Two staff charged in abuse at senior care facility

[d00df00d]

http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles...b1111032985.txt

This story really hits home for me; someone I know stayed at that facility fairly recently. He had had serious cancer for a couple of years, and there was no one around but his niece to care for him. Since she was going through a really rough time herself and barely had time to take care of him, she decided to send him there because it supposedly was the best senior care facility in the area. For $6k a month, all he got was mediocre care; he was supposed to be there for assisted living, but the stories I heard made the place sound like little more than a hotel, the only difference being that someone would check on you periodically to make sure you were still alive.

Eventually the niece decided she would rather run herself ragged to care for him herself than agonize over the "care" he was receiving. She moved him out of there and into her own home, where she shortened her work hours whenever she could and devoted most of the rest of her waking hours to taking care of him; whenever she was not around, she had paid caretakers in the house at all times. She did that for weeks until she had to watch him die.

I'm the first person to advocate skepticism and not crucifying a whole company based on two bad employees. Still, I can't deny that this story makes me feel like the niece made the right call.

What really sickens me is that that place really DOES seem to be the best in the area. Before he was there, my late friend was in a "rehab" center not far away, and that was like a prison in comparison.

 

[TooManyWheels]

My mother-in-law has both stayed in expensive assisted living and had stay at home care. We have tales I wouldn't have otherwise believed from both situations. Everything in your post rings true for me.

 

[mechanicx]

I had a bad experience with the "skilled-facility" or nursing home care and hospice with my Dad. Basically they collect a lot of money off insurance and just over-medicate the patient so they stay bed-ridden and easy to manage. Then when hospice decides it's most economically expediate they euthanize the patient. It happens a lot. Some of them might be better than others but I have a very low opinion of the whole elder-care industry. A lot of these nursing homes are owned by corporations and foreigners. It's good to hear the authorities cracked down. I would've filed complaints but figured I'd be stonewalled and tied up in red tape.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

I worked at a small town nursing home one summer in college. Liked working with the residents. I was disgusted with the attitude some coworkers had toward the residents. Pretty much treated them like a piece of meat, not a person when someone needed to be repositioned. I remember one person having a very bad bed sore indicating neglect. This was a low pay, entry level position. The co-workers that were there just for the money alone did not seem to care. I work with disabled men now, but our agency has a similar problem. Entry level positions are low paying and some clients have difficult behaviors. That is a potentially bad combination. I am taking care of my mom 3 days a week. Hopefully she will not need to go to a nursing home.

 

[CivicFan]

It's low paying but hard work so not many people want to go and work in skilled nursing facilities. These are mostly for profit organizations so the corporate goal is to make money. The only way is to have low labor and capital costs.

Abuse in nursing homes is more widespread than anyone thinks. The state authorities do not usually interfere unless it has a potential for a scandal. The reasons for that are numerous such as few staff in the state agencies, keeping good relationships with the nursing home owners, etc.

 

[onebigunion]

My wife is a nurse at an elderly care facility, she works mainly in a dementia section. It is a non-profit. I'm going to speak just for that particular place. I very much doubt there is ANY abuse of resdients going on there. MOST of the care staff do care a great deal about the residents - many of them become almost as attached to them as family.

Management is another story - it's dollars and sense. Figuring out how to maximize revenue from Medicare and other insurers, and cost-cutting is the main (seemingly only) conern. They do everything they can to keep staff at the state minimum, no more.

There is a problem in this facility with "reverse abuse". Dementia patients often become verbally abusive and physically violent - often with no memory of it later. My wife frequently has bruises, scratches, etc. form being punched, etc. They caregivers are aboslutely not in any way allowed to restrain or physically defend themselves against any resident (and some of these folks are very big and very string). They've had staff with broken bones and blackened eyes. But still - absolutely NO restraint (such as holding the persons arms so they can't punch you) or self-defense (such as putting up a hand or an arm to block a strike). It's not a good situation - she's trying to get out of the field and, take my word for it, she's one of the good and caring ones (as are most).

 

[unDummy]

We'll be seeing more of this. We are getting older. And, the younger generations just don't care. Can you blame them? they are underemployed, underpaid, and in serious debt!

