Two aging Florida parents are fighting for their diabetic son to be able to get his insulin shots administered by the caregivers in a group home. A bill (SB 1736) under consideration in the 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.”
Anthony Mancuso and his wife found a group home for their son. It’s licensed by the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities. But two weeks away from their son going there, he was diagnosed with diabetes, requiring daily insulin shots.
Anthony Mancuso learned that meant either the family would give the shots or his son 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, 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, he 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 the shots.
According to the bill analysis, licensed nurses are the only people who are allowed to administer insulin at facilities licensed by the state. So, Anthony Mancuso looked into getting professional nurses to give the shots in the group home.
“The majority of them do not want Medicaid payment," he said. "They want private pay, which is extraordinarily expensive. In fact, for one year, one shot, three minutes per day, OK, 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 the only other option would be living in a nursing home, but Mansuco says that’s not what he wants for his son.
“I thought surely this had to be something we could fix through rule," said state Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce.
Grall says the problem requires a legislative change. She has a measure that creates a 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 supported by state Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart. She said diabetes is becoming more and more common, likely affecting about 20 percent of the population –including members of her 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.
The Senate Committee on Children and Families passed the bill unanimously.
A companion bill in the House (HB 1567) has been introduced by state Rep. Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid.
