Fighting to save a 17-year-old program

Tom Loren
Published: June 16, 2008

Alert to PWC taxpaying family caregivers of senior citizen relatives.

As evident by the Board of County Supervisor’s decision to close their Manassas Senior Day program, your county government is no longer interested in providing respite to caregivers of
Alzheimer’s/dementia patients; veterans or other citizens in frail health. They do not consider this a “quality of life” issue.

For instance, one of the participants from the Manassas Senior Day program is a woman now suffering from Alzheimer’s, who devoted many of her young healthy years to the care of foster children in the
county. Now the county is turning her and her husband away.

She can either go to the privately run program, which does not offer the same type of care, no sliding fee scale, no transportation or they can go beg for space in an adjoining county’s program.

Do you believe this is the thanks that a civic-minded couple deserves? Is the frail aged the next group targeted for expulsion from the county?

If you care, please, please support those of us fighting to keep this 17-year program of care and compassion open.

Come to the Board of County supervisor’s meeting at 2 p.m. today in the McCoart building to show your support.

TOM LOREN

Manassas