To the Editor:
Baby Boomers beware!
Save as much money as you can and make sure you have good health insurance in the event that you get sick. You could end up like a friend of mine who owned a business for more than 40 years, and made a respectable salary. I guess he should have saved more.
He became ill, couldn't take care of himself and at that point, his family members abandoned him. He ended up in a "Dom-Care" home. That's a private home that takes in people and is supposed to provide meals, a bed, help with medication and doctor appointments. They are paid a generous amount of tax-free money and other benefits for providing this service.
The "client," as the agency refers to them, is allotted $135 per month for personal needs, but most often does not see very much of this money.
The first home my friend lived in was the infamous "meth" home in Donora. It was dirty and only cleaned when the owners knew they would be inspected. This home mostly served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which I supplemented with healthy foods for my friend. No one has ever been accountable after this was closed by the officials.
The second home constantly berated and be-littled my friend to the extent of keeping his friends from seeing him and the conditions he lives under. They claim they take these people in out of their Christian hearts -- don't believe it, they do it for money. I got my friend into this program to save his life, but he really doesn't have any quality of life these days.
Officials that run "dom care" homes should be held accountable. Those are real people living in these conditions.
Baby Boomers - beware -- stay clear of "dom care."
Mental Health says there is a high rate of suicide in elderly people. No wonder.
Timothy T. Cassidy
Donora
SPHS Aging Services volunteer
