Mixed reaction

The article on Balloon Buddies was both heartwarming and disturbing.

It's heartwarming in that people care enough to do something for the elderly in nursing homes.

It's disturbing, too. Is this the very best that a country as wealthy as the U.S. can do for its elderly - lock them in their rooms for months on end, even denying their families the ability to visit when they are dying?

As a nation, we have to decide whether nursing homes are a for-profit business or do they provide an essential service for the elderly of our nation. So long as they provide the minimum staff necessary, hired at the lowest possible wage, things will not improve in many nursing homes.

Cherryl Crouch

Arlington Heights