ADULT FAMILY CARE PROGRAM

CARING FOR A SICK OR DISABLED RELATIVE ON FRIEND?
The Adult Fan=mily Care Porgram pays family members and friends to provide are at home.
Receive up to $18,000 per year to provide care that prevents or delays Instituional care.
Sick or disabled individual must be 18 years or older and eliglbe for MaasHealth
CARING CHOICES
www.eldercare.org

CALL THE AGING INFORMATION CENTER AND ASK ABOUT ADULT FAMILY CARE
617-628-2601 EXT 3151

ADULT FAMILY CARE PROGRAM

CARING FOR A SICK OR DISABLED RELATIVE ON FRIEND?
The Adult Fan=mily Care Porgram pays family members and friends to provide are at home.
Receive up to $18,000 per year to provide care that prevents or delays Instituional care.
Sick or disabled individual must be 18 years or older and eliglbe for MaasHealth
CARING CHOICES
www.eldercare.org

CALL THE AGING INFORMATION CENTER AND ASK ABOUT ADULT FAMILY CARE
617-628-2601 EXT 3151

Drop Box - Howard - Picasa Web Albums

Drop Box - Howard - Picasa Web Albums

Novo Nordisk spent $540K lobbying US gov't in 1Q

Market Commentary and Intraday News
Novo Nordisk spent $540K lobbying US gov't in 1Q
1 day ago

(AP:WASHINGTON) Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk spent $540,000 lobbying the U.S. government in the first quarter of 2010, addressing drug importation and several diabetes-related issues, among other topics.

The drugmaker also lobbied on patent reform, and to improve access to care and treatment of diabetes patients.

The company's first-quarter total represented a 71 percent jump from the first quarter of 2009 but a slight drop from the $550,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of last year.

Besides Congress, Novo Nordisk lobbied the Patent and Trademark Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Office of Management and Budget.

Among those registered to lobby for Novo Nordisk in the January-March period was Lauren Semeniuk, a former legislative director for Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., according to a report filed May 25 with the House of Representatives clerk's office.

GIM Post

GIM HAS BEEN MEETING PERIODICALLY AND HAS BEEN IN A STOP AND START MODE.
We now have two set dates for action
The group has an appointment set up by Judy Bucci for Tuesday June 1st
to make a presentation of GIM and their goals and need of the support
of the council and members of the community before the Citizens
Engagement Committee. We would need a lead presenter and backup of the
group in attendance . The meeting would be at 5:30PM before the 7
o'clock full council meeting.
GIM mini conference date August 7,2010 to be held at the Malden Senior
Community Center time to be announced
Their will be a network chain linking of all of the diversified
population and will include service groups and non profits
representing a broad representation of all ethnic groups
We are advocating for Voting Rights and Civic Engagement the all
encompassing Malden population
In order to have maximum Inclusion we are urging all Service
organizations Non Profits to join us with all their membership in
making --
Our organization has determined that our local group should adopt the
Memorandum of
OUR NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION and that we will bring it to OUR Local
city officials and out into neighborhoods with urging participation.
We hope to "spread the word" and have our various organization getting the word.
Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes
accountability and provides information for citizens about what their
Government is doing. Information maintained by the City Government is
a needed l asset. The Administration will take appropriate action,
consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in
forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments
and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about
their operations and decisions online and readily available to the
public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public
feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.

Government should be participatory. Public engagement enhances the
Government's effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions.
Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit
from having access to that dispersed knowledge. Executive departments
and agencies should offer Americans increased opportunities to
participate in policy making and to provide their Government with the
benefits of their collective expertise and information. Executive
departments and agencies should also solicit public input on how we
can increase and improve opportunities for public participation in
Government.

Government should be collaborative. Collaboration actively engages
Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and
agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to
cooperate among themselves, across all levels of Government, and with
nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private
sector. Executive departments and agencies should solicit public
feedback to assess and improve their level of collaboration and to
identify new opportunities for cooperation
Beside the issue of transparency there is the matter of accountability
and restoring the confidence in our local government and their
attention to the need of ALL government agency to comply
From a dictionary
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several
meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as
responsibility,[1] answerable, blameworthiness, liability, and other
terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect
of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems
in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) worlds. In
leadership roles, accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption
of responsibility for actions, products, decisions, and policies
including the administration, governance, and implementation within
the scope of the role or employment position and encompassing the
obligation to report, explain and be answerable for resulting
consequences.
To all interested parties open for comment and suggestions
Howard McGowan
Malden Senior

Unnessary Hospial Re-Adimissions

A Serious problem we've been hearing about lately is that hospitals are dicharging older patients without any followup or "transitional services.
One out of five Medicare beneficiaries is readmitted within 30 days of discharge and one out every three within 8-90 days--often because of poor communication between patients, care givers and health proveders.
We need a benefit in Medicare to help people safely transision to home or another setting to prevent costly and unecessary hospital readmissions.

