Letter to the Editor
Looking for the next “Chuck
Frahm”
Thanks for another insightful
issue (Feb 10, 2007). Your “Ashey,” “Chuck Frahm,” and “Raymond’s
Room” articles seem to reinforce my growing conviction that, with proper
technology, many of us could live better lives.
And it’s not that the technology isn’t available; it’s
that Medicare/Medicaid refuses to pay for it—and few of us
have the funds to pay for it ourselves, even with those STAR loans
and other Assistive Tech programs.
For example, I’ve broken both legs (one at a time, thankfully)
during bathroom transfers. My bones broke too easily because I have
developed osteopenia from lack of weight-bearing standing. How much
would Medicare have saved (and future savings on more bone problems)
if I’d had a stander? (I did buy one after the second break;
took out a loan and found a stander that had had two previous owners.)
How many others could be helped by devices to help caregivers like
Ms. Johns with roll-overs in bed, with transfers, and the other myriad
of tasks needed for daily living?
The second issue is
about employment (one aspect of which —wages—was
addressed in this issue). AARP wrings its collective hands about
baby-boomer retirements and the looming loss of workers. What about
looking to the disabled community for labor? Sure, we might have
to stretch our rigid concepts about job structure—like more
work-from-home opportunities, more flexibility in job scheduling,
willingness to accommodate part-timers in what were previously full-time
positions. Guess somebody better become a “Chuck Frahm.”
Sincerely,
Laura Hill, Roseville
