Aides To Elderly Can’t Speak English
(WSVN) - She only understands English, but no health care aide who comes to her home speaks English. Do the state-regulated agencies have to provide aides who speak English? It’s why one family called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Patrice Collier is a physical therapist who specializes in, well, just about everyone.
Patrice Collier: “I see young kids, I see athletes, I see senior citizens. The oldest person as of now is 103.”
One person brings her special joy to work with: her mother Mary.
Patrice Collier: “Good job.”
Mary: “Thank you, Lord.”
Patrice Collier: “We started doing this many years ago to try to give her the best quality of life.”
Patrice Collier (to Mary): “So you had a peaceful day, and you were able to say prayers today?”
Today, Mary, like many elderly people, needs assistance caring for herself. To help when Patrice can’t be there, she applied to get a home health care aide for her mother.
Patrice Collier: “Things such as stand up, sit down, brush your teeth, ‘how do you feel?'”
It took Patrice a year, weaving through five different departments, to get the aide approved.
The problem was clear on the first day.
Patrice Collier: “They could not find anyone who spoke English.”
Patrice asked the agency why they sent a Spanish-speaking person when her mother only understands English.
Patrice Collier: “And the primary reason provided was, ‘Well, you’re in Miami-Dade County. We can’t find any English-speaking home health aides.'”
The aide tried to work with Mary as she brushed her teeth.
Patrice Collier: “The way that it was expressed to her by one of the aides was SB. They’re asking you to spit. She didn’t understand any of it, so she’s standing and looking around and not knowing what to do.”
Patrice tried other agencies. Each said they didn’t have an English-speaking aide available. One even gave Patrice the breakdown.
Patrice Collier: “Her answer was ‘I have 90, nine-zero, 90 members I’m responsible for. Only four of them are English speaking.”
When Patrice complained, one manager told her to move to Broward, where they have English speakers. Another accused her of being prejudiced.
Patrice Collier: ‘”What does she want? Someone blond and blue-eyed also? Is that what she’s looking for?'”
Through her rehabilitation center, Patrice helps many elderly English-speaking patients who just give up letting the aide in their home because they can’t understand them.
Patrice Collier: “They’re not taking the medication properly when they’re supposed to. What happens to those people who don’t get the care they should?”
It’s certainly not good, especially, Patrice says, when the solution is so clear.
Patrice Collier: “You have to have English-speaking home health agencies and aides. You have to have that, period, point blank.”
Or legally, do you, Howard?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Yes. If you are entitled to a health care worker, you are entitled to one you can communicate with. If you cannot understand Spanish, they have to speak English. If they do not, complain to Medicare, Medicaid, the insurance company, whoever approved and pays your health care agency.”
We contacted ACHA, which oversees Florida’s Medicaid program.
They replied, “There are nearly 2,500 licensed home health agencies in Florida that must be able to communicate with the patient.”
A few days later, Mary got a new aide that spoke her language.
Patrice Collier: “They’re speaking English, but it’s a strong accent.”
Patrice got her mother the help she needed, but she says she knows of so many elderly people who are not getting what they need from a health care agency.
Patrice Collier: “Well, I would say, don’t do what so many have already told me they’ve done, which is given up. The bottom line is speak up. Don’t suffer in silence.”
And I heard from a person in Broward, who can’t find a health care aide that speaks English, so its not just a Dade problem.
The state of Florida said, if you think your rights are being violated by a health care agency, let them know.
To file a complaint with Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA), call 1-888-419-3456 or complete the health care facility complaint form.
A problem sickening to you? Need aid? Contact us. We speak the language of solutions.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:To file a complaint with Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA)Call 1-888-419-3456Or complete the health care facility complaint form
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.ComReporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.ComMiami-Dade: 305-953-WSVNBroward: 954-761-WSVN
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Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inboxEnglish Language Day 2024: Date, Theme, History, Significance & All You Need To Know
English Language Day 2024: The day coincides with both the birthday and death day of William Shakespeare and World Book Day. The English language is one of the most popular languages used across the world. The day prospects the development, history, culture, and achievements associated with the language.
English Language Day: History
English is the most widely spoken language or a "world language". Therefore, it is known as the lingua franca of the modern era. Along with French, English is also the working language of the United Nations (UN). English Language Day is the result of a 2010 initiative by the Department of Global Communications. It established language days for each of the Organisation’s six official languages.
English Language Day 2024: Wishes, Messages, Greetings, WhatsApp & Facebook Status, Quotes & More
Under the initiative, the duty stations of the UN celebrate six separate days and each day is dedicated to one of the Organisation's six official languages across the world.
