June 17, 2005; lUcord Press A-4 Commentary How to care for the caregivers? The county's twin tragedies of the past two weeks — the murder-suicides of first Ruth and Robert Sessler of New Providence and then Thomas and Carolyn Sweeney of Fanwood — have their own unique, heartbreaking details. But there is an unmistakable connection between the two incidents; In each case, the burden of caring for an elderly, ailing spouse was apparently key in the decision to end a pair of lives. In the first case, Robert Se.ssler's fall from the bleachers at a local hockey game left him a quadriplegic and dramatically altered the life he and his wife Ruth .shared. In the second, the deteriorating medical condition of Carolyn Sweeney, who suffered from diaIx'te.s, a hip replacement and numerous other ailments, has been described as a key factor in her husband's action. "He wns completely overwhelmed with many concerns. My mother hud recently broken her hip and she has an incredibly long history in and out of the hospital. They loved each other, and he didn't want her to suffer," the Sweeneys' daughter, Joanne Wolf, told the Courier-News. There is no cure-all that could have solved the physical and emotional hardships confronted by the Sweeneys and Sesslers. But the cases underline a long-standing and growing problem: We must do more to support people with chronic illnesses and their caregivers. The need for long-term home care is driven by the nation's changing demographics. More and more Americans are living long lives despite chronic medical conditions, and many of those people, either because of financial pressures or personal choice, will remain in their homes rather than moving to an assisted living facility. At the same time, social trends are weakening extended family bonds and forcing the adult children of the elderly to devote more time to work. Union County is blessed with many church groups, clubs, support groups and volunteer organizations that do yeoman's work to help elderly residents in need of physical or emotional support. In addition, facilities such as Runnells Specialized Hospital in Berkeley Heights and SAGE Eldercare in Summit offer valuable respite programs for caregivers. And the county even boasts a unique program in which tocal artists will perform in the home of a caregiver. All these efforts are vitally important — indeed, caregivers in the immediate area are better supported than most. But they still amount to a series of patches atop the hodge-podge mix that is our long-term care system. And the burden still falls disproportionately on family carogivors, who are often elderly themselves. A 1998 report from the American Council of Life Insurance found that 57 percent of frail elders who live in the community rely solely on family and friends for care. Of course, in addition to the physical and emotional burdens of acting as caregiver, there are the financial costs. Respite care at Runnells for example, is sometimes covered by Medicaid but is most often paid for out-of-pocket. And though home health aides art? notoriously poorly paid, the cost of help at home can be overwhelming to middle-class families. Among government programs, Medicare's fee-for-service model is ill-suited to chronic care, and Medicaid laces cutbacks (The Sweeneyn' Medicare coverage niaxed out u i'ew wi-uka ago, Joanne Wolf told The Star-Li?dn«ri. AH the Center for American Progress (CAP) writes in a report issued last week, "The nation lacks a policy that ensures people of all ages access to quality long-term care when they need it, without risk of impoverishment." This is a difficult problem, but it's within our jxiwer to change it. 'Judith Feder, the author of the CAP report, recommends a now commitment of federal funding, which could be used to provide a core program of universal public insurance, an extension of Medicaid to provide a baseline of protection, or a more modest broadening of Medicaid to pay for home- and community-based can-. And because this is, in ninny ways, a social problem, we also need to find ways to allow adult children and extended family members loofVer support t<i their loved ones. Improved family leave and Ilex-time programs would be .\ good start. Better awareness tin the part n|'everyone in the medical community to the issue is iiu;Miriatil, too. Mure ideas than these will be needed, of course. But it's ii discussion we need I" start having The Record-Press is here for you The I'ullmving information should help you get your ideas and community news into Thv livcofd-I'rcss: ('all Kditor Gregory Marx at <7.'12) .'596-4219 with story suggest urns, (|ursti»ns or rnmineuts For sports, call ('had Mememvay itl (7M2> :19H-12(>2. Our address 1'fx- Hrcnnl-Prcss, KOI Central Aviv, Clark, N.J. 070BH. Our fax number is \,1'.