Elder Belle's Blessing: Esmeralda Bermudez

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Elder Belle's Blessing is an award given from time to time to those who enhance or further the rights of the elders.  This edition goes to L.A. Times reporter Esmeralda Bermudez for her wonderful article in the Los Angeles Times on a Dial-A-Ride driver and her passengers.

From that article:

When the bus is full of women, anything or anyone is fair game. The men who get on board are wise to stay out of the way
"They sit in the back very quietly," said Armida Marquez, 70. "They don't want us coming after them."

Every day in Bell Gardens, the Dial-A-Ride shuttles around town picking up seniors. They catch rides to the grocery store, the hair salon, the hospital, the pharmacy. The trips are quick, five, 10 minutes at most, but here at least, they never feel alone — and the sorrow of old age is often loudly trumped by laughter.

Lots of it.

Bermudez lovingly relates some of the conversations on that bus ride, making it clear that the elder women consider the ride (and the driver, Laura Torres) an important part of their lives.  As a Dial-A-Ride user myself, I know the importance of that transport and of the friendships which can evolve from it.  But at no point does Bermudez refer to them "elderly," or "senior citizens," or any other tag which would suggest old age equals less than competent and somehow less than able.  She gives their ages but in no way suggests anything negative is attached to that number.  These are living, breathing, women who enjoy themselves and each other.  That is why I gave Bermudez this award.

 Go read the article with its terrific photos by Genaro Torres.  I promise you it will be worth the click.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Sarah And The Women In The Activities Room

Elder Belle's Blessing is an award bestowed from time to time on those who have improved or enhanced the lives of elders.  Today's recipients are three wonderful women, Sarah, Pia, and Beth, who all work in the Activities Room at the Cuckoo's Nest, that wonderful place in which I currently live.  Their mission is to get the residents out of their rooms and into a place where they can socialize, exercise, and develop a sense of community.  In my opinion, these three women have fulfilled that mission with skill, compassion, and grace.

I've participated in activities right from the start.  After doing the morning "chair exercises" for a couple of weeks, I moved from sitting in my wheelchair to walking behind it, using the chair as a "walker."  I went on the Activities Bus to Target, to Wal -Mart, and to the San Manuel Casino (where I lost my $40).  I've participated in discussions of current events.  One morning a week I read the local newspaper to those residents with visual problems.

And this week I got a manicure from Sarah, my first in at least 15 years, which involved having my hands massaged with lotion, my nails filed, and polish applied.  The cost?  A hug.  While getting the manicure, I participated in a very civil debate with other residents on whether or not unemployment insurance should have been extended. It turns out that I'm not the only liberal in the joint.

As you can no doubt tell, I'm quite happy in this joint, and the women running the Activities Room are a big reason why.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Cooling Centers And The People Who Offer Them

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

This edition of Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given from time to time to those who work to enhance the rights and benefits of the elders, goes to the people who offer and staff cooling centers.

Cooling centers are just what they sound like:  places for people to go when the temperatures outside are high and elders and people who have disabilities can go to cool off and avoid dangerous conditions like dehydration and heat stroke.

The one I've been using is located at Arcadia Methodist Hospital.  People using the room can easily get water, food, free wi-fi, and medical assistance if it becomes needed.

If you have neighbors who are unable to cope with the heat, help them get to one.  If your community doesn't have such facilities, work to have them opened.  During this time of climate instability, they can be life savers.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Dr. Art Kellermann

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

This edition of Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given from time to time to those who work to enhance the rights and benefits of the elders, goes to Dr. Art Kellermann, a physician and a senior policy researcher at the Rand Corp, for his wonderful op-ed piece in this weekend's Los Angeles Times.

The bipartisan deal that kept the federal government from hurtling over the "fiscal cliff" on Jan. 2 actually increased Medicare spending. At the last minute, a powerful bipartisan group of senators inserted a provision into the bill that blocked Medicare, for two years, from getting a better price on an expensive drug used by kidney dialysis patients. This was in addition to a previous two-year extension obtained by Amgen, the drug's manufacturer. The move saddled Medicare with roughly $500 million in added costs over the next two years and generated a windfall for Amgen.

