Dear Editor:
Seniors do not go into nursing homes to die. They go in because they need health care and assisted living.
Patients in long-term care facilities do not give up their civil rights or constitutional rights just because they are in a care facility. They continue to be very much a part of their communities.
Who watches over patients and our elderly in care facilities? Who makes sure their needs are met? Who pays unannounced visits to nursing homes to see to it that the needs of patients are met? The ombudsman advocate.
The ombudsman advocate does such good work for our nursing-home patients that I must speak out to ask readers for help.
If you can find it in your heart to give a little financial aid to the ombudsman advocate, it would mean they could continue on with their program helping seniors and patients, by helping prevent elder abuse and neglect in nursing care facilities.
Senior citizens who are alone need our help. They need to know we care about them, that someone gives a damn about them. Financial aid is a wonderful way to keep our seniors safe and secure.
The Ombudsman Advocate of San Benito and Santa Cruz counties is a non-profit organization, and it needs our support, especially in today’s economy. If you can, please send a check today to: The Ombudsman Advocate Agency, 333 Front St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Contributions are tax deductible.
If you are interested in becoming a state certified long-term care Ombudsman volunteer, please call 636-1638 for details about training.
Gail Stevens
