When people fall through the cracks, tragedy results

 

Monday, Nov 23,2009, 11:07:55 AM   Click:

There is a man named James Lauberts who is sitting in the Weld County Jail.

It's not often I think about the people currently behind bars, accused of various crimes. But I think about James Lauberts.

Lauberts is charged with criminally negligent homicide, first-degree arson and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the death of his 50-year-old, severely disabled brother.

I can't say if Lauberts is guilty of any of these crimes. That will be decided in a court of law.

What I can say is somehow, James Lauberts and his brother, David, fell through the cracks.

At the age of 26, James Lauberts was the sole caregiver for his brother, who couldn't walk, had the mental capacity of a toddler and required 24-hour-a-day care. The men reportedly lived off $650 per month in Social Security disability benefits.

David Lauberts' body was found after a fire at the brothers' home at 1913 5th St. Investigators said David was already dead. The autopsy report listed several ailments and "active caretaker neglect" as the cause of death.

I don't know whether James Lauberts had any help caring for his brother. I don't know whether he was receiving additional services, respite care, or home visits from social workers or medical personnel. I do know police reports said the disabled brother hadn't seen a doctor in 20 years. I do know that police found the words "God help us" scratched in the dust on an old computer screen in the burned-out home.

What's really scary is the Lauberts' sad situation is repeated time and again. Financial and medical help for the disabled is seriously taxed in Colorado. More than 12,000 disabled residents are on a statewide waiting list for services.

Disabled adults are being cared for by aging parents, who worry about what will happen to their child when they die. There is no room at community living centers. Agencies that help the disabled are taxed beyond belief. Those who have asked for help are told they could be on the waiting list from three to 15 years before receiving services. There simply is no help for some.

Advocacy groups for the disabled tried to pass a sales tax increase in 2008 that would have put funds toward servicing more people on the waiting list. The measure failed.

I got a taste of what it is like to care for a disabled person when my father suffered a debilitating stroke in 2003. For four months, my three siblings and I cared for my father at home; my brother and sister did about 90 percent of the work. I filled in two evenings a week and a weekend a month.

My father couldn't speak, couldn't move on his own and required 24-hour care. We learned to care for his colostomy and catheter, take his blood pressure, administer medication, feed and hydrate him through a feeding tube, care for his tracheostomy including suctioning, reposition his body so he wouldn't get bed sores and work a mechanical lift that could occasionally get him out of bed.

I was happy we could be there for my dad. It was a difficult, exhausting task, but I took solace in what we were doing was right and good.

The difference is, we had each other and we had help. When my sister -- who took family medical leave from her job to care for Dad during the day -- had to return to work, we hired a wonderful home health agency to assist. A home health aide came every day to bathe my Dad in bed. Nurses and therapists visited to evaluate and assist with his care.

All this because my father had good insurance and enough money to pay for his own care.

The Lauberts obviously weren't so lucky.

I'm not trying to excuse the alleged actions of James Lauberts, but I do have empathy for his circumstances. And I do think that we as a society bear some responsibility for the fate of the Laubert brothers. There should have been help for them. Someone should have cared. There should never have been such a tragic ending to their story.

As we all sit down to enjoy our family, friends and feasts this Thanksgiving, I hope we all pause to remember those who are suffering, who are alone, who are caring for others and who need help.

I know I will once again think of James Lauberts, and hope that this young man can find some peace.