Editor:
A recently received e-mail raised the question, would seniors be better off in jail? According to the information provided, many seniors certainly would do far better being in jail than being in a nursing home.
Many seniors face a lot of hardships, financial and otherwise. Meanwhile prisoners in our jails get all the free, paid-for benefits.
As a prisoner, a senior needing any kind of specialized medical attention would receive the best of care. The cost of specialized pharmaceuticals may bankrupt you; as a prisoner, that is all free.
Need new glasses, dentures, hearing aids, batteries, even wheel chairs? No problem. These items are all provided at no charge.
Need regular, specialized medical care at a distant infirmary? No problem. An ambulance, including medi-vac and air ambulance, is fully paid for.
Are you now paying for a life-line type of service? In jail, should you fall or need specialized medical assistance, constant video monitoring means help is on the way almost instantly, all completely free.
Your laundry is done on a regular basis and returned to you neatly pressed at absolutely no charge. You would have free access to walks, hobbies and even showers.
Are you frustrated in dining out and having to pay a large tip for poor service? In jail, no problem — meals and snacks are brought directly to you.
In jail you have free access to a library, fitness room, spiritual counselling, and even free concerts by nationally recognized artists.
As a senior prisoner you could have your own computer, TV, and access to radio all at no cost to you.
Have a problem that you can’t get resolved? Professional people are freely available to advise you at absolutely no cost to you.
In the reverse of seniors being put in prisons, criminals would have to spend their time in nursing homes.
They would find that their meals are often cold.
In a nursing home, having an accident in bed means prisoners would be mostly ignored, unsupervised and left to solve their own problems.
In a nursing home, prisoners may find they have to live in tiny, uncomfortable rooms costing thousands of dollars every month.
Prisoners in a nursing home may find showering is available only once per week.
Prisoners living in a nursing home may find that there is little hope of ever getting out.
Doug Wilson
Williams Lake