Bethpage-Tribune_1973-08-30

              BETHP/GE
r»**H*-=HnS
BETHBAGE PLAflMVIEW PLAINEDGE SEAFORD
VOL. 7 NO. 41 Thursday, August 30, 1973 10 cents per copy
Drug Labeling Becomes Law County Dept. Issues
Guideline For Choosing
Retirement Homes
AJSEMBLYMAN LEVINE CONGRATULATED ON CONSUMER
BILL EN ACTMENT: Assemblyman Stuart R. Levine (R-Bethpage),
right, is congratulated by Lieutenant Governor Malcolm Wilson
following'Governor Rockefeller's action in signing Levine's drug
labeling bill into law. The measure, sponsored by Assemblyman
Levine, will go into effect Sept. 1 and requires that the brand name
and strength of the drag be contained on the label of all prescription
A pharmaeeuucal profile will
accompany every vial of
prescription drugs filled on and
after Sept. I . ,
The new law, sponsored by
Assemblyman Stuart R. Levine
(RrBelbpage) will require that
;iM;IspliiQIIcV.* brawl name and
TjQ^S^-^'UfeV^di^'ia'contained
oh the label, unless for some
reason the prescribing physician
specifically requests in writing
that the information not be given.
"In the past,-said Assem­blyman
Levine,. "chronically ill
individuals under constant daily
medication have actually lost
their lives because; while un-conscious,
other physicians have
unwittingly administered
medication. which, was either
lethal in combination with the
drug already ingested or which
fatally aggravated-existing
maladies. Rapid identification of
drugs will indicate the presence
of illness to physicians and will
keep them from introducing
material which could provoke a
physical crisis.
"The drug labeling- law will
also be of tremendous benefit in
treating young children who
accidentally swallow potentially
lethal doses of drugs. Immediate
antidote treatment will save
many young lives in these
situations because, drug iden­tification
will be made instantly.
"Besides the public safety
precaution inherent in this new
law," concluded Levine, "in-
. creased consumer protection will
be provided! because, along with
another new measure requiring
• the price-posting of the 150 most
frequently prescribed drugs,
consumers will be able to com­pare
costs and realize ap­preciable
savings,.today when
inflation is placing an increasing
burden on the consumer's
dollar." ,
-Caso To Plead For Fuel
Allotment For County
Nassau County Executive
Ralph G. Caso announced today
that he will meet with White
House Energy Policy Office
chairman John A. Love in
Washington on September 5 to
press his demands for a system of
mandatory fuel allocations for
Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The meeting, to be held at 2:30
PM in Sen. James A. Buckley's
office on the day that Congress
reconvenes, will also be attended
by Suffolk County Executive
John V. N. Klein and members of
the Long Island ,cftB§ressional
delegation. .
Caso will present Love with his
comments on the White House
position paper outlining the
administration's proposals lorui
voluntary fuel allocation system.
Caso called tor the meeting with
Love last week alter conferring
with members of the county's Ad
Hoc Energy Crisis Committee.
"I want to impress on the
Energy Policy chairman the fact
that Long Island could face a
winter catastrophe if the White
House does not reverse its op­position
to mandatory
allocations," Caso said.
The county executive pointed
out that more than 90 per cent of.
the distributors who supply fuel
oil to Long Island's homes,
businesses and institutions are
"independents" not affiliated
with the major oil companies.
However, the independents) must
get their oil from the major
companies. .
•Under a system of voluntary
allocations, the major oil com­panies
can withhold fuel oil from
the independent suppliers. That
means that people in their homes,
patients in our- hospitals and
children in our schools may be
facing winter days without heat if
the White House leaves us at the
mercy of the major oil com­panies,"
Caso said.
In response to an unusual in­crease
in requests from con­cerned
relatives, the Nassau
County Department of Senior
Citizen Affairs has issued a series
of guidelines for help in choosing
retirement hotels and nursing
homes.
• According to. Mrs. Adelaide
Attard, Director of the Depart­ment,
one of the most difficult
decisions which faces a family is'
when and where to transfer an
older parent from independent to
institutional living.. "New
methods designed to help
maintain individuals in their own
homes for as long aspossible are
constantly being developed,"
says Mrs. Attard. "However, the
time may come when aging
• parents can no longer handle the
physical or mental stresses' of .
living by themselves. Feelings of
guilt on the part of relatives, and
of rejection on the part of the
elderly can be minimized by
careful choice of facilities."
