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Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

oregonlive.com

121–130 of 227 posts

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#121
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the solution is to spend less money but pay people more, and shoulder the rest on taxpayers? This probably won't work very long since the population isn't as triangular as it used to be (to my understanding this is what happened to Japan). I get the justified call to fix things for people that require these services. The US can barely afford to school its children, purchase its homes, or enact reasonable public he…

> The US can barely afford to school its children, purchase its homes, or enact reasonable public health measures without bankrupting people. No, it can easily afford all that. It chooses not to because the US (that is, the majority of political power in the country) prefers to impose the pain of the imminent risk and frequent reality of bankruptcy on the working class.

Not only that, but the United States' shift in mindset toward disinvestment came about during the civil rights era. Not hard to read between the lines in e.g. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED050960.pdf :/

"The time has come to ask what level of population growth is good for the United States. There was a period when rapid growth made better sense as we sought to settle a continent and build a modern industrial Nation."

"[A] fundamental question about the Nation's future: Do we wish to continue to invest even more of our resources and those of much of the rest of the world in meeting demands for more services, more classrooms, more hospitals, and more housing as population continues to grow?"

"We have all heard about a population problem in the developing nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America, where death rates have dropped rapidly and populations have exploded. Only recently have we recognized that the United States may have population problems of its own. There are differing views. Some say that it is a problem of crisis proportions that the growth of population is responsible for pollution of our air and water, depletion of our natural resources, and a broad array of social ills."

My favorite part is "Some say"[who?]

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#122
post #85
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Elderly people should live with their families." Spoken with the confidence of someone who has never had to care for an elderly relative who was in both mental and physical decline. In any case it is a deeply personal decision without a definitive right or wrong answer. After seeing my Aunt try to care for my grandmother for years only for it to negatively effect their relationship because of her dementia I wouldn't…

Damn-- in their 50s. I don't have much time left. I'd rather walk the planet than check myself into a center.

[deleted]

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can buy gun. Why do you have to request anything?

So that you don't risk harm to other people and property in the process?

a tank of helium + mask/bag satisfies that criteria.

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#124

In all my time living in Louisiana, the only time I saw a fire truck near a home was when the house was actually on fire or under threat of fire. In Texas? EVERY SINGLE TIME I see an ambulance, I see a fire truck. It makes ZERO sense most of the time. Texas municipalities are using medical emergencies to fund their fire departments (and jack up insurance rates in the process) by sending fire trucks to people even whe…

I saw a fire truck (and ambulance) get called in Santa Cruz, CA, because an elderly person fell inside their house and couldn't get up.

If the elderly person has locked the door, the firefighters will have entry equipment to help the ambulance workers get inside the house.

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#125
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whoever spread that “death panels” meme should be forced to write America a check for five hundred billion dollars. Alaska governor and 2008 Republican Vice President candidate Sarah Palin started the “death panels” farse. See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_panel It’s quite disgusting as she is a mother with a disabled child.

>It’s quite disgusting as she is a mother with a disabled child. how is that disgusting? that seems entirely consistent with her beliefs, as disabled child means high costs which potentially could mean getting denied care on the basis of cost. it's not any different than say, "congresswoman with cancer pushes for cancer treatment funding bill".

Because the core issue was about helping people put their own end of life wishes in writing and establish a will? It was never about a panel choosing care on behalf of someone else.

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#126
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US can barely afford to school its children, purchase its homes, or enact reasonable public health measures without bankrupting people. No, it can easily afford all that. It chooses not to because the US (that is, the majority of political power in the country) prefers to impose the pain of the imminent risk and frequent reality of bankruptcy on the working class.

Not only that, but the United States' shift in mindset toward disinvestment came about during the civil rights era. Not hard to read between the lines in e.g. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED050960.pdf :/ "The time has come to ask what level of population growth is good for the United States. There was a period when rapid growth made better sense as we sought to settle a continent and build a modern industrial N…

I think the Club of Rome were the first major international policy group to take resource finitude seriously. Although I read a bit of their final report, and their projections were ridiculous and we've already blown well past them with no trouble at all.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#127

Senior homes and assisted living centers are a national disgrace. They are entirely about profit maximization (what business isn’t?), and as such hire people at the exact minimum and have well over 100% yearly turnover. The staff commonly steal from residents, and the management do not care. They’d rather retain a larcenous pig who barely executes her duties than have to go back and scrape the barrel for a replacemen…

The necessary innovation is ethical/political. People over age 80 should be able to request to medically cease their life for any reason.

Right, there are no ethical downsides to putting the elderly in hellish group homes as long as we give them death when they ask for it.

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#128
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whoever spread that “death panels” meme should be forced to write America a check for five hundred billion dollars. Alaska governor and 2008 Republican Vice President candidate Sarah Palin started the “death panels” farse. See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_panel It’s quite disgusting as she is a mother with a disabled child.

>It’s quite disgusting as she is a mother with a disabled child. how is that disgusting? that seems entirely consistent with her beliefs, as disabled child means high costs which potentially could mean getting denied care on the basis of cost. it's not any different than say, "congresswoman with cancer pushes for cancer treatment funding bill".

Dude, seriously just shut up.

I am physically and medically disabled and I am of childbearing age.

I require an orphan drug (a blood product from paid blood donors which contains the pooled antibodies from tens of thousands of people, as required by FDA regulation) which quite literally costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, under contract by insurance, just so I can stay alive, as I have an immune mediated rare disease. Last time I checked my insurance statements (before I left the US for good in early 2020), my insurance (Medicare, by the way) was paying $275,000+/year under contract for the medication.

Clearly the US can afford it. We just choose to treat our elderly like garbage.

I hope you recognize how hypocritical you actually are.

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#129
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Elderly people should live with their families." Spoken with the confidence of someone who has never had to care for an elderly relative who was in both mental and physical decline. In any case it is a deeply personal decision without a definitive right or wrong answer. After seeing my Aunt try to care for my grandmother for years only for it to negatively effect their relationship because of her dementia I wouldn't…

There are probably well-run exceptions but in my experience senior communities are mostly about extracting all the wealth and insurance payments they can get from their residents before they die. You think it's hard taking care of your aging parents? They took care of you when you were a helpless, shitting, crying, little ball of flesh.

Getting old sucks :(

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/end-life-care-people-dementia

I need to write up some kind of living will or something where, sure expend whatever is (reasonable) to return me to normal health... until I forget why I need to ask for help (that I need) or even myself; and that isn't just a rare occurrence but an always or even mostly always state of my mind having fallen apart before my body.

If my mind does fall apart before my body: I want any treatment known or suspected to fix that. Then to be admitted to any study hoping to establish such treatment. Then failing any hope of return to health... I'm already dead as far as our medical tech allows; make it painless, useful to those who might benefit from viable parts, useful to the progress of science (generally) and medicine, quick, and resource efficient; in that order of decreasing importance.

Re: Firefighters say they’re swamped by calls for routine care from senior homes

#130
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So that you don't risk harm to other people and property in the process?

a tank of helium + mask/bag satisfies that criteria.

A person in these dire circumstances is likely also someone lacking the resources and ability to accomplish any of these "DIY" schemes. People in care homes are there because they have trouble taking care of their basic needs.
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