Census 2010

Some common problems when
filling out U.S. census forms,
which arrive by mail beginning
Monday:March 15, 2010
Ready for the 2010 census?
Forms start arriving today
.—HOUSEHOLD AND RESIDENCE:
These are determined by where
people live or sleep most of
the time as of April 1.
Household members should
include babies born on or
before April 1, 2010, as
well as non-U.S. citizens.
The rationale is that cities
and states should receive
federal money to support
everyone who uses their public
roads, schools and other programs.
College students who live away
from home and U.S. military
personnel who live in barracks
are tallied in those places.
If you have more than one home,
completely fill out the form
for your primary residence.
For the second home, mark "0''
for number of residents and
indicate you live elsewhere.
Doing that may help avoid
costly visits from a census taker.
For divorced parents who have
shared custody of a child,
indicate where a child usually
lives. If custody is split equally,
the child's residence is where he
or she is on April 1.

—RACE AND ETHNICITY: If no box
exists that describes yourself,
or with the level of specificity
you prefer, write it in the space
marked for "other race."
For example,
some Caribbean-Americans
plan to check the box for
"black, African Am., or Negro"
and then write in their ancestry.
Multiracial people might check
several race categories or write
in "multiracial," depending on
how they self-identify.
The labels do make a difference,
because census results will be

used to redraw congressional
districts with racial and ethnic
balance.

—INTERNET OPTION: There is none.
Census officials in 2008
determined that submitting
census data through the
Internet posed too large
a risk for security breaches.
The Census Bureau is testing
Web options for 2020, but for
now information must be
provided on official forms
and mailed or submitted
to a census taker.

—"LONG FORM": This year's census
is only 10 questions. Previously,
1 in 6 households — roughly
20 million — received a
detailed census questionnaire
called the "long form" that
asked about income, disability,
commuting, education level
and other characteristics.
After 2000, the long form was
eliminated and replaced by
the American Community Survey,
which is sent to about three
million households each year.
If you get an ACS form, the
Census Bureau asks you fill
out both surveys.

—MISSING FORMS: If you don't
receive a census form,
Census Bureau director
Robert Groves advises
that people wait until
April 12 to allow time
for it to arrive. After
April 12, people may
call the census help
line at 1-866-872-6868.
In rural parts of Alaska,
census information was
collected door-to-door
starting in January.
In addition,
about 12 million
addresses, mostly in rural
areas and Gulf Coast areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina,
began receiving hand-delivered
forms on March 1.

Health Care Overhaul

House members voted 219-212
late Sunday to approve the
health care overhaul that
would extend coverage to 32
million uninsured Americans.
It also would significantly
expand Medicaid, the
federal-state health care
program for the poor; place
new federal regulations on
the insurance industry; and
allow parents to keep children
up to age 26 on their family
insurance plans.

Most Americans would have to
buy insurance or face penalties.
There would be subsidies to help
families with incomes of up to
$88,000 a year pay their premiums.

Health Care Reform Reconciliation

For all the Republicans’ warnings, they have used reconciliation on some major, controversial legislative packages. These include tax-cut legislation under President George W. Bush and the overhaul in 1996 of the welfare system. In all, Republicans have used the approach 16 times, to 6 for Democrats.

Even with reconciliation, the path for Mr. Obama’s health care overhaul is problematic. It rests largely with two blocs of swing Democrats in the House — abortion opponents and fiscal conservatives.

Health Care Reform

Published: February 25, 2010
If we’re lucky, Thursday’s summit will turn out to have been the last act in the great health reform debate, the prologue to passage of an imperfect but nonetheless history-making bill. If so, the debate will have ended as it began: with Democrats offering moderate plans that draw heavily on past Republican ideas, and Republicans responding with slander and misdirection.
:
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
Read All Comments (368) »
Nobody really expected anything different. But what was nonetheless revealing about the meeting was the fact that Republicans — who had weeks to prepare for this particular event, and have been campaigning against reform for a year — didn’t bother making a case that could withstand even minimal fact-checking.

It was obvious how things would go as soon as the first Republican speaker, Senator Lamar Alexander, delivered his remarks. He was presumably chosen because he’s folksy and likable and could make his party’s position sound reasonable. But right off the bat he delivered a whopper, asserting that under the Democratic plan, “for millions of Americans, premiums will go up.”

Wow. I guess you could say that he wasn’t technically lying, since the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the Senate Democrats’ plan does say that average payments for insurance would go up. But it also makes it clear that this would happen only because people would buy more and better coverage. The “price of a given amount of insurance coverage” would fall, not rise — and the actual cost to many Americans would fall sharply thanks to federal aid.

His fib on premiums was quickly followed by a fib on process. Democrats, having already passed a health bill with 60 votes in the Senate, now plan to use a simple majority vote to modify some of the numbers, a process known as reconciliation. Mr. Alexander declared that reconciliation has “never been used for something like this.” Well, I don’t know what “like this” means, but reconciliation has, in fact, been used for previous health reforms — and was used to push through both of the Bush tax cuts at a budget cost of $1.8 trillion, twice the bill for health reform.