The language days are as follows:
Arabic (18 December)
Chinese (20 April)
English (23 April)
French (20 March)
Russian (6 June)
Spanish (23 April)
UN English Language Day 2024: English as a Global Language and Official language, What does it mean? Check here
English Language Day 2024: Theme
The theme for English Language Day 2024 is "Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities." This theme highlights the growing role of technology in language learning, and explores both the benefits and drawbacks of this approach.
English Language Day: Purpose behind the celebration
Basically, the main purpose of the UN's language days is to observe multilingualism and cultural diversity. The days also promote the equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organisation.
At the UN, the Language days aims to entertain and to inform about the goal of raising awareness and respect for the history, culture, and achievements of each of the six working languages among the UN community.
On this day several events are organised including book-reading events, English quizzes, poetry and literature exchanges, and other activities that stimulate the English language.
The celebrations of the day for 2021 focuses on Africa. English is spoken in about two dozen African countries as an official language or widely used in education, administration, law, business, the mass media, and literature, the top five (by the number of inhabitants) gathering nearly 500 million people. English is also one of the official languages of the African Union and of various Africa's subregional organisations.
UN and Multilingualism
Multilingualism is an essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples. By promoting tolerance, it ensures effective and increased participation of all the Organisation's work, as well as greater effectiveness and involvement with better outcomes. As discussed above the six official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The working languages of the United Nations Secretariat are English and French. It is used in day-day professional exchanges.
Let us tell you that the United Nations Secretary-General on 3 September, 2019 appointed Mr Movses Abelian of Armenia (as well as a national of Georgia), Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference management, as Coordinator for Multilingualism. The General Assembly resolution 69/250 was implemented for it. He is responsible for coordinating the overall implementation of multilingualism Secretariat-wide.
Gender-Inclusive language
The main aim is to help the staff of the United Nations so that they can communicate in a gender-inclusive way in the six official languages of the Organisation.
A gender-inclusive language here means that there should not be discrimination against a particular sex or social gender regarding speaking and writing.
The key role of language in shaping cultural and social attitudes by using gender-inclusive language as a powerful way to boost gender equality and eradicate gender bias. It also does not perpetuate gender stereotypes.
Therefore, English Language Day is observed on 23 April to generate awareness regarding the importance of language.
Source: un.Org
About William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was a playwright, poet, and actor from England, popularly known as 'Bard of Avon'. The widely regarded English-language author and the greatest dramatist have a total of 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three lengthy narrative poems, a few other verses, and a lot more as his legacy for the world. Most of his work was based on Tragedy, and experts believe most of them were instances of his unfortunate life.
He spent his early years at Warwickshire's Stratford-upon-Avon. He married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18, and the two had twins Hamnet and Judith in addition to Susanna. He started a prosperous career in London between 1585 and 1592 as an actor, playwright, and co-owner of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, subsequently known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford at the age of 49 (about 1613), where he passed away three years later.
Shakespeare's writing left a tremendous and enduring effect on theatre and literature. He increased the dramatic possibilities of characterization, plot, language, and genre, in particular. Shakespeare continues to hold the title of the best-selling playwright in the world, according to Guinness World Records, with sales of his plays and poems estimated to have exceeded four billion copies in the nearly 400 years since his demise. Also, he is the third most translated author in literary history.
Important Days in April 2024: National and International Dates List
Dependence Day
If I am pessimistic about the future of liberty, it is because I am pessimistic about the strength of the English-speaking nations, which have, in profound ways, surrendered to forces at odds with their inheritance. “Declinism” is in the air, but some of us apocalyptic types are way beyond that. The United States is facing nothing so amiable and genteel as Continental-style “decline,” but something more like sliding off a cliff.
In the days when I used to write for Fleet Street, a lot of readers and several of my editors accused me of being anti-British. I’m not. I’m extremely pro-British and, for that very reason, the present state of the United Kingdom is bound to cause distress. So, before I get to the bad stuff, let me just lay out the good. Insofar as the world functions at all, it’s due to the Britannic inheritance. Three-sevenths of the G7 economies are nations of British descent. Two-fifths of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are—and, by the way, it should be three-fifths: The rap against the Security Council is that it’s the Second World War victory parade preserved in aspic, but, if it were, Canada would have a greater claim to be there than either France or China. The reason Canada isn’t is because a third Anglosphere nation and a second realm of King George VI would have made too obvious a truth usually left unstated—that the Anglosphere was the all but lone defender of civilization