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Being old in California just got tougher
They say getting old ain’t for sissies. Boy, they’re not kidding. Especially in a state that has essentially abandoned its task of protecting old people in the very facilities and hospitals where they need the greatest care. Last October, Gov. Schwarzenegger “saved” taxpayers $3.8 million a year by cutting all the state’s funding to the Ombudsman program, which exists in every county using mostly volunteers to visit nursing home patients and check out abuse and neglect complaints. The idea was that since the Health Department already does yearly inspections, that’s good enough. Yeah, right. Aside from the fact that all state departments are strapped for people and money making even minimal inspections a tall order, yearly inspections just don’t cut it. It wasn’t a routine state inspection that uncovered a nursing home in the Kern River Valley where patients were being drugged to “keep them quiet.” Three people — someone’s mom, or grandmother or grandad! — died from the overdrugging, according to charges filed by the Attorney General’s office. No, it was the Kern County Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s office that blew the whistle on that horror show. “Because of our presence, the fact that people know who we are and about the program and they trust us, people who were directly affected contacted us,” said Nona Tolentino, director of the Ombudsman office. That’s the whole idea behind the program, which was created in the 1970s by federal law and later enhanced by state law. “It brings the community into the facility,” Tolentino told me. “We’re not a regulatory agency or law enforcement. We’re there to talk to the residents, take a look, listen and speak up for the resident.” The other thing the Ombudsman’s office does is maintain public files where you or I can check a nursing home’s record. You can read reports written by real people from our own community who have walked the halls, talked to patients, seen what kind of food was served and know if the place is clean or not. That kind of information is invaluable, even more so than the online resources provided by the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform and Medicare, both of which rate facilities at the local level. The Ombudsman is a simple, low-cost program that is highly effective. Even so, it does require some money and, more important, people — which I’ll get back to in a second. Tolentino, who’s spent her career helping children and the elderly in Kern, has a very non-adversarial philosophy about the job. She and the volunteers she trains don’t want to shut down homes and hospitals. They work with management and staff to resolve problems, improve practices and make life better for residents. Up until last October, Tolentino had a budget of about $100,000 a year that paid her, another staffer and all the administrative stuff needed to recruit, train and manage a host of volunteers. The state’s cut has dropped her budget to about $50,000 a year, from a mix of federal and county monies. As of June 30, she will have to let her lone staffer go. After that, it will be just Tolentino and about 16 volunteers to make visits to 19 nursing homes and 107 residential care facilities (that’s about 4,000 patient beds combined). Ideally, she said, she would like to have 68 volunteers not only to make visits and handle complaints but to help staff the phones, make copies, go to recruiting seminars and help with training. There’s a bill in the Legislature right now that will attempt to restore about half of the $3.8 million from the state. But considering the condition of the alleged budget and all the other hands already out there, I’m not too hopeful. Some people have asked Tolentino about creating a new non-profit to fund the Ombudsman office. But, she said, there are already a lot of non-profits out there, many competing for the same resources. She doesn’t want to add to that stew. Instead, she’s hoping an existing organization might want to “adopt” the Ombudsman’s office and raise money, awareness and hopefully even some volunteers. Kern County is a generous place. I have no doubt there are several organizations that could whip up a golf tournament, charity run or Harley ride to keep the Ombudsman in paper clip money. Even more important are the volunteers. This is no easy task. You have to submit to a background and fingerprint test and successfully complete a 36-hour course. Tolentino asks for a one-year commitment, serving a minimum four hours a week. Once you get past all that, the real work begins, visiting patients and building relationships that will certainly enrich your life even as they may break your heart. Creating a strong, caring, locally based program independent of fickle state fortunes is, however, an investment in our own futures. Because the other thing they say about getting old is also true: We’re all gonna be there someday (if we’re lucky).