This is but one example of how Congress publicly criticizes growth of Medicare costs while privately restraining the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, from getting a better deal for Medicare patients and U.S. taxpayers. ...

Unfortunately, Medicare can't require proof that an expensive new product is any better than the one it's replacing; it's explicitly prevented from doing so by law. Medicare can't even encourage patients and doctors to select a less-expensive option that works just as well. With few exceptions, neither CMS nor the Food and Drug Administration can take a new product's price or its performance into consideration when making coverage decisions. And once Medicare starts writing checks, private health plans generally fall into line.

The practical result of this policy is that the U.S. healthcare marketplace lacks the strength to distinguish valuable innovations from those that simply drive up costs. It's a bad deal for patients and taxpayers. ...

If budget hawks are serious about lowering entitlement spending, they'll remove Medicare's straitjacket. The CMS should not be forced to pay more — sometimes lots more — for treatments, tests and equipment that work no better (and sometimes worse) than less costly alternatives. Permitting the purchase of lower-cost drugs or care would be far more humane to seniors than cutting their benefits.

If the CMS were empowered to negotiate for the patients it serves, it would not only reduce Medicare spending but also slow the growth of healthcare costs. If it could hold the line and pay only for drugs, devices and treatments that conform to professional guidelines, it would also improve the care that Medicare patients receive. Equally important, scrapping the "anything goes" approach of today would encourage America's drug and device manufacturers to focus their efforts on producing innovative products that cost less but do more.  

The core problem is this: While many worried that Medicare would lead to a government takeover of healthcare, the healthcare industry has been quietly increasing its influence over government.   [Emphasis added]

We don't need to raise the age for Medicare eligibility, cut benefits, or issue vouchers to cut the cost of Medicare now or in the future.  All we need to do is to untie the hands of CMS.  Not only will Medicare costs be lowered, so will healthcare costs in general.

It's time, even past time.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Michael Hiltzig

(Photograph by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

This edition of Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given from time to time to those who enhance elders' rights and benefits, goes to Michael Hiltzig whose latest column delineates the sham of those who want to cut Social Security and Medicare because both are unfair to the children of the country.

Here's a phrase you can expect to be hearing a lot in the national debate over fiscal policy, as we move past the "sequester," which is the crisis du jour, and toward the budget cliff/government shutdown deadline looming at the end of March:

"Generational theft."

The core idea the term expresses is that we're spending so much more on our seniors than our children that future generations are being cheated. An important corollary is that the government debt we incur today will come slamming down upon the shoulders of our children and grandchildren. ...

So here's the truth about the "generational theft" theme: It's wrong on the numbers and wrong on the implications.

Let's start with that 7-to-1 spending ratio on seniors versus children. Among the flaws in the calculation is that the vast majority of government dollars spent on children comes from state and local governments, which pay most of the cost of education. On a per capita basis, state and local spending on kids swamps the federal government's spending 8 to 1.

Moreover, there are twice as many children 18 and under as seniors 65 and over (this 2008 figure also comes from the Urban Institute report). Put the numbers together and you discover that spending by governments at all levels in 2008 came to about $1 trillion on seniors and $936 billion on children. In other words, very close to 1 to 1. ...

In other ways, treating Social Security and Medicare spending on the one hand and spending on kids on the other as though they're opposite sides of a zero-sum game is just an act of ideological legerdemain aimed at undermining those programs.
If America wants to spend more on children, it's plenty rich enough to do so without eating away at the income of their grandparents. The money can come from the defense budget, farm supports or dozens of other places, even higher income taxes.

Let's not forget, too, that the people who will really suffer from gutting Social Security won't be today's seniors, who will escape the worst of the cutbacks — they'll be today's young people, for whom Social Security would become much less supportive when they retire.   [Emphasis added]

Oh, it's theft alright, but the thievery is being perpetrated against today's and tomorrow's elders, not by them.  The whole point is to destroy both programs for the benefit of the Wall Street Banksters and mega-insurance companies, and the children and elders be damned.

