A Trip To a "Nursing" Home.
Posted: Monday, November 17, 2008
by straight talk
Perhaps a peak at the future for some? Simply Speaking what most perceive concerning nursing homes can go either way. Keeping in mond ofr those who love their family memebr or loved one that it can be a moment of fear for us and our loved ones. Concerned or worried about their being exploited and abused they left alone in a strange place. Also, one has to understand the premise here is you care. Sadly, a visit indicates the complete opposite in many cases. One left to die. Hey it is reality. Lets just say I do believe for the most part we all hope we never have to visit much less stay in a "nursing" home because of that underlying sense of fear.
Now as I say we can understand in many cases this is the only hope or resort families have. None the less before I start let me say this, we should require our politicians to serve one week a year working as a CNA in a Nursing home of our choice. Perhaps then they would do what they profess they do and not readily sign their name as a witness to the facilities worthiness. Yes on the wall the appropriate politicians statements and signature plaques of how fine a facility it was. They met all the politicians standards, or I should say evidently the standards they professed to have identified or found sufficient.
Of course for many the outward appearance, like everything else in society today is key [The Easter Bunny] not the product, services or what is professed. It speaks better to people who just don't know. Oh you have your loved one int hat beautiful place? Yet that of course does not necessarily portray the reality of life inside. Now we should not forget that the people working in these "facilities" defined as Nursing, which usually implies to ones mind the word care and professionals, may or may not be such? The exterior of the homes I speak to are really plush and modern. Clean and really beautiful as are the grounds. Like I stated, necessary to project a picture, perspective, to the customer, because you are the customer, no more, no less.
When you walk in you noticed the fine pallor area, or waiting room which ever you want to call it. The executive offices are neat, clean and not overly done, but tasteful. However, the true test begins when you open the door and walk down the corridors. Immediately one can tell you are not in a place you would want to be. The first thing that hits you is the very select oder in the air. It is not over powering just ever present. To that your loved one lives constantly. To the left and the right in rooms and wondering up and down the hallways are the patients. Some in varied states of mental duress, awareness or plain stupor, here and there a person who smiles gently others not knowing where they are they sit for hours upon hours, alone. They are there when you come and there when you depart. In many cases this can be expected in some you wonder.
Some of the staff provide a hello, but for the most part you go unnoticed. You can literally walk all about without one person stopping and saying can I help you, hello, good morning, etc? Yes and these facilities are by our very own government certified. As example,upon entering a room you notice someone eating, or tying to. The woman next to her half naked, looking into space, the food before her unnoticed and untouched. The other having difficulty has food and drink all over her, she is wet with it and tilted to one side, trying to eat with one arm the food falls off of the utencil. A woman comes in and you ask does anyone help these ladies eat? You get a garbled, response you hardly understand, spoken in broken English as you make out as someone will come along and encourage them to eat. Are you going to at least fix the one tilting? Someone will be right here. In fairness to her she was from the food department and cannot touch patients. The woman leaves and five minutes or so later someone comes and says to the woman staring into space do you want to eat? A low soft reply and the woman who came says out loud, no, ok, she picks up the food and leaves. No effort to try to feed or encourage. We then ask her position, CNA. Ok can you help this lady, OK and she does. No ask, no do. Then she says I'll be back to change her a little later.
So after she leaves you wait awhile and you decide to test the system. You have seen that four days in a row no one has responded to the emergency light that alarms people of a potential patient problem. You press the bulb attached to the pillow and light the hall light and alarm. This is supposed to be answered within a specific set time by someone on the staff. Now failure to do so means they can be shut down or fined. Are we kidding, by who? So you wait and you notice nothing happens. You peak outside and you notice a nurse in the hall plods along at her duties never looking up or noticing the sound of the alarm and she is but a door away. You wait five more minutes and no one comes. You then decide to go look for someone to assist. You say nothing to the nurse who is still writing away in her logs. You pass two ladies at a desk a short distance up the hall, talking and laughing while the buzzer sounds in their ear. I say rather loudly where can I find the charge nurse? They look up quickly but continue their talking, no reply, oblivious to all but their conversation. You reach the center nurse station and two ladies are there. Both never look up but keep doing their thing.
