My friend is a victim of a Florida Republican “death panel.”

[Cyrano]

An elderly woman, who used to be my neighbor, has been in a senior care center (nursing home) for the past four years.

She had been very active politically and socially and we had become friendly over the years. As her health began to fail, her children (who live up north) put her in a nursing home. She is on Medicare and Medicaid.

I visit her perhaps twice a week, and until recently, she was doing just fine. There were activities there to keep her occupied, she had access to TV, and the food was acceptable. She was mentally alert, aware, and as smart as ever.

And most importantly, there was sufficient staff (aides, nurses, therapists, etc.) to see that people were cared for. That all changed in January of this year when a lunatic Republican governor named Rick Scott came into office, determined to destroy each and every remnant of a civilized society.

Medicare and Medicaid are near the top of his list and the Republican controlled Florida legislature passed everything he wanted them to pass. Many of these issues are still being fought out in court. But nursing home owners, expecting the worst, have been cutting back on their staffing.

Do you know what cutting back on staffing means in a nursing home? It means that if you’re not self-sufficient, you can lie in your own crap for an hour or more until an aide comes to help you. The workload of the aides has greatly increased, their hours have been greatly decreased, and their pay is sub-normal by any civilized standards.

I have watched my friend go downhill, mentally and physically, very quickly. (And I also see many others in this “care center” who are obviously not receiving sufficient care.) My friend is sinking deeper into depression and has all but stopped eating. I have no doubt that she’s trying her best to die faster.

But what is really speeding up her death is the Florida Republican “death panel” led by Governor Rick Scott. So the next time you see Republican politicians fighting any kind of sane health care agenda and screaming about the Democrat’s “Death Panels,” keep in mind that they are merely throwing up a smoke screen. They are trying to make Americans think that it’s Democrats who want to kill the elderly.

All in all, Republicans at the federal, state and local levels are the scum of the earth.

On edit: Medicare and Medicaid are not "charity." She worked her entire life and earned these benefits. The nursing home keeps her Social Security checks which are about $1,300/month. The balance of costs are paid for through Medicare (the federal govt.) and Medicaid (shared by the state and federal govts.) Rick Scott can stop the states contribution to Medicaid, and is fighting with the federal government for an okay to withdraw from Medicare.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. A kick for your dear friend.

[Ship of Fools]

2. Very sorry about your friend.

This doesn't surprise me one bit -- many nursing homes struggle to keep staffed as it is. That said, Rick Scott is the devil incarnate.

[highplainsdem]

3. K&R. This is tragic.

[ceile]

4. K&R

If something isn't done to stop the gutting of the system, this will most likely become the norm.

[lpbk2713]

5. One thing you can be sure of ...

No one close to Scott will ever suffer that kind of fate.


Words can't express my outrage over this shameful treachery by
our society on our senior friends in the twilight of their years.


KnR


:kick:

[flamingdem]

6. Please publicize this, maybe in the local paper because

it makes me angry. It will make others angry as well.

That sicko Scott has got to be curtailed.

[Cyrano]

11. The papers occasionally print letters to the editor on this issue

Some of those letters attempt to describe the circumstances I've posted here.

And then there are the really disgusting letters implying that ailing seniors are a burden on society, or free loaders who couldn't save enough and are looking for a handout in their old age. Some even suggest that they are not dying fast enough. Such letters contain wording in far more subtle terms than I've used here. But their actual meaning and intent is fairly clear.

At one time, no reputable paper like "The Miami Herald," "The Sun-Sentinel," or "The Palm Beach Post" would have printed these screeds of hate. But times change, newspapers are dying, and red meat sells. There's a saying known to journalists: "If it bleeds, it leads." Watch the local news on your TV. The bloodiest story, when available, will always be the first. And so it is even in the letters to the editor sections of newspapers. The more venomous the letter, the more people will read it.

[lpbk2713]

12. Rick Scott supporters IMO.

I see LTTE's and poll replies just like this and even more outrageous in my local newsrag. I seriously tend to think Scott has a pool of stooges whose job is to make replies just like this teeming with sanctimonious outrage to newspapers and TV stations and blogs around the state to make it appear Scott is doing the right thing. Some of the ones I've seen are just beyond belief, I come away thinking no real person could think that way and still function as a human being.

[HockeyMom]

7. Why is she still in Florida

if she has family up North? My daughter's father-in-law went through this with his parents. Long story, but after his Dad died in a nursing home in Florida, he was outraged. He wanted his Mom to move back up north but she refused. When the time came for her to go into a nursing home, he outright told her she was moving back north and he was not taking no for an answer. They sold her Florida house and she was put in a nursing home 10 minutes from where her son lives. She is half an hour away from her grand-daughter and great-grand-children. Her son regularly brings her out and to his house. He picks her up and takes to ALL family holiday gatherings.

