Editor:
I am writing in rebuttal to your article in the Dec. 26 issue of The Record-Courier regarding the one-star rating of the Valley nursing home in our area. I feel that this is an unjustified low rating.
My husband is a patient in the Gardnerville Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center recovering from a stroke. He requires daily around-the-clock care. With the rehabilitation program there I see remarkable improvement.
The rehabilitation staff is the most dedicated team of professionals, working so patiently to help patients regain their independence.
We find the staff at Evergreen to be hard working, caring, considerate and always ready to respond to all patient needs.
Fay Leonard
Gardnerville
Editor:
During the latter years of the 20th century, organizations which provided activities and support for seniors in Douglas County such as AARP, RSVP, Eldercare, home companions, the senior center, and senior services flourished, while retirees and seniors flocked to our county.
Now most of these organizations have either left the county or their services have been significantly diminished and our county senior population is now on the decline.
Fortunately for our county, organizations such as Young At Heart, TRIAD, our service clubs and churches still provide activities and support for our elderly.
Unlike the rest of Nevada, where the senior population is significantly increasing, Douglas County has lost its ability to attract new retirees and seniors.
This is evident by the large number of vacant houses and "For Sale" and "For Rent" signs throughout the area.
In addition, Douglas County recently announced that the building permits for new houses had dropped to an all-time low " zero.
Seniors bring new money to a county in the form of retirement funds, IRA's, saving accounts, annuities, securities, Social Security and Medicare.
Counties which have a relatively large number of retirees are almost always economically solvent, even during hard times.
In addition, our seniors are not a drag on the county's budget.
With a population of about 13,000 seniors, only 35 are recipients of Douglas County welfare.
Why then don't the businessmen, businesswomen and politicians of Douglas County do something to attract retirees and seniors to our county instead of driving them away?
I challenge them to take the first step toward restoring our senior population.
Building additional office buildings, hotels, casinos, jails and retail outlets doesn't attract seniors to our county.
What they really need to do is build a new and larger senior center which would be attractive to new residents and be an incentive for them to relocate to Douglas County.
The Douglas County economy will never recover unless we restore our senior population.
Paul Lockwood
Minden
Editor:
Thank you Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., for voting against the $700 billion bail out and the automaker bailout.
As the reports verify, the taxpayer money was handed out to the financial institutions without any controls or reporting requirements.
The result is the $350 billion did nothing to ease the credit markets or bolster the economy.
Instead it went into high salaries, huge bonuses, purchasing more companies - i.e. for the enrichment of the institutions instead of benefiting the economy.
Now GMAC is going to reduce the borrowers requirements to increase car sales.
Did anybody learn anything from the sub-prime mortgage market collapse?
Once again, I think we have to look towards Reid, Pelosi and their fellow Democrats for squandering the taxpayers money.
Thank you for your votes Mr. Heller " keep up the good work.
Stuart Posselt
Minden
