Op-Ed from the Triangle Business Journal, July 25, 2008
 

“Give me your  tired, your  poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe five, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door"
 

Anyone who grew up in this country, and many who didn't, recognize the words from "The New Colossus," a poem by 19th-century American poet Emma Lazarus. It describes the Statue of Liberty and appears on a plaque at the base of the grand lady. The final verse, quoted above, has the statue itself speaking.

Question: Are we as a nation fulfilling this promise?

Put aside the debate about illegal immigrants. Few seem to have a problem with immigrants as long as they take the necessary steps to obtain citizenship.

And it's U.S. and North Carolina citizens who are at the core of a package of articles beginning on page 1 of this week's issue about the state of adult-care homes in North Carolina.

Decades ago, this state was dotted with what were known as "county homes," or derisively as "poor houses." Each county had responsibility for caring for those who had grown old and did not have the resources necessary to care for themselves.

They ended up living their final years in a "poor house."

Such a term no longer would be allowed in our politically correct society. Nor should it, for these are, for the most part, good and hard-working people. Today, they end up in what are known as adult-care homes. As our stories point out, a two-tiered system of adult-care homes has emerged in North Carolina: One tier is for the poor; the other is for the wealthy.

It's fine that those who can retire in luxury have places to do so. Our focus, instead, is on the homes established for those who can't afford such a retirement.

The central question arises: Is it our responsibility as a nation to care for these elderly citizens who don't have the resources to care for themselves?

If your answer to that question is "no," then there's no need for you to read further because it is the opinion of this newspaper that it is the nation's and the state's responsibility to open their arms and to say: "Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

Governments agree. Two programs, one federal and one state, pay for the housing and care of our elderly and mentally ill poor citizens in adult-care homes. The problem, as chronicled in our package of stories, is that the funding is insufficient, according to a substantial amount of data and anecdotal evidence.

The National Center on Caregiving says its research concludes it costs $2,916 per month to provide care to an individual in an adult-care home in North Carolina. What are homes being paid to provide this care?  The answer is $1,748 per month.

Granted, the National Center on Caregiving is an advocacy group of the adult-care industry, and its research should be viewed in that light. But ask yourself: How much would it cost you to provide a room, electricity, water, heat, three meals a day, medical care and myriad other basic needs to one individual for a month?

Could you do it for $1,748?

Our nation and state have many needs. But shouldn't providing comfort for our senior citizens in their final years be among our priorities?

We believe it should and that a serious debate should be undertaken toward the goal of providing the resources necessary to provide proper care for our seniors.