It isn't a matter of being appalled and upset any more at what I see - I am angry.  I am angry that I read the same thing from staff members all over the state - and that is - THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO TAKE CARE OF THE RESIDENTS!!!

Do you know what could happen to your family member - even if you visit the EVERY day in a nursing home?  Maybe you better look closer before you install them in there.  Come in at odd hours, observe the feeding times.  Is there enough people there to feed everyone?  Do you know that they usually have 2-3 nurses' aides there to care for 30-60 people?  At night and on weekends it sometimes becomes desperate.  Who feeds those people who can't feed themselves?  Are their trays going back untouched?  What about water?  Are the glasses & pitchers filled and in reach?  Call bells?  Are they answered timely?  Do you know that bedridden people need to be turned and gotten out of bed regularly or pressure spots can develop.  Those spots turn into decubitus ulcers (bedsores) - that is where the body consumes itself - and if they become too bad they can kill you.

How do decubitus ulcers start - not moving the resident, they lay on an area, esp. a bony one and a red area develops.  They haven't been moved in quite a while (like 2 hours!).  They have poor nutrition (they aren't being fed correctly - are their snacks being poured down the drain?) and hydration (can't reach that water pitcher - who cares - it's empty anyway).  That means their skin turgor is bad - poor - ready to decompose.  Then there is a matter of cleanliness.  Do they lay in their own waste, not taken to the bathroom when they ring the call bell - assuming it is in reach - or in wet and dirty diapers?  This can cause fecal matter to get into open sores and if there are not any sores yet it can cause the skin to breakdown.

We see so much of this I am angry!  I am so very angry because our state and our government knows about this and once more there is nothing being done.  The state is useless as the nursing homes know about the inspections beforehand.  Let me tell you - that just because a nursing home has a superior rating - that doesn't mean anything. If you are interested in helping contact THE COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA'S EDERLY, they will soon hoave their own web site & I will add that link when they do. Until now they are doing what they can to curb this problem. There is also testimony going on in Washington DC regarding this issue and a new bill in Florida as I write this (2/99). If this were happening to children something would have been done a long time ago!

Please, if you must put your loved one in a nursing home (I have instructed my children that when that time comes to take me on a cruise, load me up with Valuim and push me overboard) then please, please, please take your time to inspect, inspect, inspect.  Talk to other residents and families.  USE YOUR NOSE.  Count the number of aides.  See how interactive the aides are and the nurses are with the patients and family members.  Don't hesitate to make a friend of your aides!  Don't let Grandma or Grandpa lie there all covered up in their blankets.  Inspect their bodies - if they seem afraid or depressed - find out why.  Sometimes they are being abused by the staff or other residents.  Believe your instincts.  Don't think it can't happen - it does - ALL THE TIME!

Even though it pays me - I don't want to know you and your family because of elder abuse.  My boss and our law firm work towards promoting laws to help end this type of thing.  We really do care - each and everyone of us has cried and been appalled (and are daily) at the horror stories we hear.

In Florida we have a statute - Chapter 400 which spells out the Nursing Home Resident's Rights.  See if your state has one.  If you suspect you have a problem - please try to deal with it before your loved one is dead from their bedsore.  Yes - people do die from that - every day.  So you see bruises on their arms, legs, anywhere on their bodies - they don't get there with out a reason you know.  Call your local lawyer's referral if you need an attorney.

I cannot tell you the law firm I am associated with so please don't ask me.  There are attorneys all over the United States who can help you.  Please, don't feel guilty later and say you didn't know.  That you didn't think it could happen.  It can and it does - ALL THE TIME.  If you have a loved one in a nursing home now - go over and visit.  Pull back those covers.  Hold their hand, listen. Take your pet to visit.  Love your older person - someday, you will be one too!

 

If you know someone who needs help in a Nursing Home situation or has questions you may contact the Coalition for America's Elderly

The web ring below is made up of surviors of various kinds of abuse that is inflicted in our society - some of their pages may not be pretty, but then, sometimes life isn't pretty either! Thank you Jeff (my husband) for showing me that their are second chances at love & life and also thanks to Jim & Tim, my bosses for being a couple of great people who are making a difference in this world and letting me be a part of it. Save your elder person and STOP abuse in this lifetime. Peace - Karrel

Let the Truth Ring Out! Previous Next Random List Because our voices can (and do!) make a difference!