In Nassau there are three
residence choices open to the
senior citizen who can no longer
maintain his or her own home, or
apartment:
1. RETIREMENT HOTEL OR
ADULT HOME: There are;.ap­proximately
30 in Nassau County,
with the largest concentration in
the City of Long Beach. Rentals
(room and board) cost between
$250 monthly for shared ac- .;
commodations to $8004 monthly
for private rooms. Ac­commodations
are not covered
by medical insurance, Medicare
or Medicaid. Under certam^
c i r c u m s t a n c e s , however,
residents may apply for Old Age
Assistance. These'~r«sidences
cater to self-sufficient older
"guests," offering comfort, good
food and some recreation. There
is no nursing or medical care on
the premises. Some of these have
been approved by the New York
State Board of Social Welfare,
which means they must meet the
State standards of safety, fire
protection and offer assistance
with bathing,, shaving and per­sonal
care. Some of the hotels
offer excellent accommodations,
luxurious surroundings and
planned recreation programs.
However, observations by
Department of Senior Citizen-
Affairs personnel have turned up
some undesirable conditions in
others such as unkempt and
depressing accommodations or
inferior food. Too often
"recreation" in these establish­ments
consists of T.V., oc­casional
bingo and lobby sitting.
Senior citizens contemplating the
move to a hotel or adult home
should visit several of these
before making a decision, as
facilities vary greatly. Mrs.
Attard urges a walk-through visit
and conversation with residents.
The following check-list will be
helpful during the visit:
Is the residence convenient to
family, transportation, shopping,
medical care?
Is the neighborhood safe?
Are rooms cheerful, clean and
adequate in size?
Is there spmeone on staff who
will help with the adjustment to
hotel living?
- Do residents have a voice in
planning activities?
Is there a supervised
recreation program?
Are residents encouraged to
come and gb at will?,
Are residents treated as adults,
without condescension?
Are you eheburaged to talk
freely with other residents during
visit?
Do outside community
volunteers participate in ac^
tivities?
Is resident free to leave without.
penalty if be chooses?
2. HEALTH RELATED
FACILITY (H.R.F.'s): There are
presently 8 in Nassau County.
Accommodations cost, from $900
per month and-.up. Assistance
under the Medicaid program
may be available fpr individuals
who meet the financial criteria,
and who are admitted with a
doctor's certification. Health
related facilities are appropriate
..for,, those who are able to dress,,
"-eatf; and get around^ by them­selves,
but who require help with
personal care. The staff includes
aides, attendants and super-
"r visory nurses. The Department of
Senior Citizen Affairs is ad­vocating
for increased building of
H.R.f.'s,in% the; bounty in the
belief that too many people have
been placed in intensive care
nursing homes who might do
better psychologically and
physically if they could function
in a more independent at­mosphere.
3. NURSING HOMES: There
are approximately 30 in Nassau
County. Charges run from $1000
and up per month. Assistance
under the Medicaid program
may be available to individuals
who meet the financial criteria
and who are admitted with a
doctor's certification. Medicare
may cover the cost of nursing
homes certified as "Extended
Care Facilities" if a Medicare
patient is first hospitalised for
three or more days - provided his
physician certifies that Extended
Care Facilities are indicated
within 14 days of his discharge
from hospital. The full bill for
covered services may then be
•paid by Medicare for the first 20
days, and all but $9 per day is
paid up to 80 days after that for a
total of 100 days. In Nassau
County, the A. Holly Patterson
Home in Uniondale ac­commodates
900 residents. This
County home is one of the finest
in the country, and serves as a
model institution..To be placed on
the waiting list for admission, one
must have been a resident of
Nassau County for at least one
year prior to application, and
must be financially and
medically eligible, as determined
by the Nassau County Depart­ment
of Social Services.
Before placing a patient in a
nursing home or health related-facility,
Mrs. Attard suggests an
in-person visit to observe the
following:
licensed by the State or local
government, and is the license
displayed?'
Are halls and rooms clean, neat
and odor free?
Is there a Registered or ~
Licensed Practical Nurse in
charge? What about the night
shift?
Can the patient have his own
physician?
What facilities are available
for rehabilitation and physical
therapy? •
Is there a general home-like
atmosphere?
Are other patients neat, clean
and cheerful?
Does staff respond quickly and
pleasantly to patient calls?
Is the kitchen clean?
Are there rails in hallways,
grip bars in bathtubs, showers
and next to toilets?
Is there an automatic sprinkler
or fire alarm system?
A specially trained staff at the
Department of Senior r Citizen
Affairs offers a free consultation
service for guidance in helping to
make the decision between
retirement hotel, health related
facility or nursing home. A list of
facilities in Nassau County is also
available through the Depart­ment's
main office at One Old
Country Road, Carle Place, NY,
11514; telephone 535-4414-at its
'Freeport Office, 65 W. Sunrise
Highway, telephone 379-5900,
Ext. 17, and its Long Beach Of­fice,
City Hall, I West Chester
Street, telephone 431-1000, Ext.
S2u71m. mer School A Success
. At Farmingdale U.
Dr. Charles W. Laffin. Jr..
President of State University at
Farmingdale, today announced
3that the two summer sessions at
the college accommodated 2.C70
students, who accumulated 3.977
course registrations. In addition,
he points out, many special
programs, conferences and
workshops attracted over li.OOH
participants.