions about a federal initiative piloted by our staff.  This program is a home care model that considers the needs of an elderly person, rather than a rigid eligibility form.  We found that the model serves people well and saves money. 

It could have ended right there – a nice story about a good program.  But because Indiana legislators are committed to the elderly in our state; and because Joan Cuson and her team are passionate about what we do – this good program was expanded and is now being tested in  4 more areas of Indiana. 

Check out House Bill 1391:  http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2014/bills/house/1391/

So while the process of making sausage and creating legislation may be less than appetizing, I am delighted with the results of both.  And, I want to extend our deep gratitude to the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.  The Community Foundation provided a grant that allowed us to keep this program running until funding was provided through State of Indiana.