Socorro Smiled: Senior Home Care

By Robert Noyola

Socorro Arce Noyola

Angel at Work

Thirty days before her flight to Jesus in Heaven, Socorro Arce Noyola endorsed her social security check and allotted monthly payments to be made.

She taught her family to work, pay our way, and always serve Jesus.

In her extended mission of life were many trips to places many people will never see. Her life became an extension of her mission as an anchor of the Christ to family and friends.

When the ill anchor weighted heavily, we helped to raise her up. When the heavy anchor dropped, she thrust her eager soul skyward and embraced Jesus.

Now with each heartbeat we too are working towards her to see her at work once again with Jesus.

Hurry heart, hurry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 29, 2001
• ISBN: 9781469111858

Robert Noyola

Robert Noyola was born August 24, 1937 in Port Arthur, Texas. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1956 where he developed a strong interest in journalism. Robert served in the United States Air Force for thirteen years as a journalist. Attended Woodbury University at Burbank, California. He was later employed by the Los Angeles Times as a translator and information specialist. Mr. Noyola, a retiree, residing in El Paso, Texas.

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Copyright © 2000 by Robert Noyola.

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Contents

SOCORRO ARCE NOYOLA

PROLOGUE

SOCORRO SMILED

LONELINESS KILLS

EPILOGUE

BIOGRAPHY

SOCORRO ARCE NOYOLA

Angel at Work

Thirty days before her flight to Jesus in Heaven, Socorro Arce Noyola endorsed her social security check and allotted monthly payments to be made.

She taught her family to work, pay our way, and always serve Jesus.

In her extended mission of life were many trips to places many people will never see. Her life became an extension of her mission as an anchor of the Christ to family and friends.

When the ill anchor weighted heavily, we helped to raise her up. When the heavy anchor dropped, she thrust her eager soul skyward and embraced Jesus.

Now with each heartbeat we too are working towards her to see her at work once again with Jesus.

Hurry heart, hurry.

PROLOGUE

Los Angelitos nursing home is on Fountain Avenue between Vermont and Western. The yellow building extends a half a block long situated in the middle of the block and is only one story high. It is surrounded with a black wrought iron fence halfway deep into the back half of the block. All this iron is nine feet high. The front gates are never locked but the alley ones are. The fence creates the immediate impression that no body can get in, or out. There is no parking available so I parked on fountain and walked into the lobby. To the right is a cashier in the business office, and to the left are the administrative offices. The Linoleum floors sparkle gray. Straight ahead is a large meeting hall carpeted in maroon. In the corner is a large piano glistening black. The music sheets are religious. The ceiling is acoustic. The walls are made up of Bulletin Boards. Most of the boards have notices and messages pinned to them. The walls are white but look more like a wall of cork. Other boards have drawings and water colored paintings like a child would paint. There are bookshelves with magazines and books. Card tables at one end and stacked with cards and games. At the other end, long tables hold a Bingo turn-wheel with a box of Bingo cards. There are two radios at both ends of the long room. There is even a long chrome microphone and two speakers on the floor. But there are no players or dancers. The rear is mostly glass with two doors leading out into a courtyard with planters used for ashtrays, chairs, and patio furniture. I still did not make my presence known now was I discovered, so I took a tour on the left side are rooms covered by drapes, then a door leading out to another wing. I heard televisions but no conversations. On the south side of the courtyard is a dining room where a few senior citizens were quietly smoking as if somebody might notice them. I walked pass more rooms, all silent, then turned northward passed showers, linen rooms, and the nurses station at the corner of the front hallway. There was nobody there and the large round white clock was announcing lunch at non. I turned into the administration offices. A smart cheerful Filipino lady dressed in white greeted me with a toothy good morning.

I answered her equally cheerful, yes, I would like some information for admitting a patient.

Yes sir, sit down please, now are you going to pay?

Social security I guess, that’s what I wanted to talk about.

Good! Who is our guest?

Never mind that and what do you offer, like what is the program?

We are community orientated. Round the clock care, physician on duty, RN, LVN, Physical Therapist, exercising, walks, meals, snacks, entertainment, and social services.

Sounds complete.

Not for you of course, who is this for?

I told her.

How did you hear about us?

Driving by, I just walked in, liked the area.

Shall I show you around?

Later, how about the paperwork so I can study it.

We do all that for you.

You’re not the administration.

No, I’m the admitting clerk, also a nurse.

Call the administration then.

Wait here please, so you can go in.

