Tag Archives for Leon Mathieu Senior Center

Aging Advocates Call for Override of Governor’s Veto

Published in Pawtucket Times on July 14, 2003

The General Assembly is poised to override  Gov. Don Carcieri’s veto Tuesday.

The political rhetoric has intensified as the governor picks apart the 2004 budget, which was recently passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature, forcing Democratic Majority Leader William J. Murphy and Senate President William V. Irons to explain how they shaped the budget.

Carcieri has called the General Assembly’s 2004 budget flawed because lawmakers have “missed opportunities” to stop the legislature’s habit of deficit spending.

The governor’s media blitz, beginning last week, is intended to build support for his efforts to defeat the legislature’s attempt to override his veto. Carcieri has called for the elimination of subsidies for greyhound kennel owners [also supported by this writer] and the reining in public-employee personnel costs.

Carcieri also opposes the spending of $ 52 million in federal Medicaid expenditure relief funds and the one percent restaurant sales tax.

When the dust settles after Tuesday’s legislative session to override Carcieri’s veto, aging advocates hope for an override. The 2004 budget crafted by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly puts increased state funding into senior programs and services.  Both provider groups and senior advocacy groups expressed disappointment when Carcieri’s budget proposal did not allocate funding for new aging-related initiatives. Moreover, his fiscal blueprint for state spending made cuts to existing senior programs and services.

“Once again, senior advocates have looked to the General Assembly to provide essential programs and services for the state’s growing senior population,” says Susan Sweet, a long-time aging advocate and consultant to nonprofit groups who also serves as a consumer representative to the state’s Long-Term Care Coordinating Council.

“We have not been disappointed,” Sweet said, in reference to the passage of the General Assembly’s 2004 budget.  “It’s sad that the Carcieri administration does not recognize the improvements the General Assembly has made to the budget and the lives of older Rhode Islander.”

Joan Crawley, executive director of Pawtucket’s Leon Mathieu Senior Center, added, “Although I can appreciate Carcieri’s frustration with trying to balance the state budget, as a senior advocate, I applaud the legislators for making the very difficult decision to fund legislative grants on behalf of the state’s  senior centers,” she said.

“At the Pawtucket town meeting, gubernatorial candidate Carcieri assured us that seniors would be a top priority of his administration should he be elected governor. He even distributed a brochure outlining his senior initiatives. So far, he has failed to address any of those initiatives in is budget, Crawley says.

So, what’s in the General Assembly’s 2004 budget that will improve the quality of life of Rhode Island seniors?

The budget will allocate new state funds totaling $ 300,000 to pay for nursing facility care of legal immigrant Rhode Island seniors who are not eligible for Medicaid.

The budget will also allocate $ 50,000 to support the efforts of the Ocean State Adult Immunization Coalition to get the word out about the importance of seniors getting influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations.

Meanwhile, lawmakers have allocated state monies for community grants. Initially, senior centers (in Carcieri’s budget ) were targeted with a 10 precent cut. To the relief of senior center providers, lawmakers passed the 2004 budget with no cuts

As previously reported to All About Seniors, an 18-month study by B.D.O. Seidman, a consulting firm hired by the state Department of Human Services, found Rhode Island was underpaying its nursing facilities in excess of $ 30 million annually.

It seems that the Rhode Island General Assembly agrees with the report’s assessment, because lawmakers made a partial allocation of new Medicaid dollars to overhaul the state’s ailing Medicaid system.

With passage of the budget, nursing facilities will receive a total of $ 18.8 million in state and federal dollars – a three-year phase-in will bring the total federal and state dollars up to $ 30 million.

Finally, the recently passed 2004 state budget has allocated $ 50,000 to provide dental services to nursing facility residents.

The 2003 budget that was supposed to expire June 30 stays in effect until Carcieri signs the 2004 budget into law. Until that time, new programs, policies, or program appropriations will be effectively put on hold.

An override of Carcieri’s veto will result in many new senior programs and services being funded in the 2004 state budget.

If the popular Republican governor is able to rally is troops – both Republican lawmakers and Carcieri Democrats – to support his veto, then lawmakers must begin their efforts to hammer out another budget.

….

As noted in last week’s All About Seniors column, not one dime in state funding was allocated in the state’s 2004 budget to beef up the state Department of Health’s regulatory oversight. Providers, aging advocates, and even state officials have called for new state dollars to fill one full-time surveyor position (a nurse) to ensure that assisted living residences across Rhode Island are inspected on a timelier basis.

The General Assembly has put laws on the books to protect frail Rhode Island seniors who received assisted-living services. Yet, Carcieri and lawmakers have failed to allocate the necessary funding in the 2004 state budget to allow Health Department regulators to comply with    their legislative oversight duties to inspect the state’s 72 assisted-living facilities and 155 assisted-living bed in nursing facilities on a timely basis.

