Angry Citizen!, Bluejacket (11/3/2008 8:57:34 AM)

The only way to solve issues related to our aging population is to contribute more in taxes. You can wring your hands and call foul at all government agencies, but the fact is that many seniors don't have the money set aside to care for themselves. It's entirely their fault, but let's do the right thing here.

oldrustytulsa, Tulsa (11/3/2008 7:27:35 PM)

Oklahoma has the sorriest DHS, in the nation, we will regret ever letting them get involved.

wHAT_NOW?, Tulsa (11/3/2008 11:45:54 PM)

Angry Citizen!

I agree with your comment. With the rising cost of living, and the reductin of our 401K's - - something needs to happen. Nursing homes don't always employ the cream of the crop employees, and I for one would not feel comfortable placing my own father in one!!!

In regard to the employees of DHS.....they may not be the best? However, there are those who are fully committed to their jobs, and do go above and beyond the call. Unfortunately, it isn't a perfect system. Aging DHS workers retiring, and the wages are lousy. Recruiting our younger population? I'm not sure that is the answer, but we may not have a choice.

There are people in all sectors who do very little work, take breaks, and are not fully engaged in what they are being paid to do. But, we shouldn't say that it is ALL of them. I personnaly know some DHS employees, and without a doubt....I know they work very hard to do the right thing for those less fortunate! For very little compensation, and very little acknowledgement.

okie ridgerunner, small town (11/3/2008 11:47:05 PM)

DHS, This is a laugh.

Hootnnanny, Westville (11/4/2008 9:41:11 PM)

After taking a moment to calm down, I just wanted to make a couple of comments regarding the above comments. I am a DHS employee. I do not smoke. I rarely take a break at all. In fact, I arrive at work at 7:30 and work until I'm done. Any employee that is on call must respond to a crisis no matter what time it is. Most of the crisis calls do not fall between 9 am and 5 pm. I work with the Advantage and Nursing Home clients. I would challange any one of you to talk to any of my clients and I would guarantee that they would all tell you that they have been treated fairly, with dignity and with respect by me. No one wants to go to a nursing home but sometimes there is not any other choice. Any occupation or agency can have workers with a lower work ethic or work value than needed for that position. That doesn't mean every employee there is the same. Is DHS perfect? No, but there are many of us that work for a very low salary because we care and want to do true social work. No one stays with they agency for years for the money or the benefits. DHS employees do not receive a cost of living raise. In fact, there has not been any raise in the past several years. I believe one raise in 7 years. There is a link in the Tulsa World that you can access state employee salaries. I challange you to take a look. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with over 17 years Social Work experience, ranging from behavioral health, aging, and most of the family support programs through DHS. A first year teacher, straight out of college, makes more than I do. I even agree that teachers are not paid enough but as a DHS employee with a tremendous responsibility for the welfare of others, we ARE NOT paid enough. It is difficult to get qualified and caring employees to come to work and stay for that amount of money especially considering how supportive the public is.
If you KNOW that someone has given confidential information about a case, then get up off your butt and contact the state office and report it. Try being part of the solution. I realize that there are children that are harmed and even die every day but I also know that child welfare workers can only request to a DA and judge that a child be removed. The judge has the final decision but I don't see anyone talking about the judge being responsible for the child's death. There is also abuse in nursing homes but APS(Adult Protective Services) can only submit the evidence to the DA and then the decision is out of their hands. Do you see anyone blaming the DA for the neglect of any elderly person? It is really easy to sit back and judge in ignorance of the law and policies. I challange you to get up and become involved. Do something to change the laws, become a volunteer in a nursing home or become a foster parent. A little insight goes a long way in this field.

ladyinred, Tulsa (11/4/2008 7:45:22 AM)

I also personally have known some DHS employees, people in charge of cases, people who make serious decisions on peoples lives. I know they talk about the cases, divulging personal information to non DHS staff outside of work. I know they snoop in files of others trying to find information for personal gain. Cases that are not assigned to them. So, between snooping, gossiping, long lunch breaks, taking naps, yes, naps, it's not surprising children have died while under DHS investigation. It's not surprising every post on here is anti-DHS. What does surprise me is considering all of DHS's shortcomings, they are now in control of about 23,000 of our seniors. These people will just be shuffled into the DHS computers, checks collected and then forgotten. They will die old and alone at home. How sad.

ladyinred, Tulsa (11/25/2008 5:20:27 PM)

