Cottage 8: “Cottage 8 continues to show nicely.”
Kitchen: “Dishwasher is leaking water. This was reported last month.”
Cottage 9: “Cottage still infested with fleas. The sewer system may be the problem.”
“…it appears that some residents are constantly wearing the same clothing. If this is obvious on the outside, what must be going on underneath?”
“The Ceramics Show on April 28 was magnificent. The residents were proud, happy, and contented.”
“Is the lack of staff the reason why individuals are not being brought to the pool and therefore ISPs (Indvidual Support Plans) not being implemented?”
Cottage 11: “It is indeed unfortunate that only two items on the April Bldg. Report were completed: #7 — sink faucet was repaired and #8 — the ceiling outside the nurses' station was repaired. If you check the April responses, you will find none of the other 8 requests were done. We also saw roaches walking across the kitchen counter…”
“The building looks quite nice and neat.”
Cottage 12B: “Washing machine inoperative.”
Cottage 13B: “Front door remains as reported for the last five months (does not completely close).”
“The cottage was immaculate.”
ICF 24: “Leak in roof of bedroom hallway was reported.”
“On April 29, during a very windy day, a huge tree split and landed across the road going into Malone Park. The Fernald crew (what's left) were there ASAP. Thanks for the quick reaction and cleanup.”
CONCERNS: “…not enough Site 7 or Direct Care staff to care for or work with the residents. Why? Too many people were laid off, maybe? These are DPH (Department of Public Health) and ISP issues…”
Building Rep. Committee Secretary Marie Bortone concludes the May Building report with the following statement:
At a Legislative Breakfast at Fernald recently, I asked those in attendance if this was your family member, how or what would you do to protect them from eviction. Same question once again goes to (Department of Developmental Services) Commissioner Howe, (and Fernald administrators) Diane Enochs and Linda Montminy. It's not your family. It's ours!
Sorry, but that is the phrase that comes to mind.
I’m glad I don’t have a family member in this situation. It could happen to anyone.
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p>When I mention the upcoming closure to fellow Dems the reaction I usually get is “Well times are tough, everyone has to take a hit.” Many who say that have taken hits themselves.
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p>Meanwhile, the multi-millionaire “innovators” who drove us into the current financial mess are doing just fine. Hrrumph.
should the weakest of the weak have to take a hit? What kind of society are we that we expect that of them? I recognize that times are tough…but I also recognize that these fragile people are not a priority.
The USA does not compare well in this.
The USA is the least family friendly industrialized nation, per a number of metrics Not okay. Not okay at all.
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p>The truely noble and honorable “strong” take care of the weak, not batten off them as we are seeing over and over, whether over-the-top Greedbags like Bernie Madoff, or Goldman Saks reveling in greed and power.
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p>Why should Liberty Mutual get tax breaks, and the fragile folk at Fernald pay? And children pay by degraded educational programs?
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p>There is a song, “Where have all the flowers gone?”
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p>I suggest a different line, “Where have all the school librarians and nurses gone?“
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p>Our children and grandchildren will NOT thank us for the tax cuts that eviscerated their educations and schools – nor for outsourcing their futures.
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p>The question for my generation – and for yours which is following closely will be what is the legacy we are living for our children and grandchildren?
There should be a really loud bang but there isn’t. To get a bang you’d need the national media pointing out this injustice and I won’t hold my breath waiting for that.
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p>Anyone I tell about this has a look of bewilderment on their face. The common response is “what do you mean….they can’t do that”…..”but I pay all these taxes so these people are taken care of”…..”you must have heard it wrong”…”what”!!!!
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p>The reaction tells me that people are basically good but trust and assume that the government is doing what its supposed to. When you give them a few more facts about the private service providers and their executive compensation that bewilderment disappears and turns to anger.
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p>It appears that only the politician’s have lost their moral compass.
Please BMG’ers, I beg of you. PROVE ME WRONG!
Imagine yourself with a broken leg. You go to the hospital, get a cast, maybe a few painkillers. Good to go, right? Wromg!
I was once hospitalized with a low blood sugar so low it dropped my body temperature to 85 degrees F. My body was doing the bare minimum to keep me alive. In this condition, all I could speak was gibberish. My brain was kind on overdrive, while the rest of me was in slow motion. I heard the doctor ask if i was retarded. Fortunately for me, they warmed me up to at least 93 and I could go home.
Back to the leg example. You raise a fuss, they restrain you. Maybe a good painkiller to knock you out. While you’re sleeping, they decide to restrain you, to “protect you from yourself” and them.
Restraint is easier than reason. I hope none of you are ever on the wrong end of restraint.
I know you people care more about dogs than the most vulnerable people alive. That sucks.
Who are the “you people” you are ranting about here? Not me.
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p>Also, I admit I had trouble wading through your post and am not 100% sure I know what you are getting at.
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p>I agree that poverty and illness seem to be taken as a moral issue, and almost as if the poor and ill and disabled “deserve” what is happening to them, and don’t deserve to be taken care of properly, or with compassion.
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p>I consider the treatment of children in foster care in this state heinous – guess what – now there is a lawsuit in federal court because some where out there a foundation with some money (as opposed to a mere sole practitioner laboring one case at a time in the trenches) did take action and did file a suit and I can tell you the “named plaintiffs” are the tip of an unlovely iceberg, see: law suit
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p>This blog site has posters of many varieties – some who understand disability issues, many who do not. It is neither fair nor accurate to call everyone here a “social darwinist” – if you think someone, elected or not, is one of these why not name them and say why rather than an almost inarticulate rant?
Of course I do not mean you as an individual. But you are a democrat, you are part of the problem. I have noticed in my time on BMG that a lot of democrats love to demonize and stereotype others who disagree with them negatively.
I think it is well known that I use a wheelchair. Ok, pigeonhole me as “disabled”. WRONG! I consider myself more than able. It just may take me a little bit longer to do the things you(plural) take for granted.
You want names? Lets start with Senator John Kerry: In 2008, the senator visited the Worcester Vietnam vets shelter. He rented the nice tour bus, trotted a few gimps out as eye candy. Left ignored was his democratic supporter on a power scooter with an oxygen tank. He was ignored in the background. Not pretty enough, I guess. Even though I was a Jeff Beatty supporter, I felt sorry for him. Before that event, Jeff Beatty made the same visit. After that, Jeff visited me in the hospital,no fanfare, just a friend visiting a friend. We aren’t seeing John Kerry until 2014 again.
Memo for everybody: looks aren’t everything!
Lets look at governor Patrick at cutting the PCA program: I have already posted enough about that. I don’t want to be redundant.
Sorry Ma’am, but as a “big tent idea” your democratic party sucks mud.
Since this thread is not an outrageous headline, I expect most BMG’ers to inore it. Its not a happy subject.
…is on my “do not engage” list. He just taunts and insults.
To insult and stereotype and demonize. You (plural) are so well practiced at it. But I notice very few “progressives” defending the weakest and most helpless members of society.
…defending the weakest in our society is EXACTLY what progressives do. You don’t really think the party of you’re on your own does that better, do you? (Thus violating my stated non-engagement intent – oh well)
It is the duty of the strong to protect the weak; in fact, that is the essence of civilization and the primary purpose of government.
You supply the intelligence, I’ll supply the outrage. It IS a worthy cause.