From the Senior Side

Where Have All The Care Givers Gone?
by
Carl Jarvis

After twenty years out in the field, serving older blind and low
vision folks, and becoming closely acquainted with many age related
needs that our program is not equipped to be of assistance, I can
honestly say that the number one service provided
to the elderly is Lip Service.
Not only are the care-givers woefully under paid, there are not nearly enough
to provide the level of service needed. In addition, there is not
nearly the number of supervisors overseeing the quality of services
provided. There is not enough room to do more than give a couple of
examples, but they represent a serious lack in our care for our
Seniors.
Several years back, we visited an elderly woman who was a double
amputee as well as being visually impaired. She met us at the door on
a scooter. She later told us that the artificial limbs rubbed and
caused sores that did not heal well. As we entered the living room,
we noticed a woman seated in a recliner, watching TV, while eating a
sandwich. We just figured this was a relative or friend. "This is my
care giver", she said, introducing the woman by name. We spent nearly
two hours doing our initial intake, and the woman never stirred from
her seat. The home was not so clean and tidy that there was no work
to be done. On our second visit the care giver was not present. We
asked what sort of things was the woman supposed to do to help.
"She's supposed to clean and prepare meals in advance, so all I have
to do is to heat them up". So we wondered out loud if she was
satisfied with a helper who sat around all day.
"I don't dare complain. She takes me shopping, but she's not supposed
to do that. If I lose her I'd have a hard time getting groceries."
In another home, the poor client was being ordered about by her
helper. "You need to call the supervisor and have this woman removed
from your home. Can't you get someone else?" She shook her head,
"This is the third care giver I've had assigned to me this year. They
tell me if I'm so fussy, maybe I can just get along with no one."
This woman needed assistance every day, but she had someone only four
hours three days a week. And they were cutting that time in half.
As we age and become more child-like, heartless predators move in on
us, eager to help us out,...out of our life's savings.
Why is it when we talk about keeping our nation safe from Terror, that
we don't include our elderly citizens? How does building drones or
bullets keep Grandma from having her bank account raided, or Grandpa
from being bullied by some angry, under paid orderly? We ship
billions of our dollars around the world in the belief we are
promoting peace and democracy. Since the only people I see benefiting
from such generosity are the Billionaires, why don't we let them fend
for themselves for a few years while we spend those dollars helping
our own people?
Just a thought.