LETTERS: Elder care

In response to the recent findings of abuse, Health Ministry officials have called for tougher supervision of institutions, increased numbers of inspectors and more surprise inspections.

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters (photo credit: REUTERS)
Letters
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Elder care
I wish to thank The Jerusalem Post for publishing two articles on its February 20 front page that exposed shocking findings of abuse and neglect of the elderly at a nursing home in Haifa (“Five arrested for abuse at nursing home,” “Litzman: I will ensure safety of the elderly”). We might wonder if this is merely the tip of an ugly iceberg.
For the past several months, my husband has been a patient in the dementia unit of a nursing home in Jerusalem. Watching the nursing staff, I have come to have enormous respect for their devotion and dedicated work.
However, I have also recognized that as the number of elderly patients escalates, there is no corresponding rise in the number of skilled workers who are trained to care for them.
In response to the recent findings of abuse, Health Ministry officials have called for tougher supervision of institutions, increased numbers of inspectors and more surprise inspections.
These measures might address the problem but they will not solve it.
The following are only a few of the changes that should be implemented: • There should be significantly enhanced use of volunteers who are screened, trained and supervised to provide valuable support to the professional staff.
• Patient advocates should be assigned to observe ongoing care and make relevant recommendations to administrative personnel.
• Substantial incentives in the form of recognition, rewards and bonuses should be offered to those who provide exemplary care.
Improving care of the elderly is a responsibility that should be shared by all of us. Organizations and foundations need to join together, share their ideas and resources, and focus their combined efforts on this vital task.
ELLEN B. SUCOV Jerusalem
Bibi down under
In “Netanyahu leaves for Singapore and Australia, citing importance of ‘opening new markets’” (February 20), it is stated with regard to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Australia that he “will discover that he’s not exactly a welcome guest.”
Contrary to this claim, there is much love for Bibi here. Furthermore, it is obvious that he erred by not consulting The Jerusalem Post regarding the details of his timetable. Maybe next time.
GERALD SIMENSON Perth
Beating on Trump...
As new olim from the US, we are appalled by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s “How can we get rid of Trump?” (Comment & Features, February 20).
With all the chaos in the world, is this all you can fill your pages with? Not only is the piece poorly written, it is totally out of sync with the views of millions of Americans.
Please be more judicial. We finally have an American president who is willing and able to stand up for the western world’s values.
LENNY and PHYLLIS HORWITZ Herzliya Pituah
Your editorial “Trump in denial” (February 19) joins with your near-daily reprints from The New York Times and political cartoons to insult and impugn the integrity of US President Donald Trump.
If you want to find a majorleague source of antisemitism and anti-Israel feeling, why not write an editorial about the Democratic Party and the leading candidate to head its national committee? Polls show that the feelings toward Israel in the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are significantly different. A majority of Republicans favor Israel; not so for Democrats.
Certainly, there are some people on the extreme Right who harbor feelings against us. But if you look at what is happening on US campuses, it is clear that the disdain and hate for Jews in Israel comes from the left side of the spectrum. When can we expect to see an editorial that focuses on this? Perhaps President Trump is sick and tired of being accused of antisemitism and being asked to deny it. Perhaps a small number of people who support him are antisemites, but did he say he condones them?
STEPHEN JEROME KOHN Ra’anana
We have been inundated with articles by immigrants from Muslim countries to the US vaunting their statuses and achievements, implying both the injustice and the senselessness of recent immigration restrictions by the Trump administration (“Corroding the American dream,” Comment & Features, February 16). In most instances, these immigrants went to the US for their own good, not in order to contribute.
Let us not forget that the new restrictions would apply to countries in which the flags of the United States (and other countries, including Israel) are routinely trodden upon and burned.
Viewing picture after picture showing the plight of innocent children, one’s heart naturally melts, but since when has collateral suffering (e.g., of descendants and spouses) been a determining factor of judicial decisions? Finally, potential emigrants belong to the uppermost social and economic strata of their source populations, since they can afford the immense cost of moving to the US. By this count, they are betraying less fortunate fellow citizens whose eventual recovery (if peace comes) in an elite-shorn country is inconceivable.
How much of our sympathy do these “deserters” deserve? R. ENGLMAN Jerusalem I read with interest and dismay “Donald Trump’s ‘Plot Against America’” (Comment & Features, February 6), Bernard-Henri Lévy’s look at the Trump-bashing trash of left-winger Philip Roth.
I submit to you that Donald Trump is the best presidential friend of Israel since Harry Truman.
He represents the Uncle Sam image and I would suggest that you do not tweak Uncle Sam’s nose too often.
Trump and millions of Evangelical Christians are about the only true friends Israel has left. In case you haven’t noticed, Evangelical Christians are solidly behind Trump and are deeply offended by claptrap as espoused by Messrs. Lévy and Roth.
Do you want us to remain in your camp or not?
HENRY H. POPE Mobile, Alabama
The writer describes himself as “an offended Christian.”
...and Israel
Now that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has joined Trump Nation, don’t whine when people who are disgusted with President Donald Trump are likewise disgusted with Israel.
STEVEN ROSS New York
Personal pleasure
I received personal pleasure when I browsed through Greer Fay Cashman’s February 17 Grapevine feature. The name Pessy Krausz popped out at me with the information that she had remarried, and that the ceremony had been conducted by Rabbi Berel Wein.
On a trip organized by Rabbi Wein’s Destiny Foundation some years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to get to know a number of English speakers from the Hanassi Synagogue, among them Pessy and her late husband, Neville. It emerged that Neville’s late father, Armin Krausz of Sheffield, had been a loyal customer and friend of my late father, Leslie Curzon, a travel agent at Goodmos Tours.
Pessy’s granddaughter studied in a course that required her to stay overnight once a week in Safed. So when Pessy asked, our home became her granddaughter’s home for a year. Pessy and Neville were also very supportive of my husband’s attempt to stand for mayor of Safed in 2008.
Time has a way of moving too quickly, and since Neville passed away, we lost touch. How thrilled we were to be updated with news of Pessy’s second marriage. We wish her and her new husband good health and the continuation of a vibrant life of quality.
LINDA STERN Safed