Hello all,
Below is an article Dr. Stephen Finger wrote for the Canarsie Courier, a
Brooklyn, NY weekly newspaper. Steve writes a regular column, "The
Pointing Finger," and he usually writes on various public policy matters
from a libertarian prospective, which he highlights with sprinkles of
wry humor. As you'll see, he does both of these in his current article,
"The Golden Years."
Steve presented this article at the "LPNY_Kings" yahoo group. Though
this group and Steve hail from Brooklyn, the article's subject about
aging and long term care has a "universal" appeal, so I thought you guys
on the Left Coast might find it interesting. I plan to comment on
Steve's article, but before I do that I wanted to see what, if any,
comments you might provide. Mind you, I don't intend to plagarize. I
just want to see what the world outside of cloistered Brooklyn thinks.
BTW, if you like to comment directly on Steve's article, just go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lpny_kings/. Steve welcomes and
appreciates every comment.
Here's the article and do enjoy (--Alton):
Featured in the Canarsie Courier - "Brooklyn's oldest weekly newspaper"
The Pointing Finger
The Golden Years
by Dr. Stephen Finger Getting old is rough. Or, rather, being old
is rough. Getting old is easy. All you have to do to get old is be born
and then stand in one spot for 75 years and you'll get old. Couldn't be
easier. BEING old though, that's another story. Being old means you
become invisible. People look right thru you, like a potted plant.
Nobody notices you anymore. You just stand there waiting to
be...watered. Could anything be worse? Well, being old and needing
long term care could be worse. Sneeze in front of the kids some time and
it's, "You think he needs a nursing home?" "I don't know. He
doesn't sound so good." And then it's off to the lawyer you go.
That's right, the lawyer. There's a special branch of the law that
handles the problem that you didn't know you had. It's called,
Get-pop-on-Medicaid-before-he-has-to-go-to-a-nursing-home-and-pisses-awa\
y-our-whole-inheritance Law or simply, Elder Law. Long term
care is way too expensive. It eventually bankrupts most of the people
who need it. Then they go on Medicaid which is bankrupting most of the
states and the federal government. It doesn't have to be that way.
There's a better way, - Save the trees. Anyone working in one
of these facilities will tell you that they spend half their time doing
paperwork to prove that a job was done or a service given. This is both
demeaning to hardworking professionals and worthless, since even a
slacker can fudge the paperwork. Eliminate all paperwork that doesn't
directly benefit patient care and you have the same staff doing twice
the 'real' work. - 'He who forgets the repast...' Every
resident should be assured nourishing meals, clean sheets, and the right
to be treated with dignity and respect. Currently, volumes and volumes
of regulations specify everything from placement of hand washers to
endless training for workers whose only job is to provide routine care
for residents. Costs a fortune and benefits no one, i.e. a perfect govt
program. Get a match! - 'Buddy, can you spare a dime?' Provide a
voucher for basic care to anyone who needs it, regardless of ability to
pay. [I'd bet a case of Depends that the extra cost of covering everyone
would be less than what we now waste to make sure that we're only
covering the 'truly needy'.] Want a more luxurious old age? Combine the
voucher with personal savings or with benefits from a small long term
care policy. If you've lived an industrious and frugal life, you get to
leave something to the kids or to your favorite charity. Isn't that the
way it's supposed to be? And,
best of all, you'll never need a lawyer. Blog:
www.ThePointingFinger.blogspot.com
<http://www.thepointingfinger.blogspot.com/> . Contact:
DrSteveFinger@...
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lpny_kings/post?postID=9KdpHrbF2hW-dISFQS\
tEBjNk-AZwaiEbrWx8l_1AxRiau1S_C8fJ_ZVmE8Mt7Y1R1loa2_iryJGCBuTiGw> .Dr.
Finger practices medicine in Brooklyn. He was both the Libertarian and
Republican candidate for Congress in NY's 11th C.D. in 2006.
Great article. Part of the work I do involves court requirements for care of the elderly; and once in a while I kind of get crazy and ask one of my clients how come in the old days families managed to take care of their grandmas just fine, but now all the grandmas and grandpas end up as, in essence, wards of the state. Very unprofessional question of me, and I am usually met with a blank stare.
Marcy
Hi Marcy,
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, it was a great article. I'm glad you liked it.
You said:
<< Part of the work I do involves court requirements for care of the
elderly; >>
I don't suppose you're one of those "elder care" lawyers that Steve
inveighed against. But whichever, I suppose it's just a job. Still, what
"court requirements" are there for care of the elderly? Are judges in
S.F. allowed to legislate from the bench?
<< . . . and once in a while I kind of get crazy and ask one of my
clients how come in the old days families managed to take care of their
grandmas just fine, but now all the grandmas and grandpas end up as, in
essence, wards of the state. >>
"Wards of the state," is a good point. I shall include it in my reply to
Steve's article and I will attribute it to you. But if you respond to
him before I do, then I won't be able to use that point and attribute it
to you. :- (
<< Very unprofessional question of me, and I am usually met with a blank
stare. >>
Arguably, it was a "very unprofessional question" from you. The reaction
you received could be be worse. But if you're in an official capacity,
you're certainly not in the same league as the Judge who decried the
victim of a savage beating from a Muslim man. According to the good
Judge, the victim deserved his beating because he incited the Muslim man
by insulting Islam. ("Doofus" was how the judge labeled the victim.)
