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DSS provides care within limits of the law Dear Editor: The recently published editorial, "Lost in Bureaucracy", is a thoughtful and heart-wrenching depiction of an older woman, homeless and seemingly abandoned within the governmental bureaucracy. Not knowing her story, or how or why she came to seek help, it is understandable how one can jump to conclusions based on mere appearances. Unfortunately, many senior citizens rely on human service agencies because they are without a family support structure. But their relationship to human service agencies is similar to the relationships many on Long Island have with their own elderly relations. Our grandmother may live alone and over time her ability to remember things and carry on for herself is diminished. Did she remember to shut off the stove, lock the front door, take her medications or eat dinner? Well-intentioned advice to get someone to come in to help her or to move to a congregate living facility is often met with ardent resistance. What can one do in these sad cases? Can you force her to move or mandate that someone come in to her home to care for her? We live in a country that fiercely defends an individual's freedom to make their own decisions. The line between personal choice and imposing what we, as relatives, human service professionals or compassionate bystanders feel may be best for a person is not always clearly defined. We each view these factors through our own lens of personal values. It is disturbing to acknowledge but still true that not every individual who needs help is willing to accept it when it is offered. There are individuals who adamantly and repeatedly refuse the offer of housing, case management services, and appropriate medical care. We may not agree with, or like the choices people make for themselves, but if they do not pose a danger to themselves or others, they possess the legal right to make these decisions for themselves. The Suffolk County Department of Social Services and the Division of Community Mental Hygiene Services are staffed with dedicated individuals who endeavor on a daily basis to ensure that people are treated with respect, are protected, fed, and housed to the extent that they are willing to accept these services. These people are not alone and most certainly not forgotten. So we urge that individuals not rush to judgment - government is faced with a difficult balancing act: we must work to protect those who are in need of protection while simultaneously preserving people's constitutional right to freedom of choice. Janet DeMarzo, Commissioner Suffolk County Department of Social Services Thomas MacGilvray Director
Suffolk County Division of Community Mental Hygiene Services
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