Go read all of Michael's column.  You'll see why he earned yet another Elder Belle's Blessing.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Atrios

(Photograph by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

This edition of Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given from time to time to those who enhance elders' rights and benefits, goes to Atrios, the proprietor of Eschaton, a lefty-blog.  Atrios (whose real name is Duncan Black) is an economist of the Keynesian School and he thinks that the very worst thing to do in this economy is to institute austerity measures.  Among his many suggestions for kick-starting things is lowering the age for Medicare and Social Security and increasing the benefits.  Here's his latest.

The pain caucus, austerity freaks, fix the debt assholes, the Washington Post editorial board, etc... basically exist to scare politicians away from actually promising (and maybe even delivering) nice things to voters. One would think it'd be a nobrainer for politicians, especially in certain parts of the country, to campaign on an immediate across the board 20% increase in Social Security benefits. Some people completely screwed by the great recession could really use it.   [Emphasis added]

 The post was written in response to this New York Times article

In the current listless economy, every generation has a claim to having been most injured. But the Labor Department’s latest jobs snapshot and other recent data reports present a strong case for crowning baby boomers as the greatest victims of the recession and its grim aftermath.

These Americans in their 50s and early 60s — those near retirement age who do not yet have access to Medicare and Social Security — have lost the most earnings power of any age group, with their household incomes 10 percent below what they made when the recovery began three years ago, according to Sentier Research, a data analysis company. ...

The share of older people applying for Social Security early spiked during the recession as people sought whatever income they could find. The penalty they will pay is permanent, as retirees who take benefits at age 62 — as Ms. Zimmerman did, to help make her mortgage payments — will receive 30 percent less in each month’s check for the rest of their lives than they would if they had waited until full retirement age (66 for those born after 1942).  [Emphasis added]

That's a pretty sizable loss. That's one good reason for raising the benefits just by itself.

Lowering the eligibility age for both Medicare and Social Security would also take the pressure of the elders, something which Atrios has also advocated.  The upside of both of his proposals would have a dual effect:  elders could remove themselves from the labor market (whether working three part-time jobs at much lower pay just to pay the mortgage or holding onto a job only because of the need for health insurance) and be able to exist more comfortably; their retiring also would free up some jobs for the rest of the labor market.

We don't need to cut Social Security and Medicare, we need to expand it.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Center For Medicare Advocacy

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published by National Geographic.)

This edition of Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given from time to time to people who have enhanced the rights or well-being of elders, goes to the Center for Medicare Advocacy for their work in getting the government to loosen up a rule for treatment.

Thousands of Medicare patients with severe chronic illnesses like Alzheimer's would get continuing access to rehab and other services under a change agreed to by the Obama administration, advocates said Tuesday.

The proposed agreement in a national class action suit, filed with a federal judge in Vermont, would allow Medicare patients to keep receiving physical and occupational therapy and other services at home or in a nursing home so they can remain stable, said Gill Deford, a lawyer with the Center for Medicare Advocacy.

That's been a problem for some because of a longstanding Medicare policy that says patients must show improvement to keep getting rehab. Deford's group and other organizations challenged it.

"If you have a chronic condition, by definition you are not improving," said Deford, the lead attorney on the case. "Our view is that Medicare regulations were intended to allow people to maintain their health status. They don't have to show they are getting any better. The point is to allow them not to get any worse, if possible."   [Emphasis added]

The original purpose of the rule was to keep unscrupulous health care providers from continuing treatment not reasonably necessary.  The problem is the wording (what's new, eh?):  to justify the ongoing treatment "improvement" must be shown.  That's hard to do with chronic disabilities and illnesses.  Patients are not going to get better.  What these treatments hope to do is maintain the current status or at least slow the decline.

Hopefully the judge will accept the settlement and these valuable treatments will be reinstated. 

