Treatment of Our Seniors: Now Is Time to Take a Stand

Treatment of our seniors: Now is time to take a stand

Working in a nursing home I have firsthand knowledge of how our seniors are being treated on the good side and the negative. Working in the kitchen department and serving most residents in our lovely dining room I had a lot of conversations and lasting friendships made and learned more than I thought I knew. Our nursing home was a private residence and was also a rehabilitation for short term stays before sending our residents home. The rate that was charged was $10,000 for room, board, and food. This did not include medicine, special accommodations, special food that needed to be ordered. While one day talking to my uncle who is an officer at Dutchess County Jail in New York about how expensive it is for these seniors the conversation swept into his prisoners and us footing all the bills for them. I am appalled and just dumb found how backwards our country is when it comes to care of our inmates verse the care of our elderly.

While Mr. Adams is paying over $13,000 a month for his housing and arrangements at our nursing home an inmate in the county jail is sitting in there on the dollar of the tax payer for a felony crime getting 3 meals a day, a bed to lay his head on, medical care, and a place to protect him. How is it that we provide better care for these people who have broken the law and free of charge most times to them but we make seniors who live on social security pay outrageous fees for housing? This is not even venturing into the medical aspect. How many people in jail can get surgeries, immediate medical care because we cannot violate their rights, but when it comes to seniors it is a different mentality. They are old and going to die so it is not as important to rush.

Most of the seniors never had family or visitors and lived a lonely life because they were left in their room most of the day if they were not able to walk themselves. Is this not the same treatment we give to criminals, they are locked in their cells 23 hours a day with only an hour for activities. I understand that some seniors are wheel chair or bed bound but when it becomes aware that day in and day out that no one comes to see them it should be protocol for the activities department to step in and make sure that these residents have time outside their room.

Here is an idea how about we swap our living conditions for these groups. Make an inmate responsible for their own costs (such as Sheriff Arpiao has done in Maricopa County Arizona). Cut out all items that are not necessities such as condiments, television besides educational, coffee, recreational equipment that can just help inmates build themselves stronger for more crime. Take all the money being saved and apply it to our seniors. Our seniors built this country, lived through some of the worst times, gave a lot of their lives to the workforce and paid their dues but because they now collect