Today, there was a story in our local paper about a nursing home in trouble for being on the list of the worst long-term-care facilities in the country. Now, this particular long-term-care facility is in danger of losing its Medicare funding . . . what the newspaper says is "a rare move that often results in closing or a change in management." The facility's lawyers are on the case.
My sister and I took care of our aging parents in their home. We cooked, cleaned house when needed, washed clothes, changed linen, bathed and kept them clean and up-to-date on doctors' appointments, medication, shots and much more. When daddy became unable to walk, we had no choice but to place him in a nursing home. The same fate befell our mother and we placed her in the same facility.
I am still mad at this facility because they charged us approximately $4,000 per month and the staff wouldn't feed the woman before she was whisked away to dialysis at 5:30 a.m. three days a week. The ambulance transportation staff often fed mama before taking her to dialysis. Absolutely unforgivable! I remember one time, mama was scheduled for surgery on her neck. We left the hospital and doctor's strict instructions with the nursing staff, and then followed up the day before, to ensure that mama was not fed breakfast on the day of the surgery. Do you know that after all that preparation and precaution, mama's neck surgery had to be postponed, because the nursing staff fed her on the day of the procedure. More needless suffering followed.
I won't go into all of the horror stories that my family went through at these so-called long-term-care facilities. If you know like I know, you'd be better off applying for long-term care insurance, because you cannot rely on your family, nor can you rely on the medical professionals at these facilities to take care of you . . . even if you can pay. At least with a good long-term care insurance policy, you may be able to qualify for personal care so that you can stay in your own home a little longer.
Perhaps the publicity surrounding the facility in the newspaper today will help in some way.
During our trials and tribulations in taking care of our parents, my sister used to say, "Lord, just let me drop dead and not have to go through all this." I used to tell her that that was an awful thing to say. You should want to live a long life . . . a long life that God gives you is a blessing. I couldn't see where she was coming from until the year after mama passed away. We were so beat up and tired.
Heed my words . . . long-term-care facilities will be the death of you or a loved-one. Remember, it's not just old people who end up in these places. A serious accident has landed many a young person in a long-term-care facility. If you have a loved-one in one of these facilities, be ever vigilant. Check in on them often. Make sure the bed has been changed and that they are eating properly. Make sure their medication is in order. Afterall, you have to pay for these services. Do not leave the care of your loved-one to the professionals only in a long-term-care facility.
I know that these facilities are very much needed. I'm just saying that they need a major overhaul. So if you ever have to place a loved-one in a long-term-care facility . . . Stay on them. Be sure things get done. Take care of your loved-one. If you don't . . . nobody else will.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Leading While Black
Sorry PR DVA blog fans for being away so long. After weeks of the barrage of negative news regarding leaders in several organizations across the country and here locally, I was compelled to express myself. A colleague recently coined the phrase "leading while black" in reference to black civic and government leaders under attack for not being perfect, all knowing, omnipotent, and for not being submissive enough to the powers that be. From my research, discussions with colleagues and news reports, these leaders came under fire for doing their jobs. Most of them were doing their jobs quite well; however, their biggest mistake was "leading while black".
Nearly 42 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, many blacks are living the dream he envisioned so many years ago. We live in integrated communities and shop wherever we like. We are no longer relegated to the balcony or basement in movie houses. Our children go to integrated schools and via the Internet, have learned much about other races and cultures. Many blacks have obtained educational levels that their parents and grandparents could only dream about. Many blacks have obtained a measure of wealth their parents never achieved. You can find blacks living out the American dream and Dr. King's vision in every walk of life. Yet these same people who have achieved so much still fall victim to the same old beliefs and perceptions by the majority population.
Let's take President Obama for example. Here is a man that is well educated. For God's sake the man graduated from Harvard and became the first person of color to become the editor of the Harvard Law Review. He went on to teach at the University of Chicago Law School. Yet, this Columbia University and Harvard trained man, in the eyes of some, is not qualified to be president. Yeah, yeah I know what you're thinking . . . I'm some liberal thinking President Obama supporter. You'd be right. I urge you to think for yourself . . . Listen to CNN's political commentary and read the newspapers any day of the week and judge for yourself. Are the attacks against the President's policies legitimate or are his attackers letting the color of his skin cloud the issues. Don't let reporters or politicians fool you . . . we do indeed need health care reform (that's another blog later).
President Bush led the country into a war in Iraq that has cost the American public in both dollars and lives. He easily swayed Congress into backing the war. Looking for weapons of mass destruction my eye.
Wake up America!!!! We are living in the 21st Century. Judge your leaders by what is important . . . their hearts, good analytical minds, a good and solid education, expertise, family values and love for their country and people. If America had embraced every citizen . . . immigrant, former slave and natural born, from her humble beginnings perhaps we would have discovered a cure for cancer by now. Or, developed new and diverse energy sources by now. Or, been a better and truer example of what democracy is supposed to be by now.
Wake up, people. You must stop judging our leaders by the color of their skins. As the "reverse" Obama syndrome begins to take hold in the hearts and minds of the masses, I fear that the next generation of blacks trying to seek leadership positions will have some difficult days ahead.
Nearly 42 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, many blacks are living the dream he envisioned so many years ago. We live in integrated communities and shop wherever we like. We are no longer relegated to the balcony or basement in movie houses. Our children go to integrated schools and via the Internet, have learned much about other races and cultures. Many blacks have obtained educational levels that their parents and grandparents could only dream about. Many blacks have obtained a measure of wealth their parents never achieved. You can find blacks living out the American dream and Dr. King's vision in every walk of life. Yet these same people who have achieved so much still fall victim to the same old beliefs and perceptions by the majority population.
Let's take President Obama for example. Here is a man that is well educated. For God's sake the man graduated from Harvard and became the first person of color to become the editor of the Harvard Law Review. He went on to teach at the University of Chicago Law School. Yet, this Columbia University and Harvard trained man, in the eyes of some, is not qualified to be president. Yeah, yeah I know what you're thinking . . . I'm some liberal thinking President Obama supporter. You'd be right. I urge you to think for yourself . . . Listen to CNN's political commentary and read the newspapers any day of the week and judge for yourself. Are the attacks against the President's policies legitimate or are his attackers letting the color of his skin cloud the issues. Don't let reporters or politicians fool you . . . we do indeed need health care reform (that's another blog later).
President Bush led the country into a war in Iraq that has cost the American public in both dollars and lives. He easily swayed Congress into backing the war. Looking for weapons of mass destruction my eye.
Wake up America!!!! We are living in the 21st Century. Judge your leaders by what is important . . . their hearts, good analytical minds, a good and solid education, expertise, family values and love for their country and people. If America had embraced every citizen . . . immigrant, former slave and natural born, from her humble beginnings perhaps we would have discovered a cure for cancer by now. Or, developed new and diverse energy sources by now. Or, been a better and truer example of what democracy is supposed to be by now.
Wake up, people. You must stop judging our leaders by the color of their skins. As the "reverse" Obama syndrome begins to take hold in the hearts and minds of the masses, I fear that the next generation of blacks trying to seek leadership positions will have some difficult days ahead.
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