This Friday, Pushing Limits talks to “The Last Person on IHSS.”
This Friday afternoon at 2:30, Pushing Limits presents a radio play entitled “The Last Person on IHSS.”
It’s the year 2036, three years since California eliminated its In-Home Supportive Services program, commonly known as IHSS. Since 1973, this program has allowed people with disabilities to choose the individual they want to assist them with daily living and provides the funds to hire them. In the years since the program was eliminated, several funds had been set up to pay caregivers. However, due to the failing economy, these funds soon ran out. People were also encouraged to volunteer their time to care for those with disabilities, while former IHSS recipients were told to use their savings to pay for care. However, month after month, more people with disabilities ran out of funding, forcing them into institutions. After much research, the Pushing Limits team identified Betty Adler of Berkeley, CA, as the last person enrolled in the IHSS program to live independently. For the past three years, the 80-year-old Adler has been using her inheritance and personal savings to keep her 42-year-old caregiver, Amy, employed. However, Betty’s money has run out.
We interviewed Betty on the eve of her entering a nursing home to find out about her life as the last person on IHSS. Come join us to hear an episode from the future that we hope to never see.
After the play, we’ll return to 2026 and rebroadcast some important information about current Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund initiatives, including the intersections of disability with immigration policy, physician-assisted suicide, and reproductive rights.
The Last Person on IHSS stars:
Denny Daughters
Kelly Kivlahan
Emily Bridges
Dominick Trevethan
Jennifer Chassman-Brown
Joni Gold
The script was written by the cast, Jacob Lesner-Buxton, and Collin Thoma and was produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton. Editing was done by Denny Daughters and Dominick Trevethan.
If you are inspired by the play, you can e-mail your legislators your thoughts on the IHSS program at https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/