Socorro Saved Me: Socorro Smiled

By Robert Noyola

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 11, 2000
• ISBN: 9781469111865

Robert Noyola

Robert Noyola was born August 24, 1937 in Port Arthur, Texas. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1956 where he developed a strong interest in journalism. Robert served in the United States Air Force for thirteen years as a journalist. Attended Woodbury University at Burbank, California. He was later employed by the Los Angeles Times as a translator and information specialist. Mr. Noyola, a retiree, residing in El Paso, Texas.

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Copyright © 2000 by Robert Noyola.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

PROLOGUE

SOCORRO ARCE NOYOLA

EPILOGUE

FOR SOCORRO ARCE NOYOLA

PROLOGUE

Los Angelitos nursing home is on Fountain Avenue between Vermont and Western Avenue in Los Angeles. The Yellow buildings extends a half a block long situated in the middle of the block and is only one story high. It is surrounded with black wrought iron fence halfway deep into the back half of the block. All this iron is nine feet high. The front gates are never locked but the alley ones are. The fence creates the immediate impression that nobody can get in, or out. There is no parking available so I parked on Fountain and walked into the lobby. To the right is a cashier in the business office, and to the left, are the administrative offices. The linoleum floors sparkle gray. Straight ahead is a large meeting hall carpeted in maroon. In the corner is a large K. Kawai piano glistening black. The music sheets are religious as if the entire structure had been blessed by a divine power. The ceilings are acoustic. The walls are made up almost entirely of bulletin boards. Most of the corkboards have notices and messages pin to them. The walls are white but look more like a wall of cork. Other boards have drawings and water colored paintings like a child would paint. There are bookshelves with magazines and books. Card tables at one end are stacked with cards and games. At the other end, long tables hold a bingo turn wheel with a box of bingo cards. There are two radios at both ends of the long room. There is even a long chrome microphone and two speakers on the floor. But there are no players nor dancers. The rear is mostly glass with two doors leading out into a courtyard with planners that are used for ashtrays, and chairs complete with patio furniture. I still did not make my presence known nor was I discovered, so I took a tour. On the left side are rooms covered by drapes then a door leading out to another wing.

I heard televisions but no conversations. I got the impression that this was a place where senior citizens came to die. On the south side of the courtyard is a dinning room where a few senior citizens were staring blankly, quietly, as if somebody might notice and interrupt them. I walked pass more rooms, all silent, then I turned northward, passed Showers, linen rooms, and the nurses station at the corner of the front hallway. There was nobody there and the large round white clock was announcing lunch at noon. I turned to the administration offices. A smart cheerful Filipino lady dressed in white greeted me with a toothy good morning.

I answered her equally cheerful, Yes, I would like some Information for admitting a patient.

Yes, sir, sit down please, how are you going to pay?

Social Security I guess, that’s what I wanted to talk about.

Good! Who is our guest?

Never mind that and what do you offer, like what is the program?

We are community orientated. Round the clock care, physician on duty, R.N., LVN, physical therapist, consolers, and exercising, walks, mails, snacks, entertainment, and social services.

Sound complete.

This is not for you of course, who is this for?

I told her.

How did you hear about us?

Driving by, I just walked in, I like the area.

Shall I show you around?

Later, how about the paper work so I can study it.

We do all that for you.

I told her, You are not the administrator.

No, I’m the admitting clerk, also a nurse.

Call the administrator then.

Wait here please, maybe you can go in.

The administrator was sitting behind a partially open heavy brown door marked Private, black letters on a foot long brass plate. They both came back out and the big one was doing all the talking.

Start feeding our guest she ordered the clerk. The clerk hurriedly left the offices still smiling. The administrator extended her beefy hand into mine and shook once up and then down.

Come in sir.

I sat in another chair. There was no window. I noticed the walls were decorated with degrees, certificates, awards, and pictures. Her brown desk was ten feet long and she had legally documents spread across the length of it like lawyers have. A wooden holder held two pens at attention like soldiers. She look like a brown Ethel Barrymore, except that her hair was as black as her suit.

