AARP Pushes Busch to Pull Rude Commercial

Published in the Pawtucket Times on July 23, 2001

Everyone knows that sex and humor are used every day to effectively advertise products, ranging from blue jeans, CDs, perfumes and colognes, to America’s youth. Now an advertising firm is seeking new outrageous ways to pitch beer for their Fortune 500 client.

Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the maker of Budweiser beer, is known for its fun and humorous commercials to sell Bud beer by using computer-generated talking lizards and young men yelling “Whassup.” But the Washington, D.C.-based AARP and senior advocates across the country found Anheuser-Busch’s new radio commercial using elder abuse to pitch its beer to be unacceptable. The nation’s largest senior advocacy group, representing 33 million older Americans, called the radio ad portraying a young woman abusing and exploiting her elderly infirmed husband, “offensive” stating that it just goes so far.

In “She Married Steven Buck Simpson,” a young woman gleefully talks about how she is physical, emotionally and financially abusing her frail elderly husband. Here’s the text for the commercial spot describing the abuse intergenerational relationship:

“Last year I married oil tycoon Steven Buck Simpson. He was 93. I was 22. And it was true love, hmm, or so I led him to believe until the wedding. After that, I fired his lawyer and cardiologist. I let his house insurance lapse, alienated him from his children, and sent him out for a walk so I could get freaky with the pool boy. Umm, I deflated the tires on his wheelchair, soaked his dentures in turpentine, and hid his oxygen.”

“Let’s see. I replaced his blood pressure medication with Red Hots, fed him high fat, high cholesterol foods. And finally, liquidated 100 percent of his assets into a Swiss bank account, dropped his dog King off at the pound, and left the country in his private jet, where I promptly renewed my membership in the Mile High Club.”

At this point a m  a states, “Ooh, ooh man that’s cold!” With the sound of a cap being popped off a beer bottle, an announcer responds, “But not as cold as Bud Ice. Ice brewed for a smooth crisp, refreshing taste. Bud Ice, there ain’t nothing colder. Anheuser-Bush.” Quite a way to sell a brand of beer.

When the commercial, playing in several markets, caught the attention of AARP the group’s president Esther Canja, wrote to CEO August A. Busch III of Anheuser-Bush, informing him of her disappointment that the beer company would “make light” of the very serious aging issue of elder abuse.

“Elder abuse is not a joking and your message to the contrary is most inappropriate.” Canja bluntly told the CEO noting that the incidence of elder abuse is increasing at an alarming rate. She cited a National Elder Abuse Incidence Study that estimated that 450,000 older persons are abused or exploited each year.

“While humor has its place, your ad goes to far,” Canja said, urging Busch to withdraw the offensive ad from the marketplace. “You certainly would not sponsor a commercial that portrays a parent physically abusing a child or even mistreating a family pet,” she added.

In Rhode Island, senior advocates were also incensed about Anheuser-Busch’s radio commercial. “This ad, which is so corrosive to the well-being and dignity of our seniors, crosses the boundary from humor to just plain bad taste,” Kathleen S. Connell, AARP Rhode Island director, told the Times. “I join AARP President Esther Canja in calling the company to scrap this piece of junk,” she said.

Adds Rhode Island Ombudsman Roberta Hawkins, of the Alliance for Better Long-Term Care, the Anheuser-Busch commercial is unacceptable.” The well-known Rhode Island senior advocate stated that elder abuse, although not publicly acknowledged by the media, is a widespread and a tragic problem. “If you spent your days the way we do listening to horrible situations just like the ones you think are so funny, your opinion of this commercial would change,” she added.

An e-mail writing campaign initiated by Bill Benson, a former deputy assistant secretary for aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and president of the Maryland-based Benson Consulting Group, during his July 13 Washington Radio Report, has finally caught the attention of the St. Louis, Mo-based beer company.

Benson e-mailed his weekly radio report, “This Bud’s Not for You” to hundreds of his colleagues informing them about the offensive commercial. Word spread like wildfire across the Internet. After numerous attempts to contact Anheuser-Busch, the company finally responded with a written statement. Bill Etling, a spokesperson for the company stated, “It is never our intention offend anyone with our advertising. Anheuser-Busch has discontinued use of this ad and has no plans to use it in the future.”

As the dust settles after Anheuser-Busch’s recent public relations fiasco. Benson hopes that the beer company will reexamine who they choose to write their advertising. “I am sure that they are clueless about how people would react. I bet you this is the last time that Anheuser-Busch uses radio advertising to take jabs at vulnerable seniors,” he says.

“It is clear that the combination of senior advocates and the use of the Internet to spark an e-mail writing campaign nipped Bud in the Bud,” Benson said.

Seniors Held Their Ground During Legislative Session

Published in Pawtucket Times on July 16, 2001

As the dust settles with the aftermath of the 2001 General Assembly session, senior advocates and providers held their ground with the state legislature allocating small funding increases in some existing programs, but no major expansions or new programs were implemented.