Kudos to the Center for Medicare Advocacy.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Michael Hiltzik

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

This edition of Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given from time to time to someone who has enhanced the rights or well-being of elders, goes to Los Angeles Times business columnist Michael Hiltzig for his outstanding article detailing the efforts of Wall Street and other members of the 1% to derail Social Security by pitting younger people against the elders and the surprising push-back by that younger generation.

For years now, efforts to set young against old have been linchpins in campaigns to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits and turn those programs over to the private sector. The basic tactic is to portray those programs as giveaways to undeserving seniors that rip off the young; the goal is to turn the ostensibly dispossessed young into an effective political counterweight to reform-resistant elderly. ...

For example, billionaire investor and deficit hawk Peter G. Peterson's charitable foundation has spent millions of dollars in recent years trying to inculcate college students via essay contests, social affairs and curricular materials with the idea that programs like Social Security and Medicare are sapping their patrimony.

And, with the burgeoning deficit caused by the banksters and two wars fought off-budget by the Bush administration, the privatizing ghouls think they've got the perfect opportunity to push their agenda through, led by Alan Simpson:

Recently, the image of generational warfare has gained new currency as an adjunct to panic over the deficit. The talking point is that freewheeling spending today will condemn you youngsters to permanent servitude to a huge federal debt, so it's only proper to cut entitlements now.

Perhaps the most prominent dispenser of this argument is former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), who has toured the country to promote the deficit-cutting plan he and Clinton-era White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles conjured up as co-chairs of President Obama's 2010 fiscal commission.

Their plan would cut benefits sharply for all but the poorest and oldest Americans, reduce cost-of-living increases and raise the retirement age, all of which would essentially transform Social Security from universal social insurance into something resembling a welfare program.

Fortunately, the next generations are no dummies. Hiltzig has discovered and tells us about some groups who actually get what's going on and are fighting back against the distortion and outright lies.

For me, this is the money quote:

"Wall Street and everyone who crashed the world economy has a really strong incentive to get young folks who are struggling to blame older folks who are likewise struggling, and no one will notice that the people pointing their fingers are the real culprits," [Alex] Lawson told me. "But once you get the truth out, young folks are well suited to figure out that the young and the old need to work together for the entire system."

Well done, Michael, and thank you.

Go read the entire column. It's well worth it.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Pat Summitt

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic).

This edition of the Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given from time to time to someone who has enhanced the rights or well-being of elders, goes to Pat Summitt, who is stepping down as women's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee after 38 years.

Pat Summitt is stepping aside as Tennessee's women's basketball coach and taking the title of "head coach emeritus" with long-time assistant Holly Warlick being promoted to replace the sport's winningest coach.

Tennessee released a statement Wednesday announcing the move.

The 59-year-old Summitt will report to the athletic director and help the women's program she guided to eight national titles. ...

Her impact reaches beyond wins and losses. Every Lady Vol player who has completed her eligibility at Tennessee has graduated, and 74 former players, assistants, graduate assistants, team managers and directors of basketball operations are currently among the coaching ranks at every level of basketball. [Emphasis added]

Pat Summitt helped young women reach their potential both both on the court and in the classroom, starting at a time when women's collegiate sports just wasn't considered all that important, at least not important enough to justify scholarships which had up to that point been reserved for men only. She helped create winners and scholars, and did it with style and grace. Anyone who has ever watched her coach saw her dedication and her passion for the sport and for her team. It was written all over her face, especially when she had that icy stare reserved for blown calls by referees or sloppy play by one of her players.

But it isn't just her basketball record that won Coach Summitt this award, not by a long shot.

The move comes less than a year after her diagnosis with early onset dementia-Alzheimer's type.

"I've loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role," said Summitt.

"I want to help ensure the stability of the program going forward. I would like to emphasize that I fully intend to continue working as head coach emeritus, mentoring and teaching life skills to our players, and I will continue my active role as a spokesperson in the fight against Alzheimer's through the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund.

Summitt revealed her diagnosis on Aug. 23 after a few months of trying coming to terms with dementia, which had caused her problems with memory loss both on and off the court during the previous season. Alzheimer's is a brain disease that destroys cognitive abilities over time. ...

