It’s a sad day.

[mindem]

My Aunt passed away last night. She had been fighting the good fight in a nursing home for three years. She ended up there after falling and breaking her hip, an all too typical situation. She was such a sweet, loving, gentlewoman – I’m going to miss her.

While visiting with my folks last night I found out that my uncle had been footing the bills to the tune of around $60,000 dollars a year during her stay in the nursing home. Luckily he is fairly well to do - he retired after selling the family farm. None of his children were interested in keeping the farm in the family.

It really gets a person to thinking of how medical costs continue to skyrocket. Of how we have a political party controlling things that has a total lack of concern for the quality of life of our countries sick, poor, aged and veterans. They will continue to let the drug companies and health care providers gouge consumers so they can protect their master’s bottom lines. “Just shut up and pay” it’s America’s “ownership society”. It’s “Values” – it’s “Moral”. The Republicans will continue to clear cut, pave over, pollute, exercise eminent domain, under fund or kill off any program that provides quality of life, and do it while proclaiming to be the party of God.

We need leaders in Washington who will shrug off the corporations, lobbyists, investors, and rabid right wing special interest groups. They need to do it for folks like my Uncle Charles and Aunt Alice and all the rest of us. We need to get back to “We, The People”. When all is said and done it’s a matter of dignity. We shouldn’t have to worry about becoming ill, or old, or losing our job to outsourcing for the sake of greed and warped ideology. I know my Aunt wanted it to be that way. So do I.

It’s a sad day.
:cry:

[myrna minx]

1. I am sorry for your loss.

My best wishes to you and your family. :hug:

[LisaM]

2. I'm sorry to hear about your Aunt....

My father-in-law faced a similar situation - nursing home bills for my mother-in-law were over $60K. It ate up more than half of his retirement income. He paid for her care for 10 years. In the last year, he has needed care himself as he has early Alzheimer's. So he essentially missed his own retirement to pay for her care. I don't think it's supposed to be this way.