What is the easiest and most economical way to dispose of elderly disabled veterans who, in the eyes of many Veterans Affairs' doctors and administrators, have outlived their usefulness to society? The VA's answer is to warehouse them in an institution and deny them proper medical care. Prescribing them mind-numbing drugs greatly facilitates the process by rendering them easier to control and less likely to complain. Unlicensed physicians and incompetent nurses abound. Besides, negligence and elderly abuse lead to a high death rate, a necessity because there simply are not enough facilities and beds available to meet the steadily increasing demand. Death panels decide who will live and who shall die. Read Quacks to find out why more death certificates get doctored than patients at VA nursing homes. Please send me your comments.
Write your Congressman and tell him that you do not want the VA to conduct death panels or to encourage severely disabled veterans to commit suicide. Nursing homes are an abusive and dehumanizing means of warehousing long-term sick veterans. Homeless and disabled veterans should be given access to assisted living facilities where they can continue to take part in the community rather than being ostracized in overcrowded, disease ridden nursing homes.
To quote Douglas MacArthur: "Old soldiers never die, they just fade, fade away." At 74 years old with rheumatoid arthritis and no right knee, I can feel the fade setting in. Still, my mind is as sharp as ever. Yet too many people lookup the elderly and disabled as if they are already dead. I am more productive and creative now than I ever was before. All I want is the opportunity to do so.