What really struck me about the meeting, however, was the inability of Republicans to explain how they propose dealing with the issue that, rightly, is at the emotional center of much health care debate: the plight of Americans who suffer from pre-existing medical conditions. In other advanced countries, everyone gets essential care whatever their medical history. But in America, a bout of cancer, an inherited genetic disorder, or even, in some states, having been a victim of domestic violence can make you uninsurable, and thus make adequate health care unaffordable.

One of the great virtues of the Democratic plan is that it would finally put an end to this unacceptable case of American exceptionalism. But what’s the Republican answer? Mr. Alexander was strangely inarticulate on the matter, saying only that “House Republicans have some ideas about how my friend in Tullahoma can continue to afford insurance for his wife who has had breast cancer.” He offered no clue about what those ideas might be.

In reality, House Republicans don’t have anything to offer to Americans with troubled medical histories. On the contrary, their big idea — allowing unrestricted competition across state lines — would lead to a race to the bottom. The states with the weakest regulations — for example, those that allow insurance companies to deny coverage to victims of domestic violence — would set the standards for the nation as a whole. The result would be to afflict the afflicted, to make the lives of Americans with pre-existing conditions even harder.

Don’t take my word for it. Look at the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the House G.O.P. plan. That analysis is discreetly worded, with the budget office declaring somewhat obscurely that while the number of uninsured Americans wouldn’t change much, “the pool of people without health insurance would end up being less healthy, on average, than under current law.” But here’s the translation: While some people would gain insurance, the people losing insurance would be those who need it most. Under the Republican plan, the American health care system would become even more brutal than it is now.

So what did we learn from the summit? What I took away was the arrogance that the success of things like the death-panel smear has obviously engendered in Republican politicians. At this point they obviously believe that they can blandly make utterly misleading assertions, saying things that can be easily refuted, and pay no price. And they may well be right.

But Democrats can have the last laugh. All they have to do — and they have the power to do it — is finish the job, and enact health reform.

Home Care For All

Mass Senior Action Council’s goal is Home Care For All – We support the implementation of the Equal Choice law that requires the state to provide long term care in the least restrictive setting. In order to achieve this, MSAC supports the funding of Community First. Community First will diminish the state’s reliance on nursing homes and invests in expanded community services. We support full funding for programs that expand financial eligibility for homecare like the Enhanced Community Options Program (ECOP).

Steps For Success
No More Cuts! Improve Financing for Community-Based Long-Term Care Supports.
· 2008 9c Cuts to home care set the programs back to 1990 levels.
· Restore Home Care Funding to Pre-9c cut levels.
· At least 14 people can receive home care for the cost of 1 person in a nursing home.

Implementation of the Long-Term Care Options Counseling Program
(4000-0600)
· Approximately 120,000 people are admitted to nursing homes each year. 100,000 of these are MassHealth members leaving hospitals.
· There are only 3 pre-admissions screening programs in the State.

Improve Access To Necessary Home and Community-Based Services
· 6 people can participate in the ECOP program for the cost of 1 person in a nursing home.
· Implement Training and Certification of home care workers on a state wide basis.
· Return purchased services to Pre-9c Cut funding.

Home Care Is Most Desired and Cost Less



Two Home Care Programs save the State $335 million annually!!
Both the Enhanced Community Options Program (ECOP) and the Choices Program cost much less than nursing home care. These savings should be reinvested in community-based programs.

tRANSPORTATION TO THE SENIOR CENTER STILL AN ISSUE

HALLMARK HAS STEPPED UP WITH A GRANT TO SCM FOR TRANSPORTATION TO THEIR
FACILITIES WHEN THEY ARE OVERBOOKED AT THE MALDEN SENOR COMMUNITY
CENTER THIS IS A FIRST STEP FOR MENDICAL APPOINTMENTS
WE SHOULD NEED THE WINCHESTER HOSPITAL AND THE CAMBRIDGE ALLIANCE
GROUP TO STEP UP WITH SENIOR TRANSPORTATION. MSAC SHOULD ADVISE THE
COMMUNITY ABOUT THE RIDE AND THE NON-PROFITS SERVICING THE ELDERLY
SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND STEP INTO THE BREECH FOR
ALL NEEDS FOR TRANSPORTATION OF THE EDERLY AND DISABLED. A LIITLE
PUBLICITY IN THE MALDEN OBSERVER SEEMS TO GET ACTION.
WE AT MSAC ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PROMISISED SHUTTLES TO AND FROM
THE SENIOR CENTER.
Malden seniors unsatisfied with public transportation options
By Rich Tenorio / malden@cnc.com
Thu Mar 05, 2009, 04:57 PM EST

Malden - Transportation issues are at the heart of a Malden senior’s
frustration with the city he calls home.

Howard McGowan, the Metro North membership coordinator for the Mass.
Senior Action Council (MSAC), has protested what he describes as
insufficient access to the new senior center on Washington Street, as
well as a lack of adequate transportation opportunities for seniors to
medical appointments.

“There are two issues,” McGowan said in an interview with the Observer
on Monday. “We want to be able to enjoy the senior center, and to see
that we get transportation to medical facilities.”

Located on 7 Washington St., the center held an opening celebration on
January 24, with MSAC members from the Cambridge, North Shore and
Metro North chapters attending. McGowan, however, said that since
then, seniors who rely on public transportation to get to the center
may find access too difficult.

