Dear Readers: The New Year is generally accompanied by resolutions and by hope springing eternal. Many of the seniors who have written us, however, are anything but happy. Here are some representative comments:

GC of Atlanta, Georgia, writes: “What in the world are these politicians doing? First, they cut income taxes that affect very few of us seniors who are on fixed incomes. Then they raise our Social Security 2.7 percent, but take most of it away with an $11.60 per month increase in our Part B premium and increases in our Medicare co-payments and deductibles. And now they are talking about cutting Medicare and Medicaid in the short term and Social Security benefits in the longer term. Why don’t they just pay back what they have stolen from Social Security and stop all of this foolish spending?”

MT of Winchester, Indiana: “Our elected officials – local, state, and federal -- will say and do anything to get our votes. And after they get elected, they stab us seniors in the back. And then they come back right before the next election and tell us everything they have done for us, thinking that we have forgotten what they did to us, not for us. The Medicare prescription program is as big a joke as those who voted for it. These are tough times for those of us on fixed incomes, but I think what will face our children and grandchildren will be much tougher.”

FS of Billings, Montana: “Cutting taxes, increasing spending, and increasing an already record federal deficit does not make sense to me. If I ran my house like the government runs theirs, I would be evicted, but who really cares what I think? To reduce the deficit, they are going to reduce our benefits, one way or the other. It is amazing that the 47 million of us who receive Social Security continuously get the short end of the stick.”

PM of Chicago, Illinois: “I am not yet retired, but I already see the writing on the wall. Two of our three children who are in college are being affected by the cuts in Pell Grants. My wife and I have to take out a home equity loan to pay the part of the college expenses we thought would be covered. We just hope and pray that we stay health enough to continue to work and make the payments. Retirement for us has been moved from the back burner to the garage.”

NT of San Diego, California: “I understand the need to spend to prevent further terrorism, but I think the greatest threat to the United States today is a Congress on a runaway economic train and an overactive presidential pen. Terrorists need only wait for us to implode.”

And on the Brighter Side: A recent federal report tells us that 35,000 fewer nursing home residents are being kept in restraints each day, down some 23 percent from two years ago. And, fewer patients were found to be in pain. The reason: a federal program that requires the more than 16,000 nursing homes in the United States to make public disclosures about these and other care issues as a motivation for improvement in the nursing home industry.

In the past, physical restraints were used to keep residents from falling or wandering throughout the facility. In some instances, families requested physical restraints for their loved ones to avoid potential problems. Using physical restraints, however, has been associated with pressure sores, isolation issues, incontinence, chronic constipation, loss of the capability of walking, and emotional/psychiatric problems. And, a number of those on whom restraints were improperly applied became injured when they tried to escape from the restraints.

Taking the NextStep: We invite you to e-mail us at readers@nextstepscomments.com to give us your thoughts and comments. We will not use your name. And feel free to browse www.nextsteps.net for more information.