The administration was behind a heavy brown door marked private, black letters on a foot long brass plate. They both came back out and one was doing all the talking.

Start feeding our guest she ordered the clerk. The clerk hurriedly left the office still smiling. The administration extended her beefy hand once up and then down.

Come in sir.

I sat in a leather chair. I noticed the walls were decorated with degrees, certificates, awards, and pictures. Her brown desk was ten feet long and she had papers strewn the length of it like lawyers do. A wooden holder had two pens at attention like soldiers. She looked like a brown Ethel Barrymore, except her hair was as black as her suit.

Now, what can I do for you sir?

Let us talk nursing home talk.

My best subject, go ahead.

Why are there no windows in this place?

Privacy, we maintain strict security and privacy for our guest.

Your clerk has already briefed me on the many benefits of your establishment.

You mean home.

Yes of course. But I was more interested in seeing the comparison between the Clinton proposal.

Oh that? Yes go ahead.

A lot of these senior citizens are being admitted against their wishes.

"Family members admit them because they have to work. They can’t care for them at home.

Six million senior citizens?

More then that, but we are providing a service.

One senior citizen told me. My child made the decision. I didn’t choose to be here."

Right, It is for their own protection.

Another patient told me: I don’t know what terrible sin I must have done that I’m still alive and living like this."

There is no other way.

Yes there is, President Clinton proposed a tax break to allocate monies so that professional people will care for the elder citizen at home.

Explain that, how it would work.

Their own doctors would be paid for visits and consultation.

Then what?

Registered nurses, LVN’s, and aides would be processed and bonded to come into the house.

Bonded?

And a criminal investigation would be conducted by each state and the national crime information center.

What else?

The patient would enjoy the comfort and security of their own home.

That cost too much money.

To the contrary. The monetary cost per patient would be cheaper than an admission.

Tax breaks?

Yes, only for those children who have a disabled parent on chronically ill relatives.

There’s more to it than that.

Yes, there are care givers available for shopping, mail, cleaning, even bathing.

What else?

Minimum wage would pay somebody that is acceptable to live with the patient.

Acceptable?

Mom is still an adult with a whole life of experience and she is not foolish.

A sick old lady may be foolish.

The Gray Panthers are organized into an powerful voting force, extremely knowledgeable, with a network of information.

I heard about them.

Then we may be in agreement that it is best to have the same people doing the same job daily.

Like us?

"No, this home is sterile and foreign to these patients; there is no comparison to having a real human being caring for you in your own home.

The problem is going to get worse.

There is no problem if we do it now.

Who will control the AARP?

Each senior will control their own lives as long as they are capable. And assistance will be readily available.

A lot of people involved.

"That’s what is good about it.

Maybe too many people.

"The 65-to 74-year old set is expected to nearly double in America.

Twice as much trouble.

These people will govern themselves. They will grow from the present 18 million in 2000 to 35 million in 2050 including you and me.

My husband will care for me.

That’s what these people said and we must never turn over our lives completely to another human being.

We have excellent care facilities.

Exactly, that’s why we live so long.

How long?

We enjoy the greatest standard of living in the world, food, medical care and preventive medicine; we are the beneficiaries of programs started when we were children.

True.

The population between ages 75 and 84 will likely more than double, from 12 million in 2000 to 26 million in 2050.

Shocking.

It is a matter of fact and these conclusions will be acted upon by the senior citizens themselves.

Terrific if it works.

In comparison to what?

We still do a better job.

That depends on the patients point of view.

Sometimes they do not know better.

Not true. Seniors do know what they want.

Which brings me to another problem area.

Problem area?

Medicare paid out 12 billion dollars for the care of the elderly.

Expensively good care.

Fraud and over billing sometimes for services not rendered.

Not Los Angelitos. Who are you, where are your credentials?

I’m a concerned citizen, a son. Certainly you do not object to that?

Would you like some lunch, tuna today?

Later. Still, 7% of Medicare’s yearly spending was paid in error.

Not to us! Where did you get these figures?

The inspector general, no not to you exclusively, claims by doctors, hospitals, and other agencies.

IG?

The IG is available to anyone. There are hospitals billing for services not rendered, or unnecessary procedures including meds.

What else?

Doctors who never showed up.

Shocking.

There’s more. More than 800 million claims for services are filed each year on behalf of 40 million beneficiaries on Medicare.

Shocking.

Clinton started Operation Restore Trust with congressional approval.

Fraud?

"Even the