“If you don’t have transportation, you can’t get there,” said McGowan,
an 84-year-old World War II veteran who now lives on Pleasant Street.
“Once they took the (MBTA) buses off Florence Street and took the bus
stop away from the senior center, you have to walk across a state
highway or across Florence Street, a dangerous section.

“We took somebody from the mayor’s office and showed them how far it
is to walk from the bus stop. There’s a hill, and you have to walk
from the Stop & Shop way down on Route 60. They promised they would
put on a shuttle bus.”

McGowan said that bus routes and stops were changed about a year and a
half ago, “just about the time they were building the senior center,
which is what got us so upset. The bus came right down Main Street and
Pleasant Street.”

However, Debbie Burke, a spokesperson for Mayor Richard Howard, said
that the center is accessible.

“It’s still within walking distance,” she said. “You can take the bus
to the MBTA station. It’s right around the corner. As far as we’re
concerned, it remains accessible by public transportation or car.”

Burke also said that “ridership counts on (bus) routes are really
dwindling,” and that the center has on-street parking as well as lots
on Dartmouth and Florence streets, adding that next year there will be
an additional lot on Pleasant Street.

McGowan has also called for more ways for seniors to get to medical
appointments.

“The Medical Service transportation for Hallmark Medical sites is
handled at the Malden Senior Community Center and is overwhelmed and
overbooked,” he wrote in a mass e-mail on February 14, citing “turn
downs growing (personal experience).”

On Monday, McGowan said, “At the senior center we get transportation
for medical (purposes) backed by Hallmark Health, but they’ll only
take you to Hallmark facilities.”

He added, “It takes an hour, you have to make arrangements, and they
can only do one per hour. It used to be one per half-hour.” And, he
said, “There is no transportation from senior housing for people who
can’t get down. A lot of people can’t go on public transportation.
People who have to go to Winchester Hospital for Blue Cross — there’s
no transportation out there.”

McGowan and Burke both mentioned other transportation opportunities
for seniors. One is the MBTA Ride program, which requires registration
on an individual basis and which takes seniors to medical
appointments. Another is SCM (Somerville-Cambridge-Medford), an
organization that provides shopping trips for eligible seniors as well
as some medical trips. Burke also said that through the efforts of
human services director Chris DiPietro, there is a van that makes some
shopping trips for seniors.

In the end, whether it’s getting to the Senior Center or getting to a
medical appointment, the main point seems the same.

“It makes it hard for people if they can’t get transportation,” McGowan said.

. Comment refer to web page
http://maldentax.blogspot.com/2009/03/here-we-go-again.html


MTFA
CMurphy1 month ago
Report AbuseWho is this Debbie Burke person, and how old is she? And
does she actually ride public transit? I would really like to know. I
am not a senior myself, but I can see the difficulty in her suggestion
that seniors take the bus to the Malden Center T stop, and go *just
around the corner* to the senior center.

The problem with this is that they would have to cross
Florence/Commercial Street to get there. Anyone remember the old
*Frogger* video game? Well, crossing that street on foot is like being
the *frog* in a game of human Frogger. It's hard enough for an
able-bodied person who can move quickly, but if you're an older person
who can't move so fast, you may well become road pizza. There are a
lot of crazies on the roads.

Heck, often I have to stop at the crosswalk in front of 630 Salem
Street to let some elderly person get across, and some jerk behind me
is blowing their horn to try to get me to move. I may care about our
seniors, but most younger people here do not.

As for Ms. Burke's comments about parking...can I drum it into her
head once again...MANY SENIORS HERE DO NOT HAVE CARS. So what the heck
is the use of parking lots, when the people that this place is
supposed to serve do not drive?

Don't even get me started about the transportation to medical
appointments thing. Even if these people CAN get a bus to their
appointments, good luck in getting on the bus, or, if they do get on,
getting a seat. When I used to ride the bus, I had the misfortune of
having to ride when the teen thugs from the high school were on.
They'd crowd the bus, refuse to move to the rear, and if the driver
thought the bus was too crowded, they'd just refuse to stop for
people.

There used to be this elderly man who'd get on the bus at the stop in
front of Vinnie's Pizza on Salem Street, he had medical appointments
to get to. He must have been 90 if he was a day, walked with a cane,
and when he'd get on the bus full of teen thugs, NOT ONE OF THEM would
give him a seat. I didn't have a seat to give him myself. We adults
would try to shame the brats into giving the man a seat, but they just
laughed and spewed obscenities at us. The bus driver did nothing.

I also think Hallmark Health is lousy, we've had nothing but bad
experiences with them, their doctors, and hospitals, and seniors need
to have a choice. Just because people can't drive doesn't mean they
deserve substandard treatment, health care, etc.

My husband and I would rather die young than have to retire in Malden,
if this is what they think of senior citizens.. We can't afford to
move now, but we are working on being able to do so long before we get
to that age. Mayor Howard may think he's all that for opening the new
senior center, but I think he's just a rich jerk who is out of touch
with the working class and senior people here.

