End Of Life Decisions

End Of Life Decisions

30 Comments
One of the things I value about Delaware Liberal is our community.  This isn't the first time I've reached out, and I doubt it will be the last.  As I type this I am awaiting a call back from my father-in-law's senior living apartment's service coordinator.  It's decision time, which means I'm scrambling for information. My father-in-law took a fall about a month ago.  He seemed okay, and we were fortunate he was given a visiting nurse.  I LOVE Medicare!  Then yesterday, my phone rang.  It was the EMTs calling.  My FIL had fallen and was completely disoriented.  He was refusing treatment and the EMT called me before they had to call the police - because my FIL HAD to go to the hospital.  Of course, he did.  I spoke to my FIL on the phone - Luckily, he recognized me - but he still refused to go to the hospital.  I told him I was on my way over, then called my husband.  By the time we got there the EMTs had finally gotten him on the stretcher.  He's now at the hospital and we're awaiting test results.  Those that have come back have indicated he has shingles, a UTI, occasional cardiac atrial fibrillation and has suffered a series of mini strokes.  The hospital expects to keep him for three days. So, here's where I'm at, and where I turn to DL for advice. 
A Tale of Two Democrats

A Tale of Two Democrats

16 Comments
Or at least two types of Democrats. Yesterday, Senator Bernie Sanders and 15 other Democratic Senators sent a letter to President Obama urging him to not cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid in his FY15 budget. It won't be much of a surprise to most of the readers here to find that neither Senator Carper or Coons signed on to this letter. Interestingly, Senator Coons voted to restore the cuts to military pensions and Carper voted against them. So take a look at what a group of Democrats genuinely interested in the well-being of middle class and working class people urged the President:
Today, retirement insecurity is as high as it has ever been. Only one in five workers in the private sector has a defined benefit pension plan; half of Americans have less than $10,000 in savings; and two-thirds of seniors rely on Social Security for a majority of their income. Given this reality, we respectfully urge you not to propose cutting Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits in your Fiscal Year 2015 budget. In good times and bad, Social Security has succeeded in keeping millions of senior citizens, widows, orphans, and persons with disabilities out of extreme poverty. Before Social Security was developed, about half of our seniors lived in poverty; today senior poverty is down to 9.1 percent. Without Social Security, one-third of senior citizens would have virtually no earnings at all. Social Security has not contributed one penny to the deficit. Social Security has a surplus of more than $2.7 trillion and can pay every single benefit owed to every eligible American for the next 19 years.

Monday Open Thread

4 Comments
Monday and we're all back to work, even the intrepid UI. If my own experience returning to work from vacation is any guide, she's underwater today, so I'll post up today's Open Thread.