Aging Czar an Old Hand on Senior Issues

Greenlee Sees Aging as "A Unifying Topic" for Americans

(AP)  There's the White House auto czar, the health care czar and the yet-to-be-named cyber czar. There are czars overseeing drugs, climate and regulatory action. There's a pay czar overlooking executive compensation and talk of another for sports and culture.

And then, there's the aging czar.

Kathy Greenlee, assistant secretary for aging in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the country's top authority on issues facing the massively expanding population of older Americans. Her budget and profile are relatively modest, but Greenlee is tasked with oversight of a sprawling network of services and occupies a post with the potential to influence many aspects of government.

She also happens to be charged with an issue nearly everyone must deal with at some point.

"Aging is such a unifying topic," Greenlee, 49, said in an interview from her Washington office. "Any issues that we work on with the administration will hopefully help everyone."

Confirmed by the Senate in June, Greenlee now oversees a $1.5 billion annual budget and tens of thousands of organizations receiving federal funding for all types of senior services, including rides to doctor appointments, adult day care, home-delivered meals and legal assistance for elders in every part of the U.S. It gives her a voice on the health overhaul legislation, at least as related to seniors, and on issues involving Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, though those entitlement programs are not directly under her supervision.

Greenlee's appointment has been cheered by many who work in the aging community because she is seen as someone with ground-level experience working with the elderly. Her prior jobs include specializing in elder law at the Legal Aid Society of Topeka, serving as ombudsman for long-term care in Kansas and, eventually, heading the Kansas Department on Aging.

She grew up in the small town of Clearwater, Kan., and never strayed too far, attending the University of Kansas, then settling in a home in that college town of Lawrence, and never living outside of the state. She gained the respect of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in her numerous state posts and in stints as chief of staff and chief of operations for the governor. Sebelius brought Greenlee to D.C. after becoming head of HHS.

Shannon Jones, executive director of the nonprofit Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas, has collaborated with Greenlee, who she calls "high-energy" and says is clued into the issues facing seniors.

"She's a gal that is just straightforward and knows when things make sense," Jones said. "She gets it."

Among the issues Greenlee is most passionate about is keeping seniors in their homes and communities, if they choose, and out of nursing homes, which most want to avoid. Advocates have been working on this for decades, and while Greenlee pledges her attention, there is no quick fix in a system generally ruled by Medicaid, which operates differently in each state.

"To move forward and expand community services, we have to have a whole lot of things happen in each individual state," she said.

As for the health overhaul bill, Greenlee has been active trying to pass along facts on the proposals to providers of aging services, in hopes of getting seniors informed. She concedes there has been confusion. "Seniors aren't quite sure what to believe," she said.

Whether Greenlee, a lifelong Democrat, might play a larger role in shaping the health bill remains to be seen.

Greenlee hasn't been a caregiver herself. Her parents are relatively healthy 71-year-olds. Her father retired from a glass business and her mother is a retired microbiologist. Her grandparents were wheat farmers.

Greenlee is the fourth occupant of the assistant secretary for aging job, which was elevated to its current stature in 1993. The first person to hold the job, Fernando Torres-Gil, said he sees the position as an opportunity to advocate on behalf of the elderly, but one that required skillful networking with power brokers.

"Ultimately, it's about the power of persuasion, negotiation and knowing how to work the bureaucracy," said Torres-Gil, an associate dean at UCLA and director of its Center for Policy Research on Aging. "The position has tremendous potential to influence the president's agenda on aging.

"It's not just health reform, it's not just Social Security and entitlement programs, ultimately it's about how the administration can position itself to take care of the next generation of elders."

[No1Goomba]

At one time,I thought that going to an old-age facility to live was a good idea. NOW,I'd rather die first.

After being around assisted-living facilities & nursing homes for 20 yrs, I changed my mind. As a visitor first; then, as a vendor to supply facilities & finally, as the child of a resident, I saw quite a bit.

I regret the day, that I decided which facility would be the best for my relative, nearly 3 yrs ago, in Fl. Facilities in Fl.are protected by the nursing home lobby that went to the legislature & had laws passed.

These laws make it difficult for a family member to sue a nursing home or an assisted-living facility for neglect & abuse to the elderly. A staff member or a doctor can allow something to occur, which may cause physical harm, mental stress or death & one's recourse is very limited.

As a great many retirees end up in the very low to high priced-facilities owned by large corporations or "mom & pop" owners,I will say: "good luck"!