With the blessing of University of Tennessee, Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek, the Hall of Fame coach said she planned to continue coaching as long as possible and that she wanted to show the world that it was still possible to function, even in the face of dementia and Alzheimer's. ... [Emphasis added]

Her honesty and openness about the disease which struck her at a relatively young age and then her work to raise funds for and awareness about the disease shows what a true champion she is.

Coach Summitt, may whatever stands behinds this universe hold you and your family in a loving embrace and assist you in the challenges which lie ahead.

Elder Belle's Blessing: The Gold Coats

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published by National Geographic.)

The winners for this edition of Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given from time to time to those who have enhanced the health and well-being of elders, are men who are in prison and who won the award because of the service and care they provide to other prisoners suffering from the various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. I learned about these men from an article in the New York Times.

The setting for the story is the Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, California. Both the stricken and the care-givers are long term prisoners due to the nature of their crimes and/or the stiffening of penalties through such law-and-order mandates as the "Third Strike" law.

Dementia in prison is an underreported but fast-growing phenomenon, one that many prisons are desperately unprepared to handle. It is an unforeseen consequence of get-tough-on-crime policies — long sentences that have created a large population of aging prisoners. About 10 percent of the 1.6 million inmates in America’s prisons are serving life sentences; another 11 percent are serving over 20 years.

And more older people are being sent to prison. In 2010, 9,560 people 55 and older were sentenced, more than twice as many as in 1995. In that same period, inmates 55 and older almost quadrupled, to nearly 125,000, a Human Rights Watch report found. ...

With many prisons already overcrowded and understaffed, inmates with dementia present an especially difficult challenge. They are expensive — medical costs for older inmates range from three to nine times as much as those for younger inmates. They must be protected from predatory prisoners. And because dementia makes them paranoid or confused, feelings exacerbated by the confines of prison, some attack staff members or other inmates, or unwittingly provoke fights by wandering into someone else’s cell. ...

Realizing that California, with nearly 13,000 inmates 55 and older, could not adequately care for demented prisoners, Dr. Hodel, when she was starting the Gold Coat program, asked the regional chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to train inmates to help. The chapter’s area director, Sara Bartlett, worried that she and Arlene Stepputat, then the program director, would not be safe as “women in a man’s prison.” She doubted whether violent felons could provide sensitive care.

Both women were surprised that inmates seemed more receptive, with less-complicated emotional ties to the patients than many of the people they trained to care for relatives at home. “They were much easier to work with,” Ms. Stepputat said.

Heriberto G. Sanchez, chief psychologist of the California Men’s Colony, said prisoners “were appreciative that someone from the outside world thought they could do this.” One wrote in an evaluation, “Thank you for allowing me to feel human.”

The prison requires that Gold Coats have “a clean behavior record for about 5 to 10 years,” Dr. Steed said. So far, only one Gold Coat has been removed, because “he had problems” with dementia patients’ messy eating and other behaviors, Dr. Hodel said.

I urge you to read the entire article so that you can see just what the Gold Coats do for their charges, what they are subjected to from other inmates, and how they cope through it all.

In terms of disclosure, Alzheimer's is a big deal in my family. Both my father and my brother died from complications of that disease. I have been diagnosed with the earliest opening stages. So far, beyond staying physically active and making an effort to interact socially (I am a hermit by nature), I have not had a need for any extra care, but that is likely in the years to come.

Additionally, and perhaps just as important, I am a Christian, something which frequently drives my lefty friends crazy. I believe in redemption and I much prefer mercy to justice because I've lived long enough to know the difference. And I am committed to the words of that Jewish carpenter's son who reminded us that "Even as you have done to the least of these, my brethren, you have done unto me."

So, I think the Gold Coats, whatever their past, deserve this award and much more.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Barack Obama

(Photograph by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

I do a lot of kvetching about President Obama, but it's only fair to acknowledge when he gets something right. He is the recipient of Elder Belle's Blessing, an award given to those who enhance the health and well-being of elders, for his commitment to additional federal funding for Alzheimer's research.

