Sunday, November 07, 2004

Jospehine "Josie" Cerretto's medical needs drastically changed four years ago when, during heart bypass surgery, she suffered five ministrokes.

After several months in a rehabilitation program, Cerretto was sent home. But her husband, Rocco, couldn't take care of her at their Webster home. The strain of lifting her out of bed caused him internal bleeding.

So Josie Cerretto went on Medicaid, and since April 2001 has lived at the Kirkhaven nursing home on Alexander Street.

" I need the help," said Cerretto, who is now 81, and legally blind.

Her condition has improved markedly. When she arrived at Kirkhaven, Cerretto was too weak to hold a fork. Now, Cerretto can use a pole to lift herself out of her wheelchair.

Cerretto is known as the "star" of the exercise group that she participates in at Kirkhaven each morning. And she has even gone on occasional field trips, including trips to Frontier Field for Red Wings games.

Rocco, her husband of 61 years, visits the nursing home two times a day. He lives in an apartment in Rochester and takes care of himself.

" Every morning I'm here to feed her," the 82-year-old said.

Cerretto is one of the 3,700 Medicaid recipients in the county who live in nursing homes.

At Kirkhaven, Cerretto gets round-the-clock care. Medicaid pays almost $140 a day for care that costs $195 daily. The county pays for about 10 percent of the $140 Medicaid bill.

The amount a person kicks in varies, depending on the family's income.

For Cerretto, a nursing home is the only alternative.

And being on Medicaid is the only way she could stay at Kirkhaven.

" I don't know what I'd do without it," she said.