That’s not all.  According to the state’s Department of Health, another seven assisted-living projects are expected to be up and running over the next 18 months.

Meanwhile, at Tuesday’s veto override, lawmakers will also take up legislative issues were not addressed in their haste to adjourn two weeks ago.  Maybe the state Health Department’s urgent need for more funding to adequately perform its oversight duties of assisted-living facilities will be acted on by lawmakers in both chambers.

Carcieri can become the white knight and save the day. He can choose to move forward and fix this policy flaw by either using contingency funds in his office budget or to take administrative action to hire one more full-time assisted living inspector.

Acting decisively to fix tis identified policy glitch is sound public policy that will ultimately protect the health and well-being of 1,700 assisted-living residents. Even with Carcieri’s calls for balancing the budget, taxpayers especially seniors won’t oppose allocated tax dollars to protect older Rhode Islander.

Mable Anderson was a True Advocate for Rhode Island’s Senior Population

Published in the Pawtucket Times on May 5, 2003

During her 7 years, Mabel Anderson wore many hats – teacher, dedicated wife to George, loving mother to her children Jon and Jane, state representative and writer of children’s books.

Mabel played a key role representing Pawtucket’s District 77. Once she was elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly, she would eventually be re-elected nine more times. She rose through the Democratic leadership ranks and ultimately would for 10 years as speaker pro-tem, sometimes presiding over  House legislative sessions.

As a state representative, Mabel used her growing power and influence to advocate for the needs of Ocean State seniors.

Her efforts led to the passage of legislation that would add a grandfather clause to drug-coverage provisions of insurance plans. Under the newly enacted law, any physician authorized by the Department of  Health to prescribe medicine would be allowed to prescribe medication previously on, or not on, the insurer’s formulary if it was deemed “medically necessary.”

To many, Mable was a tireless worker on behalf of Pawtucket’s elderly population. Joan Crawley, director of Pawtucket’s Leon Mathieu Senior Center, said Mabel possessed a rare quality for a politician.

“She wasn’t swayed by popular opinion and she never stopped to see which way the wind was blowing,” she said.

Mabel always voted her conscience, always striving to represent seniors in her legislative district, Crawley noted.

According to Crawley, her advocacy on behalf of senior transportation was relentless. “She called me late last Thursday afternoon when she heard the hospital’s contract to provide transportation for the RIDE program was in jeopardy. Even though she was no longer a lawmaker, Mabel told me she was willing to champion this cause.”

Crawley said she had called her to discuss the transportation issue on Friday at noon, just a few hours before her untimely death.

George Anderson, Mabel’s husband of more than 40 years, recalled his wife’s constituency work.

“Mabel worked hard to represent older constituents who were being ignored by the state’s bureaucracy,” he said.

Anderson remembered when Mabel was first elected and was relatively unrecognized. She would stand in line behind an older constituent. IF the person was not assisted, she would simply introduce herself as a state representative and any problems would be worked out, he said.

Often times, a quick trip to the grocery store turned into several hours. Anderson said, as constituents would come up to her along every aisle just to say “hello,” catch up or discuss problems.

And Mabel never forgot those close to her who needed assistance, Anderson said. When she went to Memorial Hospital to participate in a program to help her cope with arthritis, she asked her husband for a check. The amount just happened to cover the enrollment fee of two persons not one, he said, allowing a friend who was on a fixed income to participate.

Audrey Salvas, 67, a long-time Pawtucket resident knew who to call when she had problems.

“When we needed to find out something, all we had to do was call Mabel,” said Salvas.

Mabel quickly straightened out a drug problem in the Beverage Hill area, noted Salvas. She pushed to erect a fence around the Prospect Heights project, which ultimately reduced drug trafficking and noise.

Mary Francis Campbell, 89, a former educator and President of the Pawtucket Senior Citizens Council (PSCC), added that Mabel aways backed PSCC’s legislative proposals. “The Pawtucket lawmaker worked closely with PSCC in its 15 years of existence,” she said.

With a strong determination to remain independent, Mabel ultimately overcame a stroke she suffered in 1992 that temporary left her impaired  on her right side. Her love for public service gave her the needed energy to stay actively involved long past retirement, fighting for senior issues, the underdogs and for her beloved City of Pawtucket. It also enabled her to reach out the younger generations to develop new skills to learn.

Using the same veracity and gusto she used for all her other interests she held close to her heart; Mabel was not afraid to experience new things. With a passion for living, this former state representative was ready to enjoy and pursue new interests, such as learning how to use a computer to recalling her younger days on the family farm and turning these stories into children’s book.

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.”