Finally I say loudly excuse me but can you tell me where the directors office is and one nurse looks up and says, can I help you? I say no but do you know where the director's office is? She says, I don't know but calls to her adjacent worker, who still never looks up or acknowledges her. I move closer and say, loudly, never mind I'll find the director and bring him or her back here. She then turns immediately and says, can I help? Needless to say she couldn't tell me where the directors office was. How strange was that? As I say this and start to move in that direction the two ladies get up and run down the hall toward the alarm. Strange, I think not. Now as I later find out when they reach the room the nurse and two people are there. One of the who says to the nurse this lady hit the alarm and is complaining. My wife said, no just concerned, a difference. The nurse said to the other staff member where were you? She said busy. Enough said. The key, none responded.
So I wonder off and find the office. I go up to the desk and ask is the director available or the person in charge? I don't know says the receptionist?. Now picture this, right behind her about 8 feet away is a man and I ask her what is the directors name. Mr, so and so. Is he in, oh I'll have to check. She't know, strange? Why not ask that man behind you? Oh that's him, strange? Now he says, what can I do for you?. He was a just a half a room distance from me and could care less. By this time, I'm not too Christian about anything but I decided to try to be anyway.
May I have a moment of your time in private? What is it about? A question that really could be significant depending on how you answer it. Oh come right on in. I then proceed to ask him when a light goes on and the buzzer in the hall what is the staff supposed to do? Well he says they are, no matter who, to investigate if someone needs help or has an emergency, that is a priority. Oh is that so and within a specific time, right? Yes the state mandates that. They test that regularly. Oh you do and you pass each time? Yes we do. Well you failed the last four days in a row and if I were a Joint Commission person you would have a problem. Yes we would, I'm sorry to hear that there is always someone who is in range of the alarm who should respond.
I said no apology necessary but you need to resolve this problem because somebodies loved one just may die. He said he would take immediate action to correct that. Then he stated that they can't seem to get good help and the government has cut back severely. I said then get out of the business because your not doing what you profess you do and do well. A little curt I'll agree but I'm tired of seeing old people literally abused and with a smile.
Well needless to say we returned the next day and more of the same. In fact we went up the road to another facility and it was exactly the same and it was the same at the hospital's these patients just left. perhaps these "inspectors" should have people they do not know just visit people and take notes. It seems these "inspectors" even though "unannounced" are well known.
So when people say don't you think you need to put your loved one in a Nursing Home I say find me one that cares and does what they profess they do otherwise you really don't know what your talking about. I will as long as possible strive not to place my loved one in a situation like that.
Yes and they [these professors and politicians] have a trillion to bailout the wealthy while someone's loved one gets abused. Yes they can profess all they want to but their works go before them, what they do and yes fail to do. Now lets say this. Is it reasonable to expect a person cannot drop everything they are doing to run to the sound of every alarm. I can understand that is most likely not practical nor possible, yet what response is reasonable and what lack of response may be the difference between life, death or something else? Is it because they are old that those concerns are not significant? Well certainly you will hear not so, yet is it?
Well we can understand this is really a staffing issue. So here is the challenge. The next time your in a hospital, nursing home or care facility, check out when that light goes on, the response. Yes and make sure it isn't just a one time chance but consistent. If you find it consistent then that is the place you want your loved one to be if necessary. You need to address it with the director. The patients advocate, well let me be kind, skip it. They mean well can't do, another facade in my opinion by experience. Yes and if it really doesn't matter to you because what choice do you have, in many cases none and yes fear steps in, so one can understand. My only question is why is that acceptable to us?
Sadly you may find that in any facility more think of what they do as just a job and if that is what they think about it then it is time they are replaced. As for staffing, I do believe we need some sort of legislation demanding our politicians serve in a CNA capacity for a week. Maybe our new president could get one passed so write him. I already have. Remember today your loved one perhaps tomorrow you?
So while we know there are some great places out there we must never forget and be vigilant that people are people and while all humans fail we must also consider when those failures become common it is time we all speak up. Yes. There are good places out there, but you need not accept mediocrity. Speak up, call Joint Commission, let them know you are informed. Be it your loved one or another we must all speak up and watch over them.
Robert T. Melaccio Sr. 2008 Copyright 2008 Robert Melaccio Sr.
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