Who Is Going To Stand Up For Our Elderly?
Posted: Friday, October 07, 2011
by Melodi Leonhardt
I am a nurse and mostly work in Long Term Care or as we no longer like to say nursing homes.
We care ( most of us) for people who can no longer care for themselves at home, and either have no family ( thus we become their family) or family who choose not to, or can no longer care for them at home. Now, generations , not that far in the past, took care of their own. In fairness to some families, alot of families have to have two incomes and caring for a loved one is difficult, that is understandable, but where does that leave their loved one who needs help?? Yes, you guessed it !! It leaves them in nursing homes, to be taken care of by strangers.
The corporations are about money so staffing depends on they company and so do supplies etc, leaving our elderlyat risk. There are agencies put in place to monitor resident care , but they are under staffed also, and when they come in the normal workings of the facilities change, ie everyone who normally does not do care is out on the floor helping, making it look like there is alot of staff caring for our residents. We know these surveyors know that this is not the case but not much seems to be said about this, and they seem more into paperwork than actual resident care.
Medicare and Medicaid cut payments causing companies to make cost adjustments, again putting our elderly at risk.
Family members never cease to amaze me, they take all the residents belonging, money, they just drop them off and don't come to see them.
the homes of these people have to be sold to give money to the government when these people are placed. They have worked all their lives to end up having everything taken away.
I wish someone would think about these people and what they have to go through when they are no longer able to care for themselves. What do they have to live for? they are told what time to get up, go to bed, eat,what to eat, who they have to share a room with, wait to go to the bathroom, be showered twice a week, have very little if any of their personal belongings, tolerate abuse in some cases, they are afraid to report any wrong doing towards them for fear of retribution, they basically have not much say in their lives anymore.
Between families, the companies and the government these precious people are being left with nothing and no actual quality of life or much to look forward too. Is this what they spent working so hard for all of their lives?
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Nothing but the truth.
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