This is CRUCIAL!

In case some  of you, perhaps many of you, thought I was exaggerating the state of healthcare for those most marginalized, please click here:  http://7thspace.com/headlines/467967/the_key_actors_maintaining_elders_in_functional_autonomy_in_bobo_dioulasso_burkina_faso.html

As I have been blogging about for nearly a year, healthcare and home based care services are getting worse, not better, for those who need it most.  If confirmation was needed, the article from 7thspace.com is a powerful statement!  The US has been losing ground in many areas such as obesity, low birth weight, diabetes, etc.  These systemic health conditions that may be avoided with proper diet, exercise and moderation in pace of life are becoming more prominent in the  richest nation in the world.  While more potent pain killers are being produced by pharmaceutical companies, children are spending less time on the playground and more time on the computer, with earphones blocking the every day sounds of life to the point where lives are being lost due to accidents that are completely preventable.  I'm not just talking about young people.  I've had adults in their 40s walk directly in front of my scooter while texting.  A home based service coordinator's text has written in the all too familiar "shorthand" used by college aged students.  I wondered if she could spell as her emails revealed misspelled words and incorrect grammar.  This was also true of the owner of the company.
People of the United States are exhausted and NOT resting.  Therefore, more errors are being  made due to few people trying to do the work of many.  Those devalued by society; eg. elders, those with disabilities and the chronically ill are
paying the price.  At the same time, diagnostic testing has improved in many areas increasing these populations.  While I can appreciate the additional responsibilities placed on providers, such errors as losing paperwork, refusing routine exams and not scheduling tests ordered by one's physician is unacceptable.

My mother told me privately more than once, "I'm going to make you so independent that no one will be able to walk in and take over your life."  Her commitment to her goal coupled with my education and the ability to speak up for myself has, so far, sustained me. My true desire is to be helpful, not critical  However, my assistance has been declined so I hope I am living an example that others find worthy.