In Bradenton, this person lived in a room w/filthy furniture & disgusting rugs. The promises of renovation took a very long time in coming. Personal property went "missing". The staff lacked social skills in overcoming the fears that new residents had after moving into the facility.

HIPA violations were rampant. Privacy was unheeded. Medical records were left in the "open".

Next facility in Sarasota, allowed this resident to be isolated & threatened. The resident was drugged unnecessarily. Meds were missing. The resident was "shoved" into a shower. Staff was incapable of being able to handle patients that they accepted into the facility.

It was easier to send difficult cases onto the hospital. The hospital returned the patient to the facility based on a "no cause" status.

The resident that had come into the facility able to walk, left the facility unable to walk, due to being drugged.

In Sun City Ctr, the patient was "stuck" in an area & called names. The resident was slapped. The resident was not fed and would go to bed hungry. The floors were covered in fecal matter. The cushioned chairs smelled of urine. The staff was not trained & the facility was filthy.

The Director had been hired w/o a background check,because she had a record in the courthouse sealed.

Then in a hospital, the patient sat for 9 days w/o proper tests. The money spent there ended up becoming a major waste.

The "victim/patient" went onto a rehab center, & was drugged most of the time.

Another hospital, where finally a diagnosis was made. From that point onward the patient was transferred back to Bradenton, to reside in a nursing home. The patient arrived with no skin breakdown issues, as noted from the hospital.

In this "fancy" facility on the water, the patient ended up within several weeks of admittance suffering from 2 bedsores, measuring 2 centimeters deep, infected w/MRSA. There were also,3 pressure sores.

The patient was left in wheelchair which did not fit her & created the wounds. The staff knew what was going on & let the patient go into pain before beginning to address the problem. The patient was given a med, that caused a known allergic reaction.Severe skin reactions broke out on the body causing great agony.

I will not go into the pus in the eyes. The lack of nutrition. The lack of exercise or stimulation for the patient. I will not go into the lack of cleanliness.

I will not go into the attitude from the medical staff in the fine Christian-owned facility, that cared little for a patient that was "going to die anyway".

I will end by saying, that I made the wrong choices, the day that I walked into the first set of doors to sign papers for this person, 3 years ago. If, I had the choice again, this person WOULD NEVER HAVE GONE INTO EITHER AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY, NOR A NURSING HOME. Thinking that nursing homes are an answer for our care, my advise is to avoid them. For assisted living facilities, it is all about the money. Staff is kept to a minumum. Food costs are curbed.

There are ways to check out the financials on-line for facilities & the ratings for facilities.

Facilities are mostly corporate owned. This is big business, where a lot of money is made on the seniors.

[platteman]

We got a post turtle in the white house.
We pay for the czars, they answer to obambi only or their cabnet secretary.
So get used to it. We got a whole 4 years of this stuff.

[bubbadubba]

Here's an idea, why don't they let her enforce anti discrimination rules based on age?
Companies are laying off older workers so they don't have to pay them retirement and hiring younger workers at lower salaries.
Health insurance plans tell businesses not to hire older workers because it will increase their premiums.
The number of workers hired over 45 years old gets lower every year even though the number of people looking for jobs at that age increases every year.
I have talked to many highly qualified people 45 years old and older and all have told me they can't even get an interview and they say the only possible reason could be their age.
I read where the discrimination age used to be 55 or older.
If this trend is allowed to continue, the age will drop until people over 35 cannot find jobs because they are "too old".

[jsd330]

Another Czar, I wonder how much all these Czar's are costing us taxpayers.

[clancy49]

Czars instead of representatives. Can we dump the Congress now? What is Congress actually doing? We elect these people that have passed laws to turn over the original check and balance to the power and authority of one person. Czars are not elected, they are appointed. Any president this one and the future can appoint his crony minions. Where does this benefit our citizens and what voice do we have? With lightening speed this Congress has turned all power over to the President or the Executive Branch. Therefore if the only thing these representatives have to do is abuse their spouses, drink, do drugs, take payoffs, appear in court for assault and battery, practice adultery, fly around the world in private jets on tax dollars, and not pay taxes. Fire them all! As for the aging czar, maybe she gets to set the rules on who is to live and who is to die.

[platteman]

Golly, now we will know how to age!!!
Ah wonderful, ah wonderful!
Another moron to pay to tell us something we already know about.
Wonder what she is an old hand at???