More than 2,500 bills were introduced during the 2001 General Assembly session, with lawmakers considering a small handful of proposals that specifically targeted senior programs and services.

Pawtucket Rep. Antonio J. Pires, who heads the House Finance Committee, gives his take to The Times on the session as it related to older Rhode Islanders.

During this year’s legislative session senior advocates called on the General Assembly to consider increased funding for Rhode Island Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Elderly Program (RIPAE).

Recognizing the high cost of prescription drugs and its adverse impact on the elderly, lawmakers ratcheted up the $10.3 million RIPAE program by $ 2 million. With the passage of the state’s Fiscal Year 2002 budget, the size of a large phone book, lawmakers appropriated a 20 percent increase to support the RIPAE program, stated Pires.

The General Assembly expanded the drug formulary lists of drugs to include prescription drugs to treat osteoporosis,” Rep. Pires noted. Additionally, he added that the state’s budget now provides 100 percent of covered drug costs incurred once the program’s poorest clients spend more than $ 1,500 in coo-payments in a year.

While senior advocates had pushed for more drugs to be covered by RIPAE drug formulary, Pires stated, “We can’t afford to pay for an o pen formulary program yet because of budgetary limitations.” In next year’s legislative session, when more state monies are available, coverage for gastrointestinal drugs will seriously be considered, he added.

“It’s a trade-off,” Pires said, in explaining why lawmakers choose not to add drugs to the RIPAE formulary list but rather to increase the eligibility income limits to allow an estimated 3,l50 seniors and disabled persons to participate in the state’s Medical Assistance Program. This program pays for nursing home care for low-income eligible seniors. The enacted state budget included $ 1.8 million from all sources of funds, including $ 857,485 in general revenues to increase the eligibility income for those who are 65 years old or disabled. Now individual income limits increased from $ 576 to $  686 per month, he said, noting that income limits for couples also increased from $ 889 to $ 921 per month.

According to Pires, the Fiscal 2002 State budget also includes $ 85,000 to continue funding the state’s elder guardianship program enacted last year. “The program brings volunteer guardians to assist frail elderly who are cognitively impaired and without families or friends in decision making,” he said. This year’s funding would allow a full-tie coordinator to be hired who will recruit and train the volunteer guardians. Ultimately, the funding would also allow the program to be phased in statewide over a three-year period, he said.

“We also continue to fund the state’s Elder Information Network Program,” Pires added, noting that the FY 2002 budget includes $ 425,000, a $ 12,300 increase over last year’s budget. Funding for this program provides grants to 15 community-based agencies to employe specialists to link information and services across the state.

This session Rhode Island lawmakers also moved to soften the blow of federal cutbacks to RIPTA by providing an additional $ 2.5 million to the state’s transportation agency. “RIPTA found itself in need of cutting routes to balance it’s budget,” Pires stated, noting that the General Assembly responded to the federal cuts by appropriating one-half cent of the state’s gasoline tax to help the agency keep its exiting bus routes.

“RIPTA may have to make some adjustments to their bus routs but not to the extent that they had fared,” Pires said. Ensuring that buses continue to run throughout the state are important because this mode of transportation provides older riders their mobility and independence, he said.

Finally, on the heel of calls by the nursing home industry and senior advocates, Pires noted that the General Assembly allocated $ 4.5 million with a $ 4.5 million federal match, to provide higher salaries for certified nursing assistants to keep them in their profession.

While nursing home providers did not get the $ 14.1 million, they requested, the 2002 state budget called for a funded study to develop a new plan on how nursing homes would be funded, Pires said. “We anticipate that the modern payment principles that will be developed will ensure continued quality of care for the elders in facilities,” he added.

But the funding allocated by the General Assembly to alleviate the direct care staff shortage and a study to develop a new payment methodology still leaves many nursing home providers and senior advocates seriously concerned about the direction of quality care with the inadequate paid to a shrinking work force.

Based on an independent study, providers found that last year health care worker turnover approached 92 percent in Rhode Island facilities due to low wages in relation to the work performed, stated Hugh Hall, chair of the  Direct Care Staffing Coalition and administrator of Cherry Hill Manor.

Hall noted that certified nursing assistants must complete 125 hours of training followed by a state licensing exam, both written and practical, to perform this type of work. These workers have found they can make as much or more working in local retail establishments than in nursing facilities, he says.

While nursing home providers appreciate the funding that the legislature has approved, it doesn’t go far enough, says Hugh, to address the inadequate wages that the state is funding for direct care workers. “The state continues to cut the same size of the pie for an ever-increasing aging population,” he noted.

