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This happened: otherwords.org/why-assisted...

100% of the people involved in this discussion know the pain and disappointment generated by the current long-term care system. Do the math! This book is for everyone.

This book is about my mother and our quest for a safe, compassionate environment. Really, this book is for everyone. .

“It really is profiteering. It’s taking advantage of people who are frightened, under duress.” - @judykarofsky.bsky.social in new Coming From Left Field episode on the assisted living industry in the US and her book DisElderly Conduct. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbXr...

The press has to be relentless in questioning Hegseth, Rubio, Vance, Gabbard and all involved in the Signal fuck-up. This cannot be just another one-day story.

I would if I could!

Look at me! www.newvillagepress.org diselderlyconduct.com

“If Congress cuts Medicaid funding to states to help extend tax cuts, dental care for adults could be one of the first casualties as legislators & governors re-sort priorities and try to make do with less.” AXIOS

Ageism

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Eek! The simpler it becomes, the more complex it gets.

The attacks on DEI are a pretext for a much more radical agenda of reversing the gains of the civil rights movement, an objective the Trump administration is pursuing with zeal. A Great Resegregation. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Wise man…

When I grow up, I want to be the Governor of Maine!

“Only an idiot would think we should eliminate emergency response in a natural disaster, education and healthcare for disabled children, gang crime investigations, clean air and water programs, monitoring of nursing home abuse, nuclear reactor regulation, and cancer research.” IL Gov J.B. Pritzker

And the elephant 🐘 eats the donkey 🫏

Of concern:

There are over 30 thousand assisted living facilities in the U.S.—housing designed for seniors who need help with activities of daily living, but don’t require continuous skilled nursing. Because our population is aging, our concern about the inadequate biz model will be relevant for many years.

My book has a wise and sensitive publisher. She has her own story to tell. player.captivate.fm/episode/e67f...

Moves to assisted living are event-driven. Families & advocates make decisions in their weakest, most emotional moments. They should be aware that they’ll be challenged by organizational changes, new medication procedures, remote care, & rising fees. Coming in May: diselderlyconduct.com

We all need comfy toys now!

The Washington Post editorial this morning essentially equating Biden's questionable pardons with Trump's outrageous Jan. 6 pardons was unconscionable. The newspaper I've been part of for 48 years has utterly lost its soul.

Caught between her immediate needs and painful transfers, my mom started resisting help and reacting against her caregivers—especially new and unfamiliar ones. Read “DisElderly Conduct: The Flawed Business of Assisted Living and Hospice” Coming in May from New Village Press. diselderlyconduct.com

A resident of an assisted living facility, my mom said, “This is the worst place I’ve been.” She wasn’t referring to housekeeping, health care, food, or safety; she meant she craved attention, socialization, & fun. My mother desired reassuring hugs, but who would provide them? diselderlyconduct.com

Looking forward to publication of my book “DisElderly Conduct:The flawed business of assisted living and hospice”. Coming in May. Pay attention: It’s about biz—not health or care. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/h...

Looking forward to publication of my book “DisElderly Conduct:The flawed business of assisted living and hospice”. Coming in May. Pay attention: It’s about biz—not health or care. diselderlyconduct.com

Not surprised: President Biden's marquee policy to improve nursing home care — a national staffing requirement for skilled nursing facilities — is likely to be rolled back by the incoming Republican trifecta. (AXIOS)

“There’s already a shortage of workers performing long-term care, and that shortage will worsen in the coming decades.” rollcall.com/2025/01/09/t...

Make mine a double. It’s gonna be a long year.

We were paying $7 to 12k a month for assisted living but I reverted to life as a stay-at-home mother of 3: I bought 2 large laundry bags & began lugging dirty laundry to my own basement. Many afternoons, I folded laundry while my mother dozed or watched TV. diselderlyconduct.com

Although food and food service in assisted living should provide a sense of well-being, a pattern for the day, and a source of joy, my mother frequently and repeatedly dined on grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.

'Cogent, thoughtful, and optimistic’—Margaret Sullivan's piece in The Guardian highlights President Biden's interview with MeidasTouch.

From my book: “I never knew anything about walkers or wheelchairs, but I became proficient in assembling, disassembling, repairing, maneuvering, and adjusting things that rolled.”

This is happening. May 2025.

In Sept 2017, my mother’s lead hospice nurse reported that my mom, at 99.5 years of age, was “No longer terminally ill.” 24 hours later, my mom’s hospice status changed to “consult”. Hospice nurses stopped visiting & we proceeded on our own. Read “DisElderly Conduct”. Available in May.

What she said …

It’s beyond self-preservation. I have long felt like an outsider, but I really like the coziness of winter—sans driving in snow and ice ⛄️

Three weeks until the days start becoming longer. Just like that! ☀️

National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC), projects an additional 80,000–140,000 new senior housing units will be needed to meet demands of aging Baby Boomers by late 2030s, an investment that could reach 100 billion dollars. This is a big biz with few regs.

Coming in May 2025. Published by New Village Press. To be distributed by NYU Press. A policy-driven memoir. Pre-orders available.

Sunrise to sunset, my mom dozed in a wheelchair. Unless I was with her, she sat near a window, close to a common TV. I often found her alone, embarrassed by wet or soiled underwear. “I asked for help, and they said they’d be right back,” she’d say. Read DisElderly Conduct. Available May 2025.

In assisted living, my mother became silent & depressed if sensing she was being overlooked. After genuine praise for choosing words for a group poem about the garden or the seasons, she’d say, “This was a good day.” Sadly, those days were few and infrequent. DisElderly Conduct. 📕 coming in May.

Turn off the TV. Better yet, toss it.

Black Friday ads are more enticing than the discounts $$