Former caseworker Tande Rose worries every day about the elderly in Gallia County who may be hungry or without medications or even near death.
Laid off as the county's one-person Department of Adult Protective Services, she wonders who will take care of people like the woman in her 70s who Rose found naked and covered with feces on the floor of a locked bedroom.
Advocates for the county agencies across Ohio have not yet compiled the number of caseworkers like Rose who were handed pink slips in the wake of state budget cuts adopted in July. However, roughly 3,000 have lost their jobs since the state started slashing aid to the county agencies nearly two years ago.
Gallia County, along the Ohio River in the heart of the state's Appalachian region, has been among the hardest hit, losing 40 percent of its Job and Family Services' staff of 51.
Rose was the county's only caseworker assigned to investigate allegations of abuse, exploitation or neglect against the elderly. Since she left in August, adult protective services have been unavailable.
"I worry that people will go hungry or not get their medications," Rose said. "I worry that someone will die."
"These are sweet little people," Rose said of her former clients. "I may be in their shoes some day, and if I am, I'd want someone looking after me."
Rose helped about 150 seniors a year.
"Elderly people are so proud," she said. "They will go without medication before they wouldn't pay their utilities. I would try and help by talking to physicians to get samples or calling the utility company."
"Families are supposed to help out families," Rose said. "But a family can't do what they could do 20 years ago."
4 comments:
Why don't the legislators who run things take some unpaid time off and do the services?
I am glad to hear there are people like Rose.
Rose sounds like one APS worker that shouldn't have gotten a pink slip. She has compassion for her clients which is a very rare quality - after you see so much abuse, it's hard not to shut down emotionally. I'm sure she will be missed.
Yes, it's good to see someobdy like Rose. In every profession - without exception - there are some, perhaps many, dedicated people who do the job because they want to - because they care about people and want to help them.
Rose seems to be one of those.
Anon1 is right, why don't the legislators volunteer to fill in?
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