Celebrating ombudsmen

To the editor:

To celebrate National Volunteer Week, I want to recognize the group of nearly 300 volunteer ombudsmen who give so much of their time and energy advocating for over 160,000 Floridians living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and adult family-care homes. Residents in long-term care facilities represent our friends and family members who often need an extra voice to ensure that their right to age with dignity, choice and autonomy is respected.

Volunteer ombudsmen of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program seek to protect the health, safety, welfare and rights of Florida’s most vulnerable population.  During this week when we celebrate the work of all volunteers, the Ombudsman Program would like to specifically honor the accomplishments of our committed volunteers.

Last year, volunteer ombudsmen traveled a total of 365,412 miles across Florida’s 67 counties and gave over 70,000 service hours to meet with residents, conduct annual facility assessments, train facility staff and residents and investigate complaints, attempting to resolve any complaints to the residents’ satisfaction.  Nine district-wide resident council meetings were hosted around the state by ombudsmen volunteers and staff, where residents from multiple area facilities gathered with their caregivers and family members to discuss issues, share ideas and encourage residents to understand and advocate for their rights.

The Ombudsman Program is proud to boast in the work of its dedicated and passionate volunteers.  If you would like to work with us to better the lives of long-term care facility residents, contact 1-888-831-0404 or visit ombudsman.myflorida.com to find out how you can volunteer.

Jim Crochet

State Ombudsman

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Nursing facility issues

To the editor:

Seniors, who do we turn to? My brother-in-law has been in a nursing facility for more than 565 days. What does that mean to you? Nothing. But, do you realize how many of us are in these nursing homes? How many are taken advantage of? How many are just left there to dwindle away and die? Why don’t their stories make the newspaper? Are we the forgotten group?

I watch my sister every day pack up her life, get into her car and go nurse her husband. If she doesn’t go, he would be in the hands of careless non-compassionate, non-qualified personnel. Why do I say this? Have you ever taken the time to visit nursing homes? I have over the past 25 years in Florida. And they all are the same. I have seen patients being abused by non-caring workers, being humiliated and stripped of their very last shred of dignity.

How do I know? I worked in two separate fields, which allowed me to have an opportunity to frequent these facilities. I also volunteered doing some programs, which brought me into them again. So I am not making this judgment call strictly on my family experience. Seniors, we can’t always stand on the sidelines, we must demand accountability for good care.

I know my brother-in-law is being taken care of nine hours every day (my sister is there). Who takes care of my sister? She herself is a nervous wreck; it is an uphill battle every day for 565 days. The staff appeases her when she asks for a lift to get her husband to the bathroom. After waiting a minimum of 45 minutes by then, this is the straw that broke the camel’s back, because all day it’s one incident after the other.

One day when I was there, I saw her ask three CNA’s for assistance. Their answer was, “I am not his CNA, I will call someone. Did you see anyone?” I didn’t for at least one hour later.

My sister does whatever she can not to disturb the CNA, and I mean disturb – they stroll around like they are at a park and do not go out of their way for anyone.

In all honesty, I have to say there are a handful who are good and 20 handfuls who do not. I have watched my sister make certain they dress the wound that they caused, check and see if they dressed the rash by brother-in-law had under his arm from them putting Heat for arthritis under his arm instead of deodorant.

I can go on and on and each dilemma chips away at her stamina. She not only has to be a nurse, she needs nerves of steel to confront their incompetence on a daily basis.

My questions at this time are:

• What happens if my sister can’t be there – if her back goes out, her carpal tunnel acts up, her arthritis is hurting and her strength is dwindling? Some days she drags herself there?

• Does the nursing home care about the care my sister will need due to their negligence?

This is ongoing in so many lives every day. What do we do –  just sit and watch these facilities take our hard earned money for care and give our loved ones none?

I know all about the state agencies and the administrators in the facilities. They are there to make certain it is a profitable facility.

The state agency will come and investigate with all their paperwork bureaucracy. Naturally, when they visit, everyone stands at attention for the one hour it takes to check if the facility conforms to their regulations. What they themselves do not realize is there are humans in those beds and if the water temperature isn’t exactly as it should be, oh well that’s not a crime. But if a patient is calling them because they fell on the floor and no one answers, that is a crime.

So, please visit a nursing facility in your area. See what is happening there and if you don’t like what you see, report it. If all us seniors band together to right all the wrongs, it will work. You never know – it could be you one day in there and me visiting might help you.

JoAnn Colonna

St. Cloud

Keep it clean

To the editor

We are fortunate to live within walking distance to The Loop. During our daily walks, we cannot believe how much trash and litter surrounds this beautiful area.

We started carrying a trash bag with us, but there are only two of us and many who choose to litter. The Wilder Company has built a first class facility and we reward them by trashing it with bottles, sandwich wrappers, cans and other assorted junk.

Let’s all pitch in to keep this area looking as good as it did when it was built.

Norm and Claire Bedard

Kissimmee

Don’t down Disney

To the editor:

In reference to Leonard Pitt’s article that appeared in the Saturday, April 28, edition of the Osceola News-Gazette, at the age of 9, I saw “Snow White” and loved it.

Walt Disney did a wonderful job and became a millionaire because of his talent. I hope this “Snow White” will always be a classic. Let’s not outdate it because of problems of many overpaid, over-hyped celebrities have and the publicity they receive. They are the ones who live in their own “fantasy world.”

Marriage is a wonderful thing or can be a tragic mistake. It is what a couple makes of it. In June of this year, my wife and I will celebrate our 60th year of marriage. It was not easy at times, but the good times outweighed the bad. We raised two children and are proud of both.

It is the rules and understanding as parents that guide our children, not a fairy tale.

Mr. and Mrs. Donal Case

St. Cloud

Joining the flock

To the editor:

President Barack Obama on his own just awarded Afghanistan the same status in our country as Israel.

The graveyard of empires is now to be more important to us than South Korea or any place except our NATO nations.

Your grandchildren will be condemned to die in the dung heap of mankind. He didn`t bother to bring this up to the Congress. He is now ruling as a virtual dictator. I have said before I would vote for Romney; I would join a gaggle of turkey buzzards at a dead dog road kill. After this usurpation of war mongering power, I’m joining the flock.

Charles B. Tiffany

Kissimmee