Aren't there social service offices that are supposed to be well
versed on these services available to help people make these serious
decisions with Medicare plans, etc?
Social services are inefficient and uninformed where I am. I have
been sent-- by social services-- to organizations that don't exist,
received information that is ten years out of date, or just wasted my
time.
Most of my bad treatment and nearly all of my disappointment is from
social services. Every encounter
has been energy draining. They raise my expectations, collect checks
for allegedly servicing me and do nothing.....My latest horror was
with the public nurse-- occupational therapy and physical therapy.
OT gave me exercises ( say wha?) PT brought a salesman to my house to
estimate the cost for fixing my wheelchair--- 100s of dollars I don't
have. Now the PT person gets $140/hr.... in other words, they got
paid and nothing, nothing in my life is changed and no need was
addressed... and they consider my case closed.
I am trying to start a paratransit service because none exists in my
county. Think anyone would help me, nevermind offer the service with
20% of the county disabled?! I began to keep a list of who I talked
to, so I could rattle off who I had talked to. It's an impressively
sad list.
I'm too often the educator and informer, vs. the one being helped....
and I'm the one paralyzed in the wheelchair.
Perhaps in other parts of the world, but not here.
Akua
It seems that each county office should have these available to
their population since it can be so complex. Here in California,
different private plans are available depending on the county
you live in, as well as the fees for them. It seems that my mother
in-law changes plans every few years. She's learned to be pretty
savvy about it, but it takes time to learn.
Hugs, Barbara A
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