The Obama administration is increasing spending on Alzheimer's research — planning to surpass half a billion dollars next year — as part of a quest to find effective treatments for the brain-destroying disease by 2025.

In a two-part plan announced Tuesday, the National Institutes of Health immediately will devote an extra $50 million dementia research, on top of the $450 million a year it currently spends. The boost opens the possibility that at least one stalled study of a possible therapy might get to start soon.

Next week, President Barack Obama will ask Congress for $80 million in new money to spend for Alzheimer's research in 2013.

Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are a scourge for a rapidly growing proportion of the population of this country. While we probably won't see any short term results, at least we will be preparing for the future.

And President Obama appears to be aware of the need for assistance now for elders currently diagnosed with these conditions and their families:

...More than 5 million people already have Alzheimer's or related dementias, a number that, barring a medical breakthrough, is expected to more than double by 2050 because of the aging population. By then, the medical and nursing home bills are projected to cost $1 trillion annually. ...

The move is part of the administration's development of the first National Alzheimer's Plan, to combine research toward better treatments — the goal is to have some by 2025 — along with steps to help overwhelmed families better cope today. In addition to the biomedical research, the administration said it will propose spending $26 million for other goals of the still-to-be-finalized plan, including caregiver support.

Bravo, Mr. President!

For more information on this disease, including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, I recommend going to the Alzheimer Organization web site. It's a good place to get started, especially if you suspect that an elder in your family may be showing signs of Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Mike Freeman and Warren Limmer

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

This award is given from time to time to those individuals or groups who go out of their way to enhance the lives and interests of the elders. The winners in this edition have dedicated themselves to changing the law in the state of Minnesota. At present, elder neglect, even when it results in serious injury or death, is a misdemeanor, which means the perpetrators get a slap on the wrist and a small fine. Freeman and Warren want to make it a felony.

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Caregivers who intentionally neglect the elderly or other vulnerable adults could face felony prosecution for the first time in Minnesota under a legislative proposal unveiled Thursday that would close what proponents say is a gaping hole in state law.

Prosecutors say current misdemeanor penalties don't allow them to properly punish violators, even in extreme cases where months of horrendous treatment ends in serious harm or death.

The paper examined about 50 cases since 2004 where someone was convicted of misdemeanor neglect, including six that resulted in death. That included a mother in Bloomington who died after she was left in squalid conditions in a cold, darkened bedroom by her adult son, who paid a $50 fine and got a year of probation.

"Does this make me sick? You're damn right it does," said Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, a DFLer who is among those spearheading the effort. "Every one of God's vulnerable adults deserves better, and we're going to do something about it." ...

The bill's chief Senate sponsor, Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, said the legislation is a reasonable proposal that targets the most extreme cases. Limmer, chair of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, said that with a wave of baby boomers set to retire, it's important to confront abuse and neglect.

It's always been important to confront abuse and neglect, and these two gentlemen, who are from opposing parties, by the way, have joined together to stiffen the penalties to a more appropriate level. What is so deplorable is that getting an reasonable bill through is going to be difficult. In the past, such bills failed because of pressure from some interest groups:

It remains uncertain whether the proposal, outlined by a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, prosecutors and Gov. Mark Dayton's administration, will face opposition from nursing homes, hospitals and others in the care industry. For years, an influential group in the industry has blocked efforts at the Capitol to criminalize neglect.

If you are a Minnesota resident, please put some pressure on your state legislators to pass this bill. It's needed and needed badly to protect the elders from predators and negligent health care providers.

Kudos to Freeman and Warren for standing up for us.

Elder Belle's Blessing: Congressional Progressive Caucus

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

The Progressive Congressional Caucus is the latest recipient of this award, given to people who have gone out of their way to enhance the health and well-being of elders. Thanks to Ronnie Bennett at Time Goes By, I learned of the CPC's efforts in proposing a real jobs bill, one that also protects Social Security and shores up Medicare. Here is part of Ronni's summary:

On Tuesday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus led by its chairman, Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva, introduced H.R. 3638, the Restore the American Dream for the 99 Percent Act.