Anyhow, on the subject of getting old, which Steve declared was "easy,"
I recall an old All in the Family episode whose "sacred cow" subject
dealt with aging. Archie was aghast to learn of an unmarried elderly
couple who lived together "in sin." The "issue" raised by the man was
how unfairly Social Security and the IRS treated elderly married couples
and that it was best to live together unmarried, in sin. I remember most
what the man said to Archie, after how Archie expressed stereotypical
prejudices at the elderly couple. The man's closing words to Archie
were: Your turn will come.
Marcy, I hate to think that my turn will come. (Hey, it might have
already come.) But if and when it does, I just want to be able to watch
reruns of All in the Family.
Thanks again for your reply.
Alton
--- In lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com, "lpsfactivists" <amarcyb@...>
wrote:
Great article. Part of the work I do involves court requirements for
care of the elderly; and once in a while I kind of get crazy and ask one
of my clients how come in the old days families managed to take care of
their grandmas just fine, but now all the grandmas and grandpas end up
as, in essence, wards of the state. Very unprofessional question of me,
and I am usually met with a blank stare.
Marcy
>
> Hello all,
> Below is an article Dr. Stephen Finger wrote for the Canarsie
Courier, a
> Brooklyn, NY weekly newspaper. Steve writes a regular column, "The
> Pointing Finger," and he usually writes on various public policy
matters
> from a libertarian prospective, which he highlights with sprinkles
of
> wry humor. As you'll see, he does both of these in his current
article,
> "The Golden Years."
> Steve presented this article at the "LPNY_Kings" yahoo group. Though
> this group and Steve hail from Brooklyn, the article's subject about
> aging and long term care has a "universal" appeal, so I thought you
guys
> on the Left Coast might find it interesting. I plan to comment on
> Steve's article, but before I do that I wanted to see what, if any,
> comments you might provide. Mind you, I don't intend to plagarize. I
> just want to see what the world outside of cloistered Brooklyn
thinks.
> BTW, if you like to comment directly on Steve's article, just go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lpny_kings/. Steve welcomes and
> appreciates every comment.
> Here's the article and do enjoy (--Alton):
> Featured in the Canarsie Courier - "Brooklyn's oldest weekly
newspaper"
> The Pointing Finger
> The Golden Years
> by Dr. Stephen Finger Getting old is rough. Or, rather, being
old
> is rough. Getting old is easy. All you have to do to get old is be
born
> and then stand in one spot for 75 years and you'll get old. Couldn't
be
> easier. BEING old though, that's another story. Being old means
you
> become invisible. People look right thru you, like a potted plant.
> Nobody notices you anymore. You just stand there waiting to
> be...watered. Could anything be worse? Well, being old and
needing
> long term care could be worse. Sneeze in front of the kids some time
and
> it's, "You think he needs a nursing home?" "I don't
know. He
> doesn't sound so good." And then it's off to the lawyer you
go.
> That's right, the lawyer. There's a special branch of the law that
> handles the problem that you didn't know you had. It's called,
>
Get-pop-on-Medicaid-before-he-has-to-go-to-a-nursing-home-and-pisses-awa\
\
> y-our-whole-inheritance Law or simply, Elder Law. Long term
> care is way too expensive. It eventually bankrupts most of the
people
> who need it. Then they go on Medicaid which is bankrupting most of
the
> states and the federal government. It doesn't have to be that way.
> There's a better way, - Save the trees. Anyone working in
one
> of these facilities will tell you that they spend half their time
doing
> paperwork to prove that a job was done or a service given. This is
both
> demeaning to hardworking professionals and worthless, since even a
> slacker can fudge the paperwork. Eliminate all paperwork that
doesn't
> directly benefit patient care and you have the same staff doing
twice
> the 'real' work. - 'He who forgets the repast...' Every
> resident should be assured nourishing meals, clean sheets, and the
right
> to be treated with dignity and respect. Currently, volumes and
volumes
> of regulations specify everything from placement of hand washers to
> endless training for workers whose only job is to provide routine
care
> for residents. Costs a fortune and benefits no one, i.e. a perfect
govt
> program. Get a match! - 'Buddy, can you spare a dime?'
Provide a
> voucher for basic care to anyone who needs it, regardless of ability
to
> pay. [I'd bet a case of Depends that the extra cost of covering
everyone
> would be less than what we now waste to make sure that we're only
> covering the 'truly needy'.] Want a more luxurious old age? Combine
the
> voucher with personal savings or with benefits from a small long
term
> care policy. If you've lived an industrious and frugal life, you get
to
> leave something to the kids or to your favorite charity. Isn't that
the
> way it's supposed to be? And,
> best of all, you'll never need a lawyer. Blog:
> www.ThePointingFinger.blogspot.com
> <http://www.thepointingfinger.blogspot.com/> . Contact:
> DrSteveFinger@
>
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lpny_kings/post?postID=9KdpHrbF2hW-dISFQS\
\
> tEBjNk-AZwaiEbrWx8l_1AxRiau1S_C8fJ_ZVmE8Mt7Y1R1loa2_iryJGCBuTiGw>
.Dr.
> Finger practices medicine in Brooklyn. He was both the Libertarian
and
Hi Alton,
I will leave you the honors of replying to Steve!
Marcy