Don't get me started about the garbage tax...but that's O/T, so I'll stop now.


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Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior

Supportive Housing: Myths and Facts

MYTH: Supportive housing is like a shelter.

FACT: No: supportive housing is permanent housing in which on-site support, health, employment and therapeutic services are provided. Prospective tenants are screened to ensure they are good candidates for supportive housing (can live independently, are interested in becoming housed, healthy and being good neighbors). Residents have leases and must abide by the terms of those leases. Apartments are typically efficiency or one-bedrooms for individuals, multi-bedroom for families, just like every other apartment building.

MYTH: My property values will plummet.

FACT: NO: There is no evidence that property values diminish at all as a result of supportive housing development while there is both statistical and anecdotal evidence that property values INCREASE. The only study quantifying the impact of development on neighborhoods, the Connecticut Supportive Housing Demonstration Program Evaluation Report (www.csh.org), showed that surrounding property values substantially increased in eight of the nine neighborhoods surveyed. In New York, there is overwhelming anecdotal evidence that supportive housing has boosted surrounding property values. Common sense supports this notion since sponsors either turn blighted buildings into attractive new housing or build on abandoned empty lots that are frequently magnets for illegal activity.

MYTH: We need affordable housing, not supportive housing.

FACT: Most supportive housing is a mix of supportive and affordable housing, with 40% of most residences’ apartments reserved for low-income people in the neighborhood.

MYTH: Supportive housing development will discourage economic investment in the neighborhood.

FACT: NO: In the twenty five years that supportive housing has been built in New York, it has almost always been a CATALYST for economic development. Because supportive housing either rehabilitates a decrepit building or builds on an empty lot, it improves a block’s look and feel. Because of on-site security and caseworkers who are concerned about vulnerable tenants’ safety, neighborhood crime often sharply decreases.

MYTH: Supportive housing is developed overwhelmingly in poor minority neighborhoods in the outer boroughs.

FACT: Nearly half (47%) of city-funded supportive housing is below 96th Street in Manhattan. Almost 7,000 units of city-funded supportive housing are in Manhattan while only 2,000 are in Brooklyn and just over 1,500 in the Bronx.

MYTH: Crime rates will escalate.

FACT: Because supportive housing features on-site security and support staff who are focused on protecting vulnerable tenants, crime rates usually decrease as a result of supportive housing development. Management often work closely with local police to root out illegal activity in the neighborhood.

MYTH: The project will act as a magnet for homeless people.

FACT: Supportive housing is not a shelter with an open-door policy. It has a set number of apartments allotted for homeless people with special needs. These apartments are offered on a PERMANENT BASIS and BY REFERRAL ONLY. Further, all residents are referred by local agencies with a preference given to local residents.

MYTH: You’ll just build this and leave: this is our home.

FACT: Supportive housing sponsors are members of this community too and have a track record of being responsible and responsive citizens. They understand your concerns and welcome your ongoing participation on any number of advisory committees. Virtually all providers work closely with their neighbors to both accommodate local needs and maximize tenant integration: some share resources like meeting spaces and computer labs, while others host block parties and local celebrations.

MYTH: This is just another government program being shoved down our throats.

FACT: No. Supportive housing, although funded by the City, State and Federal government, is run by non-profit agencies that traditionally care for the poor and sick. These groups are community-based, are audited, and are governed by myriad rules and regulations to ensure excellence.

MYTH: Supportive housing is too expensive.

FACT: No. Supportive housing actually saves taxpayer dollars wasted on repetitive emergency services and housing. A recent study found that New York taxpayers spend an average of $40,500 per person per year to leave a mentally ill New Yorker on the street. That same study found that once these individuals moved into supportive housing their use of costly emergency services plummeted.

MYTH: These people just want a free ride at the taxpayer’s expense.

FACT: Supportive housing helps people who want to help themselves. It provides a caring, nurturing community for those with problems, not unlike your own home. Residents are looking to put their lives back on track: permanent housing combined with access to services allows them to do that.

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

First, Congress is debating how to cover the uninsured, as if that is the principal
problem of our health system.
Should we have a public plan option? Should we expand Medicare? Medicaid?
Should there be a mandate to buy health insurance? Obama believes that health
system reform will require a massive infusion of tax money to cover the uninsured,
also his primary issue.
Both Congress and Obama are wrong. The issue is not coverage, it is cost control,
or more specifically, waste elimination. Per-capita taxation for health care is higher
in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world. More than one-third of the $4 trillion
collected in state and federal taxes this year will go to health care.
If we limited health spending to just those tax dollars we would be spending more
than any other nation on health care. Yet we add another $1 trillion to our health
spending through private payment of employer premiums and family co-payments
. Per-capita health spending is twice as high as it is in any other nation, and rising faster,
because we waste half our health spending on inefficiency and poor quality.
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

Mass Senior Action Council Metro North Chapter

AS a local grass roots senior
run organization we are Committed
To empowering Seniors and Others to act collectively
Promote the rights and well being of all people
Particularly vulnerable Seniors.