This is the way in SHOULD BE, not leaving the person who raised you 1,000 miles away in nursing home. While it is pitiful what Rick Scott is doing, in the situation you talked about, this woman's FAMILY is as much at fault. It sounds like they just want to put her away and forget about her.

I am sorry and I hope this doesn't offend you, but I feel strongly about this since I live in Florida and my kids are in NY. You would have to strap me down and gag me to keep in this state and in a nursing home 1,000 miles away from them.

[Cyrano]

8. I really don't know what the family situation is

and neither do you. Yet, you are being harshly judgmental on something of which neither of us has any knowledge.

You're lucky to have kids in NY that will see to it that you don't end up in a Florida nursing home. Not everyone is in that position.

[NNN0LHI]

25. Do you have any way of contacting the family and explain the situation to them?

I am not trying to be a smart ass. Just offering a suggestion.

If want to you can PM me the children's phone numbers I would be happy to make the calls and do whatever I can do to help.

Peace.

Don

[EFerrari]

10. All families aren't that functional.

My mom will never go to a nursing home unless/until there is some medical reason for her to be there, and in that case, my brother and I will monitor her care. I, on the other hand, will die in the street because neither of my kids can take care of a cat, let alone an elderly person. My brother seems to have at least one kid that can be counted on, so that's something.

[pitohui]

13. nursing home care for one elder costs more than my entire family BEFORE TAX income

no honest working family or couple can earn enough money to pay for nursing home care AND feed themselves, it's $10K a month

medicare/medicaid is the only alternative for HONEST working people

i can't speak to those who thought ahead and had family members who are politicians or drug dealers, but let's assume THIS elder's family members were honest, since it is not helpful to us to learn about how the dishonest people live a life of luxury

the answer to the nursing care costs is NOT to soak and impoverish the families, but i sure as shit wish for you exactly what you wish for other families, i'm sure you will agree that if this woman's family has an extra $10K a month to spend it is only fair to expect YOU to have an extra $10K a month to spare when it's time for your mom to go into the nursing home...and of course your husband's mom might need the same, and sometimes dads survive long enough to end up in nursing care as well...but why should an elder benefit from decent care from medicare, it's simple enough for YOU to earn an extra $40K a month to cover all these expenses that you should have anticipated, correct?

people suck, and people who shoot off their mouths without any knowledge about what they're talking about double suck

it's real simple, honest people don't earn enough to pay for nursing home care, sheesh, get out more, meet some actual old people, find out what it really costs

[mnhtnbb]

16. I agree. I moved my father--who was in a locked unit in a nursing home

because of dementia--from California to North Carolina when my mother died. She had been in the skilled
nursing side of the same assisted living/continuing care facility. There were no longer any family
in California (my brother lived in Iowa). We tried to ask my father where he preferred to go--Iowa or North Carolina--and when he wouldn't make a decision I made the decision for him.

I flew out and got his move organized--things packed to be shipped or given away--and my husband flew out
a couple of days later. We all flew back together and then took him to a new nursing facility straight
from the airport. He couldn't live with us because I couldn't be sure he wouldn't walk out the door
in the middle of the night--and eventually I had to move him to another skilled nursing facility because
one Sunday my husband and I made popcorn to take over and watch a football game with him. We walked in
to his room to find him on the floor--without his pants on. He was cold and had been down for some time.

I can't believe any family would just leave an elderly, single relative in a nursing home 100's of miles away. Actually, I can believe it because they don't want to be bothered with visiting/monitoring what goes on.

[Cyrano]

19. Are you in the least bit aware that many people in today's America cannot

afford a plane ticket?

[mnhtnbb]

20. No, I'm just a dumba$$ who cared about my father. Why don't you write

to the family of your friend and inform them what's going on?

And then get off your high horse.

[HockeyMom]

24. SOMEBODY is paying for her to be in that nursing home already

Since that is the case, she can go into another nursing home. Why does she have to be stuck in at particular one in Florida? Nobody is saying that her family up north has to take her in and care for her. Apparently, the money is already there. Again, I say, either she herself, or the family, do not want her up north. The nursing home is really not the problem per se, in this situation.