Now, what can I do for you today?

Lets us talk nursing home talk.

My best subject, go ahead.

Why are there no windows in this place?

Privacy. We maintain strict security for our guest.

Your clerk has already briefed me on the many benefits of your business.

She corrected me. You mean home.

Yes, of course. But I was more interested in seeing the comparison between you and the Clinton proposal.

Oh, that? Yes go ahead.

A lot of these senior citizens are being admit against their will, I hear.

Family members admit their parents because they have to work. They can not care for them at home.

Six million senior citizens?

More than that, and we are providing a service.

One senior citizen told me: My child made the decision. I didn’t choose to be here."

Right. It is for their own protection.

Another patient told me: I don’t know what terrible sin I must have done that I’m still alive and still living like this."

There is no other way. She added.

Yes there is. President Clinton proposed a tax break to families and federal funds so that professional people will come in and perform elder care for senior and disabled citizens at home.

Explain that, how would it work?

Like this, their own doctors would be pay for visit and consultation.

Then what?

Registered nurses, vocational nurses, and aids would be processed and bonded to come into the house.

Bounded?

And a criminal investigation would be conducted by each state and the National Crime Information Center.

What else?

The patient would enjoy the comfort and security of their own home.

That would cost to much money.

To the contrary. The monetary cost per patient would be cheaper than a nursing home admission.

Tax breaks?

Yes, only for those children who have a disable parent or chronically ill relatives.

There’s more to it than that.

Yes, there are caregivers available for shopping, mail, cleaning, even bathing.

What else?

Minimum wage would pay a professional that was acceptable to live with the patient.

Acceptable?

Mom is still an adult with a whole life of experience and she is not foolish.

A sick old lady may be foolish.

The Gray Panthers are organized into a powerful voting force, extremely knowledgeable, with a network information.

I heard about them, so?

"Then we may be in agreement that it is best to have the same people doing the same job daily.’

Like us?

No, not like you. This home is sterile and foreign to these patients; There is no comparison to having a real live human being caring for you in the happiness in your own home.

The problem is going to get worst.

There is no problem if we take care of it now.

Who will control it, the AARP.?

Each senior will control their own lives as long as they are capable. And assistance will be readily available.

A lot of people are involved.

Yes! That is what it’s good about it!

Maybe too many people.

The 65 to 74 year old set is expected to nearly double in America.

Twice as much trouble.

These people will govern themselves. They will grow from the present 18 million in 2000 to 35 million in 2050 including you and me.

My husband will care for me. She said to me.

That’s what these people said before and we must never turn over our lives completely to another human being.

We have excellent care facilities.

Exactly. That’s why we live so long.

How long?

We enjoy the greatest standard of living in the world, and food, medical care and preventive medicine; we are the beneficiaries of social programs that were started by these same senior citizens back when we were children.

True.

The population between ages 75 and 84 will likely more than double, from 12 million in 2000 to 26 million in 2050.

Shocking. She offered.

It is a matter of fact that these conclusions will be acted upon by these citizens themselves.

Terrific, if it works.

In comparison to what?

We still do a better job.

That depends on the patients point of view.

Sometimes that do not know better.

Not true. Seniors do know what they want.

Which brings us to another problem area.

Problem area?

Medicare paid out 12 billion dollars for elder care.

Expensively good care.

Fraud and over billing sometimes for services no rendered.

Not Los Angelitos, sir. Who are you, may I see your credentials?

I’m a concern citizens, a son, certainly you do not object to that.

Would you like some lunch, tuna today.

Later. Still, 7% of Medicare’s yearly spending was paid in error.

Not to us, where did you get your figures?

The inspector general, a university study, but not for you exclusively, but claims by doctors, hospitals, and other agents.

The IG?

The IG is available to anyone, in the phone book, just like the attorney general. Where ever there are hospitals billing fraudulently, or unnecessary procedures including Meds.

What else?

Doctors who never show up.

Shocking. She offered again.

"There’s