When I saw that the COLA, or Cost of living adjustment, will not be accorded retired seniors for the second year in a row. Two years behind heavy increases in all aspects of living, gas, food, heat and cooling: well everything has gone up everywhere we go.
With the difficulties financially, as seniors often can no longer work, and are not being invited into many job situations, and many are being thrown out of companies they spent their whole lives working for a secure retirement.
These are a few of the reasons that I cannot agree to "measure G" the property tax measure which will add another burden to the overburdened. The KVHD adminstration seems to be selling this bond increase without any consideration the seniors and disabled.
Growing old is not for sissies
Most of us work all our lives trying to put children through college, raising grandchildren, holding together relationships, and in the end we find that there are few who even have considered, it will be you someday making these decisions, finding yourself in a financial struggle, or having to spend time in a nursing home.
Pat McGinnis of CANHR, California advocates for nursing home reform, told me that there is much resistance in government to help find answers to clear out the problems in nursing homes and treat them with dignity.
"There are more than 25 thousand people right now who are being abused in nursing home throughout the state."
The Kern Valley Healthcare District faced the very things that continue to keep the eldery and long term care patients on the bottom list for care. Short staffing, keeping the money at the top, rather than with the caregivers who tend to the patients.
What an honorable job to help those who have lived many kinds of lives, have contributed to the well being of others, and now need help.
In an article below, it spells out the cruel nature of our elder care system. It's called, "Elder Abuse: America's dirty little secret." The title of the site is intriguing, "renew America." It's a good article for anyone young, old or compassionate.
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/connor/101016
When the KVHD board gave the CEO a raise on the night the GOB went on the ballot
KVHD board chairwoman, Victoria Alwin,
addresses the raise for new CEO, Tim
McGlew.
One odd thing was she and the board didn't do their homework and had not known what the normal
salary for a rural hospital CEO would be.
Not only that, but they had to ask CFO, Chet Beedle, what the CEO's were paid in the past.
McGlew came into the postion of CEO/nursing home administrator, with a salary 60 to 80 thousand more than the average salaries a normal hospital would pay.
"I don't know what we paid the other CEO's, but there's an old saying...pardon? What did we pay the other CEO's on an average chet?" Alwin asked.
So, without any information, salary averages, knowledge, Alwin asked chet what did we pay in the past. He mumbled 150, meaning $150,000. Without blinking an eye the chairwoman suggested a few things.
Dr. Robert Gross and Victoria Alwin
look to Chet Beedle for a figure on
how much the previous CEO's were
paid. They obviously rely soley on
the CFO and CEO, information, as obvisouly
they didn't do their homework. Not prudent.
Alwin suggested a flat $30,000 dollars raise for the CEO, without any research of her own on the average salaries, nor, any understanding that asking the community pay a partial on an old debt, bury the valley under two bond, and then said something that has not left my mind since that night.
She explained that a 3% raise for the CEO, would be after taxes, roughly four hundred dollars.
"So what I suggest is giving a good size raise, like I said, $400 dollars is cute..."
I bet the seniors and disabled don't think $400 is cute, in fact, it could pay for propane, food, help pay for home care, any number of things.
It could also help pay the property taxes on measure g.
I found that whole line of thinking offensive, and as I've reiterated to take a "higher than normal salary" and add to it, not know the history or averages of these salaries, but yet make a vote to put it into effect, is nothing to be proud of.
I'm backing the seniors in this race as we don't have to do this there is another option or three.
Chet Beedle looking uncomfortable
as Alwin adds up the millions of dollars
in losses incurred by the hospital due
to mismangement. Though Chet seemed
embarrassed, Alwin then blamed former
CEO, Rick Carter for the problems.
I hope this community helps itself by realizing you can ask all the questions you want of the administrators, but that doesn't mean you understand what is really being said.
So, Alwin, thinks $400 is cute. It may be the difference between heat and cold for some seniors. and now, even meals on wheels has cut their service to one meal a day.
We need to think about the seniors both in the sense of quality care and staffing in the nursing center here in the valley, but we all need to consider that it was elder abuse, death, that occurred right under our noses in this small town.
Good article from Renew America, please read. We have to think about this issue as this is a senior community with a growing senior population.