As an aside, I have worked in a nursing home up north. Yes, there were many residents who either had no family, or their family just shuttered them away, and didn't want to be bothered. That is MY high horse. I saw it firsthand. In a good nursing home, staff try to alleviate that to some degree. UP NORTH, we tried to get the community involved. We had local shelters come in and bring their animals for the residents to give and get affection from the animals. The local schools had "Adopt a Granny" where the kids would come in and talk and interact with them. That was also a wonderful experience for both the kids and the elderly. This was just ONE Nursing Home.

I know the original OT was what Rick Scott is doing, and that is very, very, true, but it seems to me in this situation, there more going on. I don't know what Florida has. Given what this state is like, probably nothing, but there is where an advocate, or social worker, is needed to open up the doors of communication.

[nashville_brook]

9. k and r -- they want us to die faster. period.

[Cyrano]

15. Yep, nashville_brook. As horrible as it sounds, it seems to be the reality.

[indepat]

14. That Ricky boy is scum should have been evident to every Floridian by his

HCA stewardship. :patriot:

[Cyrano]

17. The reason Scott won is because the Democratic vote was split

Former governor Charlie Christ ran as an independent. Alex Sink ran on the Democratic ticket. They split the vote which allowed Rick Scott to ooze his slimy self into the governor's mansion. They should have counted the silverware before Scott moved in. But you just know it will all be gone when he leaves.

[lpbk2713]

21. And ...

Florida rethuglicans have always been good at stealing elections.

[indepat]

22. A face perhaps as scary as Madame Bachmann's

;)

[Cyrano]

23. Madame Bachmann's vision of America is about

ignorance, greed, hatred of "the other," a return to "simpler" times (like Bull Conner, his dogs and his fire hoses), and of course, no Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security.

Is this really what her followers want? Or are they too dense to understand that these are the things she stands for?

[indepat]

27. Her followers must not get past her love for Jesus

:patriot:

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. I hate to draw the analogy, but why am I reminded of Nazi Germany

early years?

Oh wait, they also wanted to get rid of those who were no longer USEFUL.

[csziggy]

26. Florida does have a Department of Elder Care

But chances are, pRick Scott has cut funds so much they are not effective. It may be worth a try, since many of the people working in the various agencies do care and will do as much as they can, even if their workload is immense:
http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/index.php

Some of their hotlines:
Elder Helpline:
1-800-96-Elder
(1-800-963-5337)

Florida Aging Resource Centers
Community Resource Directory

Report Elder Abuse:
1-800-96-ABUSE
(1-800-962-2873)

Senior Legal Helpline:
1-888-895-7873 (Statewide)

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
1-888-831-0404

[Cyrano]

29. I believe the Florida Dept. of Childred and Families is responsible

for overseeing nursing homes. (I'm not certain, but once in a while, my friend gets letters from them regarding her costs, her meds, and other items. I pass these letters on to the nursing home administrative office.)There are phones throughout the facility labled "Report Elder Abuse," but I don't know what dept. those phones are connected to. And the abuse they're referring to is something like an aide hitting a patient. I doubt very much if they could do anything about the criminal abuse of the elderly being caused by Rick Scott and the Republican Party.

Welcome to the dark ages.

[csziggy]

30. Living in Tallahassee, I know how services have been cut

In all state agencies. And it started getting drastic when Jeb came in. Scott is just continuing the cuts.

The former state workers who used to handle this kind of stuff are no happy, not only since they've lost their jobs but because they know how needed the work they did is. I know people who worked at DCF who still worry about the children they were monitoring. One friend who used to work at Business Regulation, but was transferred to a different department when Jeb dismantled much of their agency, still tracks how badly the industries are getting that she used to keep in line.

So many of the programs did not even cost the taxpayers money - many were paid for by fees paid by the industries. That money is still be collected but is NOT being used for the purposes intended - it now goes into general funds.

I do think leaving people lying in their own feces for any amount of time would amount to abuse. Not having enough personnel to meet the needs of the residents is neglect which is equivalent to abuse.

I hope you can get help for your friend.

[AnneD]

28. I have worked for years ....

On and off as a Nurse in a Nursing home. I know exactly what short staffing does. The burn out and turnover is horrendous. As a caregiver, you know the level of care that should be given, but every day you have the reality of the numbers. On time I crunched the numbers...the number of patients, the number of proceedures, the number of medication, and all the charting and documenting. I did not deduct for a 30 min lunch or two 15 min breaks. I spent three minutes per shift per pt. When I presented the Nursing Director with the info and said we needed more staff, the reply was,"you don't always have just 3minutes" . "You're right I said, most times it is less than 3 minutes."

I stay as long as I can stomach it, but that is not too long. Just put me on an ice floe and give me a can of tuna.....