Mpls Issues has never had a discussion about the continued lack of adequate financial support for nursing homes (and other senior services) from various levels of government. Now we hear that venerable WIlder Foundation in St. Paul is cutting back its senior services because of a significant financial shortfall from the gubmint. This ain't news to some of us. It has been going on for years, and we are facing a real crisis in nursing home care. Those homes that are still in business are trying to survive by building assisted living and apartment units to help build up revenue, but this won't solve all the problems. Boomers should be very concerned about this. You are now moving into the "sandwich" generation where you are still supporting children and are beginning to see aging parents possibly facing medical and financial problems. And, if you are lucky to live a long and productive life, you may find the need for senior services yourselves (even a knee replacement requires a few weeks in a nursing home for most elderly patients). Will these services be there, and will they be adequate? I am no expert on this, so I would like to hear from others. But I do know that nursing home staff have received paultry increases over the years and that unfunded mandates are bleeding long term care facilities. The gubmint does not fund assisted living nor will it help fund a relative who stays home to care for a parent. With nursing home care at about $4,000 per month, most nursing home residents wind up on public assistance eventually. So if tax dollars are not forthcoming to make sure we have high quality care, what will happen to our seniors? This is one of those hidden budget items that gets little attention from the press. Can we generate as many posts on this subject as we did about the school and library referenda? We need to question our county commissioners and state legislators, and especially our guv, about the lack of adequate funding for some of our most vulnerable citizens. Again, with such huge surpluses, we need to ask why basic human needs are left out. Fran Guminga Bottineau, Ward 3 _______________________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
