Because of the aging population and the increase of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, there is a growing need for proper care for the elderly. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to stay home and have a family member care for them. The cost of around the clock care at home is prohibitive for all but the extremely wealthy. If a facility is the only option, say goodbye to all your savings (short of a few dollars) and any additional income you may receive. If outstanding care is received, then perhaps the money would be well spent. However, from personal experience, whether it be a hospital stay, respite care, or a nursing home facility, they are all short staffed.
There were one or two nurses in the Alzheimer’s Unit at the hospital that treated the patients with dignity. There were others, who found humor in the patient’s behavior. They thought it hysterical that a patient ate a tube of someone’s Polident. If it were their family member, I wonder if they would have found it as amusing? The patients were lined up in chairs in the hall. How did the patient manage to go into someone’s room and eat their denture paste? Who was watching them?
Experience with respite care was far worse. For slightly less than $5,000 for the month, the patient was sent by ambulance back to the hospital on the first night. The days back in the hospital counted against the thirty-day deposit, to guarantee the room back. Upon return (nearly two weeks later), the patient never saw a room. The room-mate wanted to be alone. The family was assured that they were aware of the situation and it would be resolved. There was an entire week that patient spent 24 hours a day in the common area, sleeping in a chair (not even a recliner) at night. It wasn’t until the family staged a sit-in that another room was made available. Talk about understaffed, the one aide said she had to assist with forty showers one night. That would be virtually impossible. Then there was a good week and a half before the call came. They found the patient on the floor and they were once again sent by ambulance back to the hospital. After x-rays, which showed no injury, the patient was taken home never to return.
At the same time, another family member was staying in a nursing home recuperating from an operation and receiving therapy. Meals from home had to be brought in, the staff thought it necessary to puree their food. At every meal, a big plate of mush was placed in front of the patient. Our request for perhaps a cream soup went unanswered. Did you ever see pureed salad? One Sunday, the patient was placed in a wheelchair and left in the community area. She was visited at 11:00 a.m. with her home-made meal and upon return to the facility at 6:00 p.m., the patient had not been moved from her original location. Another time, the patient slipped out of the wheel chair and sat on the foot rests for we don’t know how long. The worst scare, however, came when she was given her pill in a reclined position. Upon return from the vending machine for a bottle of water, a family member found her surrounded by four or five staff members as she gasped for air choking on the pill.
What happens to the people without anyone visiting or checking on them? There is a definite need for quality care. When unexpected circumstances occur and decisions must be made quickly, people are at the mercy of the facility that is available. Perhaps if there were a larger staff, some of these incidents could have been avoided. For a cost of more than $150.00 per day, patients should be given more individual attention. Where does the money go?
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