In response to those seeking better funded programs this year, Pires stated, “We had limited resources to expend so there wasn’t a lot of new programming this year but quality of life and independence remains my top priority as chairman of the House Finance Committee.” The eight-term Democrat noted that this year’s focus was to ensure that the existing level of senior services would not be cut but maintained with some incremental expansion.

City Tackles Fire, Safety Issues for Elderly  

 Published in the Pawtucket Times on July 9, 2001

Over the years, Maxx volunteered to work with disadvantaged youth and was actively involved with his synagogue. But when House Speaker John B. Harwood appointed the former retailer and court investigator to the Rhode Island Commission on Safety and Care for the Elderly in the mid-1990s, Maxx took on a new role – senior advocate.

By attending commission meetings, he saw first hand how a senior driven group working with police senior advocates could effectively tackle problems to ultimately make life better for older Rhode Islanders.

In 1997, at a meeting of the Pawtucket Senior Citizens Council, held at the Leon Mathieu Senior Center, Maxx pushed for a special committee to bring seniors together with senior police and fire advocates.

After selling his idea, the city’s senior advisory group unanimously passed Maxx’s motion and Mayor James E. Doyle created a 13-member panel of city officials and seniors. The newly created group would be called The Mayor’s Committee on Elderly Fire and Safety Issues.

Although other communities have senior advisory groups, Maxx firmly believes that Mayor James E. Doyle of Pawtucket goes the extra mile. “I know of no other city or town where the mayor will regularly sit down with seniors month after month,” says Maxx.

Maxx’s idea for creating the Mayor’s Committee on Elderly Fire and Safety Issues (commonly referred to as the Fire and Safety Committee) came just at the right time. During Mayor Doyle’s 1977 campaign, from face-to-face meetings with seniors, he learned that many of them were concerned about the safety of elderly who resided in senior complexes or in their homes,” noted Ken McGill, Pawtucket’s government affairs aide.

“The newly created Fire and Safety Committee would look at a wide range of issues, from pot holes in the street, missing stop signs and issues surrounding elderly drivers to fire and safety concerns, stated McGill. “The mayor has appointed a fire official to serve along with the senior police advocate on this group,” he says, noting that this was the first committee to do this.

According to McGill, in 1997 the Fire and Safety Committee supported the mayor’s new initiative called Check-Em program. Over the years they have monitored the effectiveness of the program and promoted it to the city’s senior population.

Wit its initial $ 7,000 price tag for software, today the program makes daily calls to more than 100 seniors residing in city-owned senior complexes or to those in their own homes. “If the person picks up the call that’s the end of it,” said McGill. “However, if no one picks up the phone after two calls the Pawtucket Policy Department will call a designated person. If the senior cannot be reached, then a patrol car will be dispatched to the residence,” he said.

“This program has been very successful and it gives adult children peace of mind that someone is watching out for their elderly parent every day,” said McGill.

In 1998, the City’s Fire and Safety Committee moved to protect the hard of hearing and deaf from fire. With their urging, the City of Pawtucket allocated $ 2,000 to participate in a program sponsored by the Ocean State Center for Independent Living. By the city’s participation in the “Shake-a-Wake” program, 27 Pawtucket seniors who were deaf or hard of hearing received a free smoke detector. When placed under a pillion the sensitive device would vibrate if smoke was detected, waking up the sleeper who could not hear the alarm.

Two tragic fire deaths in the senior complexes in 1999 caused the City’s Fire and Safety Committee to act.  McGill stated that more than 5,000 fire safety tip brochures were distributed to every resident tenant in 14 senior complexes. This project spun off another initiative, called “Smoke Where It’s Safe Solution” or SWISS. The educational outreach initiative brought the Pawtucket Fire Department into every senior complex to tell seniors of the dangers of smoking while lying in bed or sitting in a chair.  Additionally, the elderly tenants were told what to do if a fire was detected in their building.

“During the year 2000 ‘I’m Ok’ door knockers were also printed courtesy of Med-Tech Ambulance Company and distributed throughout the city-owned elderly complexes,” noted McGill. The door knockers have a.m. and p.m. printed on each side. Floor captains can now go on their rounds each morning and evening to see if the door knockers are changed to reflect the time of day. No changes in the sign will result in a knock on the door, he says.

McGill stated the Fire and Safety Committee also sprung into action in 2000 after a gas leak at Slater House in Pawtucket. The group expressed concern to the Pawtucket Fire Department about the small Knox boxes located outside of the city’s senior complexes. The boxes were only large enough for one key for the fire department to gain access to the complex.

After contacting all senior complex property managers and requesting them to install a Knox vault to allow placement of more items including a list of tenants, several complied.

Lou Brennan, 73, a former bookkeeper and Pawtucket resident, has been a member of the Fire and Safety Committee since its inception. “The success is due to the hard work of its members,” Brennan says. “We’re the eyes and ears of the elderly in the City of Pawtucket. What we see and hear we bring back to the table and the mayor and other city officials act on them for our benefit.”