GOALS FOR THE YEAR
Utilize resources for family care givers.
Expand senior services to under served neighborhoods
Lead public and private foundations and other non-profits toward the concept of having elder-ready communities.
Be more involved in city, county and community planning processes. Develop a volunteer coordination center. OUR CHAPTER MISSION
The mission of Metro North Chapter MSAC is to respond to the ever-changing needs of seniors and their families
Affect in positive ways their quality of life
Assist in maintaining their independence.
COME JOIN AN OUTFIT WITH THE 11,000 SENIORS IN MALDEN

MCfADDEN mANOR

TIME TO MAKE AMENDS AND PUT THIS SITE TO USE FOR MALDEN SENIORS
Get the Geratric Authority active on the issue for getting AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND A HEALTH CARE CLINIC(ADULT CARE CENTER) BUILT ON THE SITE.
.By Sharon Tosto Esker/malden@cnc.com
GateHouse News Service
Posted Apr 24, 2008 @ 05:49 PM
Last update Apr 24, 2008 @ 05:53 PM
Malden — Before the apartments and the
school were built off of Forest Street,
the land surrounding the McFadden Manor
was a sprawling country landscape complete
with cows, pigs, chickens, horses and a garden
to feed the people living on what was then
known as the “poor farm.”

“Where the school is now was primarily
corn fields,” said Arlene McGuire, the
granddaughter of James McFadden, the
nursing home’s namesake. “The apartments
next door were a cow pasture and horses
were there also.”

Arlene McGuire and her brother Paul McGuire
attended Monday night’s Friends of McFadden
meeting to give the nursing home’s supporters
an opportunity to hear what it was like to
live on the McFadden Manor premises during
the
late 1940s and 1950s, when they were just
children.

Built in the 1880s, the poor farm originally
housed Malden residents who were ill or in
need of a place to live.

The McGuires’ grandfather, James McFadden,
oversaw the farm from about 1922 through
1948. The McGuires’ parents, George and
Anne McGuire, took over two years after
McFadden left his post and raised their
family of six children, including Arlene
and Paul, on the farm.

It was only in 1955 that the facility was
converted to a full-time nursing home to
care for the city’s elderly population.

“If a family was burnt out [of their house],
or if children were abandoned, my father
would take them in,” said Arlene McGuire.
“There were people who really appreciated
it, especially the children.”

The McGuires recalled several holiday
memories, which were a community affair
when they were living on the property.

“My father used to decorate the pine tree
in the front with giant bulbs for Christmas
,” said Paul McGuire. “You could see all
through the neighborhood.”

And for Christmas and Halloween,
George McGuire were open the doors
to the facility and invite the neighbors
in to celebrate.

“My father believed that children should
not be going out door-to-door asking for
candy [on Halloween],” said Arlene McGuire.
“He said it wasn’t safe so he organized a
yearly Halloween party.”

Arlene McGuire brought several delicately
worn black and white photographs of her
family and past residents who had lived on
the McFadden Manor property. A few photos
showed residents getting their hair primped
and curled in the beauty parlor that still
exists at the McFadden Manor, but which
has long been out of service.

Paul McGuire even mentioned the jail cell
that remains in the basement of McFadden,
which has also been closed for decades.

“The jail downstairs was used for residents
who came home drunk until they sobered up,”
said Paul McGuire.

The McGuires felt compelled to recount
their memories to remind the Friends of
McFadden and its supporters how important
the facility was to them, and also to the
residents of Malden.

“I would hate to see this place closed down,
whether it was named for my grandfather or
not,” said Paul McGuire. “Just its reputation
is worth keeping it open.”

The most poignant moment of evening was

when Arlene McGuire read a letter to the
editor of a Malden newspaper from what she
believed was during the 1960s.
(The newspaper clipping was not dated.)

“I was surprised to read that consideration
was being given to the closing of the
McFadden Memorial Home by the city,”
wrote Ethel S. Greene, who lived on
90 Maple St. in Malden. “Having
first-hand knowledge of the care given
patients there, I have felt that it was
one thing of which the city of Malden
could well be proud.”

Greene’s words were reminiscent of
similar words being used by the
Friends of McFadden to save the
nursing home today.

“I believe that even if it should
cost a little more to care for patients
at McFadden Memorial Home, the
expenditure is justified, in view of
the homelike atmosphere and the
tender, loving care given the patients,
” Greene wrote.

When the McGuires had finished their
walk down memory lane, several meeting
attendees gathered around looking at the
photographs of the garden, the farmhouse
and Molly, their most favorite black and
white cow, as well as yellowed newspaper
clipping that detailed happenings like
the annual McFadden Manor Christmas party
sponsored by the Elks.

The McGuire family left the McFadden Manor
property in the late 1950s, but for both
Arlene and Paul McGuire, the farm will
always hold a special spot in their memories.

“I’ve always been sad that they closed
the farm,” said Paul McGuire. “Imagine
if it were still open? All of the
community and the children could come
to see the garden and experience a
real working farm. And all of the
residents could be occupied by taking
care of the garden and the farm.”

Meeting attendees said they were thrilled
by their special guests.

