Abuses in elder care need exposure

Don Miller of Palatine is a special person. Couched in the polemics appearing in newspapers and on TV broadcasting, he has brought up a subject that, in a very real way, presents firsthand knowledge of how some elders are not only neglected but mistreated in many nursing home facilities. Just the day prior to reading his letter (Fence Post, June 2), a friend of mine described the same conditions being experienced by her aunt who is in a facility in another state.

When we age and there is no one to protect us, no one to see to it that we are clean, to see that we are not drugged into silence, to make sure that we are receiving the proper nutrition, and to see to it that we receive some kind of mental stimulation, we are at the mercy of caregivers who may not exemplify what “caregiving” actually means. While I understand that facilities are overloaded, that government programs do not, necessarily, provide enough funds for adequate care and that there are workers in the field who do their best, it apparently is not enough.

I applaud Mr. Miller for his efforts and for his presentation of what he experienced. I am hopeful that he contacted the state agency responsible for overseeing elder care. And remember, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Pat Barath

Arlington Heights