Legislators: Honor Celsi’s memory by taking action

A Letter From Iowans John and Terri Hale and Dean Lerner

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John and Terri Hale

With the passing of State Sen. Claire Celsi, Iowa has lost the elected official who cared the most and worked the hardest to improve quality of care for residents of Iowa’s nursing facilities.

We collaborated extensively with Claire on aging and nursing home issues. She was as her friends and colleagues described her: tenacious, passionate, a truth-teller and a fighter.

Claire knew that far too many nursing home residents have been neglected and abused, living in facilities that simply do not provide the kind of services and supports that every Iowan should expect and deserves.

She was outraged at public reports documenting atrocities such as:

• Residents subject to physical, verbal or sexual abuse, either from staff members or from other residents.

• Staffing levels in some facilities so low that residents were left sitting in their own waste for an hour or more before anyone could help them get to the restroom.

• A facility’s alarm systems either didn’t exist or didn’t work, resulting in residents wandering the streets or being left outside to freeze to death.

She saw this unsatisfactory care as intolerable. She agreed with us that:

• Nursing homes should have minimum levels of well trained, well-compensated staff on duty, at all times, to ensure that residents are cared for in the manner we want for ourselves and our loved ones.

• Owners and operators of nursing homes have responsibilities and must be accountable. Whether owners are in-state or out- of-state, for-profit or nonprofit, operating one facility or 40, owners’ priority should be serving residents and their families, not maximizing profit. If owners consistently disserve residents, the consequences should be more than a slap on the wrist. Penalties should include stopping the flow of tax dollars to facilities and requiring a change in ownership and management.

• Legislators should pledge allegiance to nursing home residents, not to nursing home industry campaign contributions and ever-present lobbyists. Legislators are elected to serve all of their constituents, particularly the vulnerable and voiceless. They should not be afraid to hold oversight committee meetings to ask questions about the quality of care, nor should they be unwilling to debate and vote on legislation designed to improve that care.

Claire was the undisputed champion for Iowans in nursing homes. She stood up and did what no one else would — she held news conferences, drafted and introduced multiple pieces of legislation, and banged the drum for action. When it was clear no action would be taken in the Legislature, she met with officials in the federal government urging their action.

Celsi didn’t fail; she simply ran out of time.

She may not have created the change needed, but she gave it her best shot. We all knew what she stood for.

We applaud Gov. Kim Reynolds for ordering flags at half-staff on October 25th in Claire’s honor. Now, will Claire’s life be further honored with action on the things she cared about, or will colleagues praise her work but do nothing?

We urge the governor and legislators from both parties to do what Claire did: put themselves or a loved one in the shoes of the nursing home resident who’s in a place they never wanted to be, leading a life they never wanted to have. The resident may be depressed, anxious, fearful, lonely; expressing despair by saying things like “What’s the point? I’m existing, but not living.”

Sadly, that’s a reality for far too many.

The realization should provide ample motivation for elected officials to take actions that pave the way for vulnerable Iowans to live out their lives in dignity, free from neglect or abuse.

Claire didn’t think that was too much to ask.

Will others agree, take up the mantle and lead the charge for action?

We believe so. The only question is, who will it be?

We and others are ready, willing and eager to help.

John and Terri Hale own the The Hale Group, an Ankeny-based advocacy firm focused on older Iowans, terriandjohnhale@gmail.com. Dean Lerner is an attorney and former Director of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, dean@kelinsonlaw.com

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Letters From Iowans is a part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. We encourage you, our subscribers, to share your perspective in this column. To make your voice heard, use this form to send us your essay:

Letters From Iowans FORM

Iowa Writers Collaborative Roundup homepage and writer listing