\2) f>74-2<>i;J. Our e-mnil address is Jrcss MKIIllsinn IMrttli ir hlllnr N|nirl* Illl lor l.lli'cll Illikl 1 . (tirnl Illmlun tin'H Mrtr* Chiul llinniiHiij ClWilrtlt , Hitiniit< II Krt'kcl Codey's contract draws questions Recruiting in schools should stop Jr. Women raise $1,500 through sale SEE To T h e H e c o n l - P r e n s : The Washington Scliiinl Show is the ntnin fundraiser Inr the Waslimj'.lnu Schonl Kletitentary Seltool in West field. A- tin producers of the liOOfi show, we would like to I A I . - I I I I hcarllell thanks lo illl tin 1 local Mi'Tcliiml •; lh.it phired an advertise p l u s lull HIIUU r n i s e i l S ' , ! 1,(1011 | , , i I l i e W I I M I M l i | ' , l < m 1 T Oi l l n l c o u l d I I M I | I : I V I - I II s u c h ;i liii(;i' Consider organic lawn treatments 'IV>Tlu> Itwurri-lYi'Ni: Mont o f MM lit> | O I I ( ; I T i i i n iMii l i v i n g l i i i n i w o r k i n j ; t i l l ' Hi til. Milt e\ r i i 11n i ii| ill u t \ i l ; i k r o "t hr tin\ m i l n l t h e I'll r n i." ii <|int k liuik i i i i II i MI I \ i v, . )i'i'>:i v i • I iin I I l> Will m l l l i r m Hint M M I n i n l I.illi t h e (in iti out nl l|n IHIV," We'll1 "till M l l b l U l l l l l l Illl irim l i t e '* fatlur t P MprflMntt* . |me]iiiMniiMii <x MunMh • M <>rrki' '« tfr"«j4 <t*falh?ll 1| Vllll Ij'jt | i f-f.!lii,*f,+ r ( .ft) f f j i U ) fi, S(S p u M u b m j tf>l UHtrnl *v« (tKili ^| i n W ' l \ flon'l I illl i m i i i i i i i't( in i d wVritl|i'll< tnnir M«. "il Pfxi 't «P» mili ' l l l i ", 1 I,M.(I Vvm!r I l l l l l l i n \ ( ill i n m i l l i u i n l i " . n u t r u n |>l'i[ h u l l • <i[ <IIII L I I H I « i i | n hrtiwti tllflt Phone 732 39IM219 *•» 732574-2613 Circulation: 1-flOO 300 9321 Advancing : 732-396 4404 a Claolfled: 1<800<47g*O1O2 i t l t i n lic< I I n m n i u u l . e v e n i l i f . ; j o - i t n \ \ v| ( I U l ! O | i . : . ' , . I I1 1 r ] l | | l | f r i l l II / I ' I I I I 1 1 I f M i i i l i l i i l t ' l l l l l l ' l UiHltiiUrf And on those late nights when you came home exhausted, I hunks lor taking the time to help me with my homework. success without the HIIpport of the Incnl inerclnintM Thanks for lending me the ami business owners, keys to ihe car, and tliunkH fur The producers of 1 be 20()<i nhow will he ,|en always offering tn give me a Hchildjre, Anita Mushell. Katie V i r / i and Hnrbnni ride if | needed it. l i n g e r . The show \\i\» been selected nml is mire to Tluinks for (riving me my he aunt her superg production. first sip nl1 beer, mid tliunkH for CATHY HAWKIN8. GRACE CETLIN, not ffttIiri(» loo mad when I KATIE VIRZI and BARBARA BAGQER I brew a party during your W«atfl«ld vncat ion Thank ynii for piiHliiiiK me urn! I hank you for being (liilient Thank y<ni f o r g i v i n g me iln freedom to innke my own deci.MioiiH, helping HIM I'iMtiitinlelv. there a r e lots olfMHy ways l<> d<> I H I Ibroiifili my mint iikcx mtil for lee T r v oi>;iiiitc lawn cure n edmbiitation ol e n \ i iilwiiv:-: heuiK Itiori' when I i'oiiiiM'litnll\' li'ii'lidlv Invvtl elite |H m t u e- n m l i i a t l l i a l needed niK'tce pinihicl'- w i t l i ' i u l niiniy wide eili't'lH I l i r e ' i w h a l ynii r u n dn Thimbu fin beilit; tbe pllltiC I 'i«' I I t i n i l c h i h ^ iiuivver w i l d ;i Mlnirp hlinle t o i nt mo ljumlv could IIIWM.V" count Merchants supported school's show The School mii^i MTBBMI Wi (nttmi M-Htitt.t lurk, y . When I was a kid, and my addiction to sports was just beginning, I remember watching games with my family and noting the way athletes celebrated on the sideline. Player after player mugged for the cameras by flashing the "We're No, 1" sign and saying hello to their mothers, which was simple and enthusiastic and far better than today's practice of thanking agents and auditioning for endorseLetters to the editor ment deals. But I was always bothered by the way they never seemed to thank or acknowledge their fathers. And I remember saying that because The Star-Ledger obtained documents relatTo The Record-Press: Robert Codey, the brother of acting Gov. Richard ing to the transaction and inquired about the offi- when I became a pro athlete Codey, will be retiring Sept. 1 from his deputy attor- cials' actions and then reported them. Acting Gov. and made a great play and had ney general's post. He will collect a $98,000-a-year Codey, through a spokeswoman, said he hoped his the cameras in my face on the pension that was boosted by an unusual arrange- brother's scheduled retirement would end the spate sidelines, I would be sure to ment approved by the all-Democrat Union County of news articles that have appeared about the thank my dad and send a little freeholder board, which is led by an appointed coun- arrangement. love his way as well. ty manager