The Economic Policy Institute says the bill would create 5 million jobs over the next two years and reduce the budget deficit by $2 trillion over the next decade.

H.R.3638 contains the kinds of provisions that would get the country moving forward again. You know, stuff Congress should have been enacting during these past four years instead of lining the pockets of the already rich while American family budgets are circling the drain. And it aligns with much that the #occupy movement has brought to the nation's attention.

What follows this introduction is a summary of the various provisions of H.R.3638, so click on the link to Time Goes By for the details. Then follow the links provided by Ronnie, and check out the press release from the CPC which will lead you to even more specifics on the bill.

The provisions which directly affect elders are summarized deftly by Ronni:

PROTECTING MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND SOCIAL SECURITY

• Public option: allowing a public option to operate with private in the health care exchanges saves $88 billion

• Negotiate drug prices: allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical saves $156 billion

• Enhancing Medicaid rates: the fastest way to support state governments would be to restore the increased federal Medicaid matching rates

• Scrapping Social Security cap: Social Security by law cannot contribute to the deficit; however people making over $106,800 do not pay taxes on the additional income. To ensure long-term solvency, this requires anyone making over $250,000 to pay the normal social security tax on their upper income.

It's not just these provisions which affect elders, however. Putting the country back to work and providing the nation with a sane economic policy affects us as well. We have families, and we want our children and grandchildren, as well as our friends and neighbors, to do well now and in the future.

The CPC and we have a rough road ahead in getting this bill passed in both houses of Congress, but we can move in that direction by contacting our representatives and senators urging them to do the right thing for a change. All of the nostrums we've been sold the past decades have failed us miserably. Now it's our turn.

Elder Belle's Blessing: County Of Los Angeles

(Photo by Patrice Carlton and published at National Geographic.)

It occurred to me yesterday that I should balance out the Granny Bird Award which flips off those who act in a way detrimental to elders with an award for those who enhance the health and well-being of elders. Like the Granny Bird Award, Elder Belle's Blessing will appear from time to time, whenever I come across something which clearly deserves it. Please feel free to nominate recipients (with a link, if possible) in comments.

The inaugural blessing goes to the County of Los Angeles for its grants to local senior centers to provide low-cost meals to elders. I've been to one at the Arcadia Senior Center, and have been advised that Temple City also has such a program. I'm sure there are others all over the county.

The process is really quite simple. The meals are served weekdays (except holidays) and monthly menus are available. Elders call and make reservations ahead of time. Payment is made upon arrival: in the case of Arcadia the charge is $2 for elders and the disabled. I would assume that is standard.

The meals themselves are quite hearty. On the day I went with my neighbor, we had roast beef, a baked potato, a salad made from steamed zucchini and summer squash, corn, and tomatoes with a vinaigrette dressing, a dinner roll and butter, a small carton of low-fat milk, a small carton of apple juice, and jello. It was more food than I could consume.

A glance at the December menu shows comparable meals, but they are varied, including Mexican dishes, Asian dishes, and even a Polish dish. Desserts are simple, usually fruit, with occasional cookies, pudding, and ice cream. The goal is to provide the elders with at least one substantial and nutritious meal per day. For elders living alone or with just a spouse, cooking often feels like more trouble than it's worth, one of the real hazards facing us as we grow older and our families have left to go out on their own.

But that's not the only goal: it's an opportunity for elders to get out and socialize. The meals are eaten at large tables (8 to 12 at each), and the conversations are lively. Current affairs, sports, fishing lures, movies/television programs: those all got hashed out at my table.

This is a wonderful program, one that I intend to avail myself of frequently. I just hope the County can keep it running. Like all governments at all levels, the county budget is strained. If I dug into it further (and I might), I would imagine I'd find that the County has a state grant dependent on a federal grant. And this is the kind of program which would be an easy target for the dolts in Congress. We need to keep an eye on that.

At any rate, well done, County of Los Angeles.