“The best part for me was taking them on
a tour (of the facility),”
said Valerie Folk,
whose brother is a McFadden Manor
resident. “Every corner we turned,
they’d say, nothing’s changed.
I don’t know how they remember everything.
It must have meant a lot to them.”

Friends of McFadden continue progress
Valerie Folk once again led the Friends
of McFadden meeting and provided the
group of approximately 30 attendees with
update on their progress to keep the
city-run nursing home open.

Since the last meeting, hundreds of flyers
and postcards have been distributed to
Malden residents across the city at
church services, community meetings
and even supermarket parking lots.

Folk is still trying to negotiate a
time for Mayor Richard Howard to give
the Friends of McFadden and their
supporters an update on where the
city stands on funding and the
future of the nursing home.
Howard had hoped to meet with
the group in April.

The Friends of McFadden are still
seeking potential members of a
board of directors to establish
a geriatric authority.
A geriatric authority would oversee
the daily administration of the facility,
as well as manage its own budget.

To establish a geriatric authority,
the board of directors would be
responsible for the day-to-day
management of the nursing home
such as dealing with federal and
state requirements for nursing homes,
medical updates, resident enrollment,
Medicare reimbursement and the budget.

The geriatric authority would be set up
similarly to the Malden Housing Authority,
which also runs independently from the
city’s budget.

“We’re looking for other members of the
community,” said Folk. “We’d like a grant
writer and a certified public accountant.
We’d also like people from the business
community.”

Folk told the group they need to move
quickly. Howard has committed to funding
the nursing home for the first six months
of fiscal 2009, which begins on July 1, 2008.

“We have to move quickly to establish a
geriatric authority before any moves are
made to privatize McFadden,” said Folk.
“We’ve made it clear that privatization
is not what we want. It’s also important
for us to keep the community informed
and involved.”

The Friends of McFadden are continuing
their efforts to stay in the forefront
of Malden’s residents’ minds.

“Looking at things since last November
when we started meeting regularly,
we’ve come a long way,” said Folk.
“But, in some respects, I’m a little
dismayed. I knew that there would be
some hurdles, but I would have thought
that by now we’d be sitting down with
the mayor to discuss the geriatric authority.
At the same time, though, I’m energized.
We had some new faces at the meeting
tonight and we continue to build support.”

The next Friends of McFadden meeting
will take place on Monday, May 5, at
6:30 p.m. at McFadden Manor on Forest Street.
All members of the community are invited
to attend.

— The Friends of McFadden have established
a Web site, which posts information about
upcoming meetings, at
www.FriendsofMcFadden.com.
The group can also be reached
by calling the McFadden Manor
at 781-322-1700. Staff members
will pass along messages
to the Friends of McFadden.

Copyright 2008 Malden Observer.
Some rights reserved
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Nice Photo..but2 years agoReport Abuse
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.....Make way for the new 'Howard Estates'
A Plush, High End Residence for the
affluent community, Units starting
at just under $599.000.
Cape Codder2 years agoReport Abuse
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I grew up on Gilbert Street not far
from McFadden Manor . I do remember
the farm and where the playground is,
I'm guessing because it's been a
long time since I have been back
to the old neighborhood. I remember
there was this nasty bull in the
field and he didn't like anyone
coming near the fence. He got loose
one day and razed havoc in the street.
I remember when the school was built
and many days of playing baseball and
football in the park. There is nothing
wrong in preserving the past.
The City of Malden should keep
McFadden Manor.
big jim2 years agoReport Abuse
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The more you learn the more sorry
this situation is. The poor farm
was closed and a school was built
along with some elderly housing
on the land. Now a second school
was built and a Nursing Home for
the Elderly which was converted
in 1955 to 'care for the cities
elderly population' was begun.
Now the Mayor for Life wants to
make sure that the city does not
live up to its obligations from
the past. Shame Richie Shame.
The best part of the article is
from Cape Codder who wrote of a
distant relative of the Mayor for

Life, a nasty bull that would not
let people too near. The Mayor won't
let people there live in peace just
like his ancestor the bull. Richie
your just like that old bull nasty
and full of .... Tell the truth for
a change and let the people that live
and work there what their future is and when.
Stop being a coward, it's not getting
you votes when you mistreat the old folks.
To: Big Jim2 years agoReport Abuse
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nobody told you? The mayor doesn't care
about your vote anymore--he's not running
again. He's setting it up for his puppet,
Neil, to take his place. Notice how Neil
is playing like he's his own man now and
not going along with the mayor? Notice how
many articles have his name all over them?
Notice how he's got the kids from the
charter school doing his cleanup work?
Notice how he's got cameras up in
Maplewood the charter school paid for?
Get ready--the mayor is going to give
it to the McFadden people good!
The first poster is right on--
'Howard Estates' coming up!
Big Black BullSh**2 years agoReport Abuse
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Their all cutting and running,
their folding up, their getting
out- the damage is done, and
they made their monies, now we

sit there with dumb looks on our
faces at what they've done- and wonder
about what they first said to us in
their attempt to represent- it was all lies.
and look at my city...look for
our elderly....what now?...
what now.....can I get a witness..?.
.does the statute of limitations
effect local politicians? can we sue?
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VA HEALTH CARE

President Barack Obama recently
signed the Veterans' Emergency
Care Fairness Act of 2009. The
new law will enable the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reimburse
veterans enrolled in VA health care
for the remaining cost of emergency
treatment if the veteran has outside
insurance that only covers part of the cost.
Previously, VA could reimburse veterans or
pay outside hospitals directly only if a
veteran has no outside
health insurance.