Hootananny... There's good people and there's bad. Glad to know you know your job...and according to you...are doing your job. But as I previously stated, I have known several DHS employees. I have contacted their superiors to report what I felt was way out of bounds. Nothing happened to them other than finding out I reported them. I have also reported abuse seen at a daycare on two separate occasions. Two weeks later one of the employees was fired. Considering I'm a single mom who works, how am I supposed to pursue this? I have a job. And it isn't to inspect nursing homes, or day cares, or follow up on leads provided to the proper authority. It's yours. Reread the comments above. Without your job loyalty goggles on....you'll see we are the people that live the system, and we know how it goes.

ladyinred, Tulsa (12/10/2008 6:43:56 PM)

Giddy-up Hootananny!! I'm sure you "do" your "job"....but like I said...we the people know the real deal and our (we the people) DHS system is in some serious need of revamping. Take your love for your "job" and print these posts...then take them to your boss...see how far you get. Probably about as far as the rest of us ever got. Paperwork and the shuffle. Good luck! Back to the point. Poor poor seniors. Good thing I do spend some of my free time when not at my real job, or raising my child...volunteering to clean their homes, run their errands, do what I can. I do what I can when I can and don't even get paid for it. The DHS employees I have known and known about...do what they do for a paycheck (and what do they do?)...nothing more. Hmmm...Maybe I should get a bogus psych degree and see how much more money I can get? Geez? Why didn't I think of that before? MORALS. Get real because people are dying let alone being abuse or neglected.

Han.d1, Tulsa (11/3/2008 10:36:15 AM)

The DHS is not compitent enought to do the right thing.
What I see here is they will find new and inovative ways, not to assist those that are
needing the service. Then brag about how much money they saved.
And I bet they will get bonuses and awards for cutting services.
Yes they need guidence but the DHS needs to clean house.
They take 30 minutes smoke breaks and work 10 minutes.
It seems they have it in their head that they are soo over worked
and actually do very little.

PhilS, (11/15/2008 4:14:14 PM)

As an LTCA insider of many years, I can assure the public, and all readers here, that the program is most definitely in better hands under DHS. Deborah Karns and her "professionals" are all nothing more than common criminals. If anyone is to believe they cared 2 wits about poor old sick people they are sorely mistaken. The only thing Karns cares about is her power and money. Let's not forget she dipped in to grant funds to the tune of $300,000 to pay herself bonuses. Her abuse of her staff and the provider community is legendary. With LTCA out of the way, the Advantage program is poised to be better than ever.
And one more thing, it is true that the LTCA staff that signed with DHS to continue to run the program are the true driving force of Advantage. The "professionals" that Karns spoke of are her partners in crime. None of whom would be able to get a "real job" elsewhere. They are sustained by sucking off grant money, never producing any product or new programs. They are wothless. Good riddance!

Diana D, madill (11/4/2008 1:05:50 PM)

Man the older i get the more frightened i get, not of death , but of these homes. I have been in nursing in years and the homes i worked in were actually good ones and i still don't want to be in them. My advice if you put some one in there, visit..alot! daily if you can, these are the residents who get taken care of the best. If i had a dollar everytime i heard some one say Mrs. so and so' daughter is coming this afternoon, make sure her bed is perfect! So, i'm just saying, and with the baby boomers coming, they aren't going to know what hit them. Someone commented the other day about the board of nursing home owners being run by owners of nursing homes and this is correct, the only thing you can do about that is see the governor. As for DHS, they will run this like everything else..from 9 to 5 mon. thru fri. Good luck with that!

DHSPROUD, (11/5/2008 5:44:35 PM)

I am a PROUD OKDHS employee. If it were not for DHS individuals of this great state would not receive benefits such as food stamps, day care and medical just to name a few. This transition will save the advantage program money as the professional staff at LTCA are over paid. It is a great program and will continue to grow and get better. For all of the bad that you hear there are many more protive things that DHS does. It is sad that reports are only negative because that is what sells. Stop all the negative thoughts and think postive.

Blasted1234, Tulsa (11/5/2008 9:19:12 PM)

First of all, LTCA from day one has LIED, they were never forth coming about what was going in meetings. DHS has tried to work with Karns and her brood for over 7 years, they would not budge. Furthermore, the so called "professionals" were padding their wallets with program money thru bonuses and frivilous spending, hence, popcorn machines and an over paid gatekeeper. Karns, is now sleeping in the mess she created, so be it. The employees never asked for this, but LTCA from day one has treated people like second class citizens. Ex-LTCA employees are going with DHS because they have at least treated them with common respect.
LTCA never had the member's or the "support staff's" best interest at hand, they are a band of theives and this article must have been written by a paid hand, for it to be so one sided. Lastly, Karns said she took all of the "professionals"I beg to differ, the people that really run the program have stayed with the program, her hand-maidens left with her and the program is better off. If LTCA was really going to be a "think tank" they should have thought to lower their professional salaries and kept the "support staff"........