who is powerbroker State Senator I find this comment to be in direct contrast to his Somehow my athletic career Raymond Lcsniak's iD-L'nionl nephew. January State of the State address, at which Gov. never made it to the profesAlthough Codey. who's only 55, will collect an Codey, a Democrat who stepped in to replace dis- sional ranks, denying me the additional $33,000 a year for life from the state pen- graced Democrat Governor James McGreevey, stated opportunity to live out that sion under the arrangement, as well as automatic regarding the §25 billion underfunding of the pension promise. But I guess the annual cost of living adjustments and .state-paid system, This is a problem we can no longer ignore". checks I receive for this colhealth insurance throughout his retirement, As a society, this sort of political dealing, in the umn qualify me as a profesDemocrat-appointed Attorney General Peter many ugly ways it rears its head, is a problem we can sional writer, and since Harvey's office defended the move as merely a tech- no longer ignore — therefore, remember to vote all Father's Day is approaching nical maneuver that cost the state nothing since the Democrats out in November. this weekend I'm going to take raise was paid for by Union County. TINA RENNA this opportunity to say the Cranford The taxpayers know of this arrangement only thanks the television cameras never had a chance to capture. Thank you, Dad, for teaching me how to ride a bike, To The Record-Press: legislation through which students can request shave, score a baseball game, I am writing to voice my concern about mili- to keep their contact information private, but change a tire, parallel park, tary recruiting in our public schools. While I rarely are students or parents informed of it. I break in a baseball mitt, tell nsupport the troop,-; and the rights of a volunteer encourage all students and parents to send a tat- good joke, ride a wave and military, I do not support institutionalizing ter to their school's administrators asking them work a grill. involuntary recruitment practices. to keep their information private. Thank you for teaching me The No Child Left Behind Legislation autoA sample form can be found at how to throw and how to matically gives the military permission to pres- http://www.militaryfreezone.org/opt_out, catch. Thanks for coming to my sure public school districts into handing over A happy and willing military is an effective games and for taking me to their students' private information without any military, and we cannot have our young people form of parental permission or notification. This duped or coerced into doing something that McDonald's after a tough loss. Thanks for hanging a hoop on is a blatant violation of privacy and it needs to threatens their very lives. the garage, and thanks for stop. ROSEMARY TOPAR fishing many wayward Wifflo There is an opt-out provision written in the Westfleld balls out of the gutters. Thank you for giving me my first set of clubs and for showing me how to hit a golf ball. And thank you very much for buyTo Thi* Record-Press: lishments. ing me lessons. The Scotch Plains Junior Woman's Club would Additionally, a special thanks to the UPS Thanks for waking me up like to thank everyone who participated in the Store for copying the maps for free. early to go caddy, even when town-wide garage sale. We look forward to another successful year in It was another successful year for the sale. 200n. If you are interested in learning more you wanted to catch a few Mure than 100 homes participated, raising over about the Juniors, please feel free to call extra Zs on the weekend. And $l.r>00 that will he (list rihuted ti> local charities. Danielle at <90Hi 2-lf>-2(599 or send an email to thanks for making sure I put a few of those bucks in the bank. We hope t hut all t hose who part icipnted had suc- Josephine at majwa|sh(«conicast.net. cessful sales Thank you for hustling The Junior Woman's Club was organized in Also, we would like lo thank I'ulmcr Video. 1947 In provide women with an opportunity to home from work in time for a Nun/io's, Fiinwiind Ita^el. Kiiuwnod t^uiik Cheek socialize, make friends and make a difference in family dinner, and tbanks for mid the Scotch I'lniiis mul Kaini' I libraries for our community, working late on the nights you a I low in;; us to distribute I he maps ;it I he ir estabScotch Plains Junior Woman's Club had to reheat the leftovers. Ilient i i i I be N||I N.IN I'otilmtiing «>;»()()') A Poiiti Jmsfiy Ailviinnii luc Nowspfipof 1'iihlMlir/M1 \(l\c rlNiiK DearDad: Thanks for everything I I" n .Iu-1 iinil T h e t'lllMIHe i i lii'ini Op|llll'illion i I n f '• | > t • i • • m i l n u t | „•.<! i , i, I i •. 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