Census 2010

In Malden we have a large population
of Chinese and Vietnamese to the
Malden Senior Community Center and
many Foreign churches (groups) The
Immigration Learning Center in Malden
that should become involved.
The Great Wall Inc should be involved.
I am interested in seeing Mass
Senior Action involved in the
public housing units
Census 2010: Key Dates
Ideas for Partners
. Volunteers help paint a census
mural in neighborhood of Malden
.
U.S. Census Bureau Boston Regional
Census Center
One Beacon Street, 7th Floor Boston,
MA 02108
Phone: (617) 223-3610 E-mail: Boston.
PDSP@census.gov

Speak up Contact the Governor

Thank you for sharing your thoughts
with Governor Patrick. The Governor
values your opinions and enjoys hearing
from people across the Commonwealth.
Please know that your views are always
welcome in this administration.

The Governor and his staff strive to
review every piece of correspondence
in a timely manner. If appropriate,
we will forward your message to the
appropriate staff member, department
or the state agency that can best
address your concerns.

If you need an immediate response,
please call the Governor's Office
at 617-725-4005 to speak with a
Constituent Services Aide. Again,
thank you for taking the time to
share your ideas with Governor Patrick.
Stay involved and engaged...
this is your government!


Subject: Pledge of volunteer time
to fight for health reform

On Saturday I attended the Caucus
of the Democratic committees in
Malden and passed the word(to those
who would listen) on why the
Demcratic Party at the convention
in June should keep Health Care on
the "Front Burner" No backing off
on our support of our elected
officials fighting for Health Care
for all
This is a start of my pledge to
support and ask others for those
candidates that support our effort.

Medicare and the Elderly

President Obama hopes to finance a health care overhaul in part by squeezing hundreds of billions of dollars in savings from Medicare through a crackdown on fraud and waste. An oft-cited example: Medicare Advantage, run by private insurers reimbursed by Medicare, costs the government 14 percent more per enrollee than traditional Medicare.

Republicans claim that Democrats will ultimately be forced to reduce Medicare benefits to seniors in order to finance health care for more citizens. Are the elderly being asked to shoulder the burden for universal coverage? Should Medicare, or something like it, be available to an even greater number of Americans?

Congress is debating how to cover the uninsured

First, Congress is debating how to cover the uninsured, as if that is the principal
problem of our health system.
Should we have a public plan option? Should we expand Medicare? Medicaid?
Should there be a mandate to buy health insurance? Obama believes that health
system reform will require a massive infusion of tax money to cover the uninsured,
also his primary issue.
Both Congress and Obama are wrong. The issue is not coverage, it is cost control,
or more specifically, waste elimination. Per-capita taxation for health care is higher
in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world. More than one-third of the $4 trillion
collected in state and federal taxes this year will go to health care.
If we limited health spending to just those tax dollars we would be spending more
than any other nation on health care. Yet we add another $1 trillion to our health

spending through private payment of employer premiums and family co-payments
. Per-capita health spending is twice as high as it is in any other nation, and rising faster,
because we waste half our health spending on inefficiency and poor quality.

The Health Care Reform

Lets let the Republicans PUT UP OR SHUT DOWN !!! Pass meaningful
legislation THE HEALTH CARE REFORM UP FOR VOTE
Lets let the Democrats get on with the peoples
business BRING THE
HEALTH CARE REFORM UP FOR A VOTE

The administration seems to fear a threatened
Republican senatorial
filibuster of health care reform. The Democrats
should call the
Republicans’ bluff and bring a reconciled bill
to a vote. It will pass
or be filibustered.

There is no political cost to threatening a
filibuster, but producing
one is a different thing altogether, especially
if it slows down or
stops other important work. The electorate,
which by and large has
never experienced a filibuster, will get a
great civics lesson about
the arcane and outmoded operations of the Senate and may press for
reforms.

Obsessive media attention to the filibuster will illuminate Republican
obstructionism and the importance of health care reform.
--
Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior

Resolution Howard McGowan

As a member
of Mass Senior Action Council
Malden Chapter Metro North

Whereas: We have a rule at the City Council
that no taxpayer,citizen can address
the council during the formal session
Whereas: Many vital issues affecting the lives
and concerns of Malden Residents need
to be addressed in an open forum
Whereas: Current interests should be presented
to the electorite in open Forum
Whereas: Malden is operated as a democracy
with the city council elected and
expected to follow the wishes of
their electorate
Resolved: It would be feasiable for any
resident taxpayer to address
the Council for three minutes
(strictly enforced)prior to the
formal sessions of the council
meeting on any current issue.
Limit Four per formal session