Trends in Long-Term Care - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

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matter, they do act, and they are treated as prisoners <strong>in</strong> many of these
homes.
Assemblyman STEIN-. Mr. Chairman, if I may, first of all, T would
like to thank Mr. Moan and Mr. Lee for the excellent workl they are
do<strong>in</strong>g, and as chairman of the commission, and if I could, I would like
to make a brief statement that would take just about a m<strong>in</strong>ute.
Mr. Chairman, the crimes and abuses that we have outl<strong>in</strong>ed here
are not, and I repeat, not dictum. Every dollar which is stolen from
the medicaid program, is stolen from the old, and the sick, who are
too weak, or too afraid to compla<strong>in</strong>.
Mr. Chairman, can it be the lack of a 50-cent washer separat<strong>in</strong>g hot
and cold water leads to people be<strong>in</strong>g placed <strong>in</strong> scald<strong>in</strong>g water, until
they nearly burn to death?
Mr. Chairman, that has happened. Can it be that people have to
sneak out of nurs<strong>in</strong>g homes half dressed, and knock on doors begg<strong>in</strong>g
for food?
Yes, Mr. Chairman, that has occurred <strong>in</strong> this very State.
We can go through filth, rats, bed sores, people ly<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> their own
excrement, deaths due to <strong>in</strong>competence, or even worse, due to <strong>in</strong>difference,
and supposedly we <strong>in</strong> an advanced civilization, we cannot allow
these horrors to exist.
The elderly should be cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g contributors to our society, not
outcasts, who are discarded <strong>in</strong> houses of public disgrace.
Our elderly have given years of valuable effort <strong>in</strong>to creat<strong>in</strong>g the
communities <strong>in</strong> which we live, and have fought battles for rights
which we, their children, now take for granted.
And early and often unnecessary <strong>in</strong>ternment, <strong>in</strong> a sterile hospital
<strong>in</strong>stitution, is an undeserved punishment for the crime of grow<strong>in</strong>g old.
We who have been entrusted with the duty of remedy<strong>in</strong>g these
disgraces, and I am sure you will agree, Senator, can never and should
never rest until this job is done, and until we really see a change <strong>in</strong> the
nurs<strong>in</strong>g home <strong>in</strong>dustry, not only <strong>in</strong> New York State, but throughout
the country, and, aga<strong>in</strong>, thank you very much for com<strong>in</strong>g to New Yorlk
today.
Senator Moss. Thank you, Mr. Ste<strong>in</strong>. I do appreciate your presentetion.
It is puzzl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> some of its aspects. I cannot fully assess it all,
except there are some serious problems, and we had better f<strong>in</strong>d out what
is go<strong>in</strong>g on, but obviously you have done a lot of exam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong>to the
problems that exist here <strong>in</strong> New York, and we appreciate what you are
present<strong>in</strong>g for our record, and for us to study.
I believe because it is 12:20, we will recess at this po<strong>in</strong>t, however, we
will try to come back-
Mr. STEIN. Mr. Chairman, we would like to put <strong>in</strong>to the record
some of these documents we have just talked about.
I would like to have marked <strong>in</strong> evidence the transcripts of the
hear<strong>in</strong>gs, <strong>in</strong> the matter of public hear<strong>in</strong>gs of nurs<strong>in</strong>g home practices
by the State of New York's Temporary Commission on Liv<strong>in</strong>g Costs
and the Economy.
Senator Moss. All right. They will be admitted <strong>in</strong>to our files, and we
are pleased to have them.
I th<strong>in</strong>k we can reconvene at say 10 m<strong>in</strong>utes past 1, <strong>in</strong> order to try
to get over all of the work we have before us.
Thank you. We stand <strong>in</strong> recess.
[Whereupon, the committee was recessed at 12:20 p.m.]