GOD BLESS THE ELDERLY
Bernie Vonderheide (859) 312-5617

The elderly have to be among God’s most favorite children.
Think of it. Our fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles teachers, ministers, friends all grow old and join the ranks of the elderly. They occupy a special place in our lives and memories.

Sometimes, however, we don’t honor our elderly in the way they deserve. Rather than a national treasure they become a national burden in the minds of some people. Think of the constant controversy, for example, over Medicaid, the program that helps millions of Americans. It is a program that has helped the elderly, especially the poor among them, for many years. But the debate over Medicaid seems to center not spending as much as we can to provide quality comfort and care, but how we can cut back that spending.

When priorities are set, the elderly often are left behind. Just a few years ago in Kentucky, state officials decided that a good way to “save” money on Medicaid was by forcing the elderly out of nursing homes. Some 70 percent of the residents of nursing homes are mostly elderly and being supported by Medicaid. Someone forgot, when the order was issued to force them out of nursing homes, that these are the people who raised and nurtured to us, and the least we can do is take care of them in their twilight years. It is good to know that people with better judgment came along and the onerous order was reversed.

Nursing homes are a good example of where we can set priorities. Are our priorities set to provide the elderly with quality long-term care? Sadly, in many cases the answer is “no.” The elderly are not being taken care of well in nursing homes.

What is the problem? Most of the problems in nursing homes revolve around the lack of sufficient front-line caregivers. These are the nurses’ aides who take care of nursing home resident around the clock. Many nursing homes do not want to hire enough of them, many times because their priority is to expand the bottom profit line of the nursing home, not the service they provide.

There is a move on now to do something about the poor care given the elderly and others in nursing homes. In Kentucky, a new organization is being formed that is called “Kentuckians For Nursing Home Reform.” That organization is working right now to get the legislature to pass a law that will mandate sufficient staff in nursing homes.

It’s a priority for the elderly that must be recognized, and you can help. Call up the website for “Kentuckians For Nursing Home Reform” and learn how. Just go to this link: KyNursingHomeReform.org. – and it will tell you how you can call your state legislator and urge him or her to vote for quality staffing standards for nursing homes.

It’s the least we can do for our elderly. Most of them cannot speak for themselves. So we must speak and act for them right now.