The Ombudsman’s office is administered by Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance and shares office space with them at 615 California Ave. To check out how nursing homes rate you can go to the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform website at: 14 comments from 10 users
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posted by
adampayne
on Jun 6, 2009 at 07:40 PM
Which political party is the driver for no social services in California? Which political party is the driver for cutting education funding in California? Which party rebuked a very small minority within its ranks for daring to try and keep essential services afloat in California? Which party do you think could give give a rat's behind if economically disadvantaged elders or young people living in poverty have any publicly funded aid to help them? Republican actions indicate they prefer the poor just go away quietly and die. Alone. posted by
Neverleft
on Jun 6, 2009 at 08:01 PM
adam. Did you ever consider that is what family, friends and charities are for. We take care of our own. Spam Text- FQOOC. I would not touch that one with a ten foot pole, posted by
TomW
on Jun 7, 2009 at 12:21 AM
My dad used to be part of that program. We really need it. posted by
NancyII
on Jun 7, 2009 at 06:54 AM
Someone's overlooking the fact that even registered Republicans and conservatives are saying Arnie is NOT a true Republican. The ombudsman program is a NEEDED watchdog. A young lady got fired form a very good convelescnet hospital for speaking out against the treatment of some patients. She had grown close to my dad and didn't like they way they handled him and others. Someone needs to watch out for those who can't speak for themselves. Adam, nice generalization. And incorrect as usual. posted by
adampayne
on Jun 7, 2009 at 08:18 AM
Pray tell, Nancy, when Republicans have offered one option, other than cutting taxes, to help find a way to fund essential services and public education. Tax cuts this past decade have only truly benefitted the most wealthy in our nation to any real degree. At least Neverleft understands families are on their very lonesome these days, which accounts for the increasingly high percentage of people under duress from medical bills who file for bankruptcy. Now we also see vital health services cut to the million plus kids living in poverty in this state. Young and old alike in distressed economic circumstances don't matter to Republican legislators and their followers. Period. posted by
CatherineBaker
on Jun 7, 2009 at 08:57 AM
California ain't what it used to be. If we're not careful, we're going to have NO state parks (stay away, tourists, we don't need your stinkin money) bad, potholed roads (so that we won't have to actually go to Tijuana to feel like we're in Tijuana) and--here's the kicker--good families with good kids and good jobs will finally get fed up with the lack of BASIC services in this state and leave for other states. There's a whole, wide, vast country to relocate to. California is IMPLODING. As for this particular program, I think it's wonderful. Our elderly folks are often at the mercy (like little babies) of their caregivers, and deserve some respect and attention. Unfortunately, they are often neglected, mistreated and even killed. I am really sorry to hear that this mostly-volunteer program is being cut. You can't get blood from a stone. posted by
catpaw
on Jun 7, 2009 at 09:48 AM
As a senior I think I'd prefer euthanasia to being warehoused for a bone yard in one of those don't-care facilities. Not much different from being put in jail for not committing a crime. posted by
randomfactor
on Jun 7, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Someone's overlooking the fact that even registered Republicans and conservatives are saying Arnie is NOT a true Republican. If Arnie's not a true Repubwhigan on taxes, there are no true Repubwhigans in California. You're getting close to the "no true Scotsman" fallacy here. His thoughts on same-sex marriage aren't at issue here. posted by
ghostriter
on Jun 7, 2009 at 10:16 AM
The only reason I have not left this state is that we don't want to leavy my stepkids before they finish school (as in high school). We both really want out of CA, and my hubby was raised here! You're right, Cat, it is not what it used to be. And I agree, catpaw. I used to work in a really nice private care center, and even that was not a life for the residents. posted by
sagefever
on Jun 7, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Another stone for the less able among us.
posted by
ronmexico
on Jun 7, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Pray tell, Nancy, when Republicans have offered one option, other than cutting taxes, to help find a way to fund essential services and public education. I gots a novel idea. What say those people that use those services pay for said services?? posted by
ronmexico
on Jun 7, 2009 at 01:17 PM
So the reason California is in such a mess is because California has implemented tax cuts to benefit the wealthy??? Is that what I am hearing?? posted by
adampayne
on Jun 7, 2009 at 03:51 PM
Ron, there are lots of reasons California is in the current mess it is in. Some of the mess was created long ago with the passage of Proposition 13, which decimated local funding for local projects and education. Some of the mess was created by the people (large and small alike) in this state leveraging real estate properties for loans on values that ultimately were not sustainable. This caused an unbelievable loss (which continues to this day) on revenues budgeted for essential state run programs, and for the federally matched money that comes when these programs are in play. Some of the mess was created by allowing and nurturing factory types of conditions and principles across so many industrial sectors, which resulted in diminished skill sets, wage losses, sprawl, pollution, erosion and water shortages. Some of the mess was created in not reinvesting in infrastructure needs like a new peripheral canal and the levees in northern California which would bypass the fragile delta, protect the local populations and allow for smart growth and sustainable green agriculture methods for farms. Some of the mess was created by continuing to allow large companies in agriculture, hospitality, dairies, construction and restaurants to employ undocumented workers to help erode wages and benefits in this state. This mess was compounded by allowing the poor who came to work to be demonized while totally forgiving the employers and contractors who brought them here in the first place. Some of this mess is the result of tax cuts, which have benefitted the most wealthy citizens and have helped create the largest economic earnings gap and tax revenue gap in the history of statistical measurements on these sets of data. Some of this mess was created by huge expenditures of tax capital for the war on drugs, which has been an abject failure by any account, and has created an unsustainable prison population that sucks even more tax dollars from valuable creative projects that would better serve the public good. The point is we need to recognize the place we're in, and work to find solutions to large public policy issues that have great impacts on all of us. Saying no to new taxes or existing ones while cutting health and education services will do us no good, in my humble opinion. Every other county of any stature in California is a self help county, not Kern County. I place a lot of blame on the local hacks who occupy both the BOS and CC for this fact. The median wages for this county and the education levels in this county are also both substandard when compared to the rest of the state. The place to begin to make a difference is on the local level to raise education standards, health standards and wage standards. Cutting services that help regulate private profiteers who get subsidized by tax dollars is not acceptable. posted by
ronmexico
on Jun 7, 2009 at 04:49 PM
Some of this mess is the result of tax cuts, which have benefitted the most wealthy citizens and have helped create the largest economic earnings gap and tax revenue gap in the history of statistical measurements on these sets of data. When did California cut income tax rates??
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