You do get what you pay for. And, for low wage skill-less jobs, don't expect the highest quality employee, whether its a nursing home, or anywhere else.

Its no different than getting an oil change at jippylube or wallyworld... its a risk. And, watch restaurant impossible,... scary what great food we get when we eat out...

 

[Cutehumor]

Originally Posted By: unDummy
We'll be seeing more of this. We are getting older. And, the younger generations just don't care. Can you blame them? they are underemployed, underpaid, and in serious debt!

You do get what you pay for. And, for low wage skill-less jobs, don't expect the highest quality employee, whether its a nursing home, or anywhere else.

Its no different than getting an oil change at jippylube or wallyworld... its a risk. And, watch restaurant impossible,... scary what great food we get when we eat out...





+1000
If society sucks, how does someone expect to get good care, it's only going to get worse and nursing home stuff is swept under the rug.

 

[MetalSlug]

I seen this on the new many time also, its sad and how can peoples treat old peoples like that. sometime something like this can make u cry, but where all their kids, just ignore their father/mother and put them in to let some one take care and forget about them ? My grand mother live with my aunt and take turn live with them every 6 month or so, my grand mother have 12 kids, and none of them are abandon she.

 

[onebigunion]

Originally Posted By: unDummy
We'll be seeing more of this. We are getting older. And, the younger generations just don't care. Can you blame them? they are underemployed, underpaid, and in serious debt!

You do get what you pay for. And, for low wage skill-less jobs, don't expect the highest quality employee, whether its a nursing home, or anywhere else.

Its no different than getting an oil change at jippylube or wallyworld... its a risk. And, watch restaurant impossible,... scary what great food we get when we eat out...




Actually when it comes to one person mistreating another - yes I do blame them.

However, very good points. Our whole nation is focused on a race to the bottom. Cut costs, cut taxes, everyone only for themselves. Shortsighted and myopic. Here's one result. Still - no excuse for one human being to treat another this way.

 

[onebigunion]

Originally Posted By: CamaroT56
I seen this on the new many time also, its sad and how can peoples treat old peoples like that. sometime something like this can make u cry, but where all their kids, just ignore their father/mother and put them in to let some one take care and forget about them ? My grand mother live with my aunt and take turn live with them every 6 month or so, my grand mother have 12 kids, and none of them are abandon she.


Excellent post, and one that that presents a side nobody seems to think of. In absolutely no way do I make any excuses for abusive "care givers", but family involvement is the absolute best way to prevent this garbage. In many, if not most, cases from what I have personally observed, children and other family members "dump off" the elderly and have minimal involvement in their lives from that point on.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: onebigunion
Originally Posted By: CamaroT56
I seen this on the new many time also, its sad and how can peoples treat old peoples like that. sometime something like this can make u cry, but where all their kids, just ignore their father/mother and put them in to let some one take care and forget about them ? My grand mother live with my aunt and take turn live with them every 6 month or so, my grand mother have 12 kids, and none of them are abandon she.


Excellent post, and one that that presents a side nobody seems to think of. In absolutely no way do I make any excuses for abusive "care givers", but family involvement is the absolute best way to prevent this garbage. In many, if not most, cases from what I have personally observed, children and other family members "dump off" the elderly and have minimal involvement in their lives from that point on.


But there's no insurance for this stuff, if you have to take time off work to care for someone. "The system" wants a 3rd party in there getting paid thru insurance, and making their own payroll tax payments, having their kid in daycare with someone else, etc.

 

[onebigunion]

You're absolutely right, I agree. Yep - EVERYTHING now has to have somebody skimming money out, insurance, banks, etc.

Full-time care at home is not an option for most people anymore. What I meant though was staying involved with elderly family members' care and lives after they enter a residence. Things deteriorate in many ways when the senior is just "pawnded off" so to speak.

Having to put an elderly person in residence should not be source of guilt - it sometimes is the only option. Abandoning them after they are there is inexcusable.

 

[Al]

And when gramps gets two bed sores the same kids that visit him every 3rd year will be right in line to sue.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Originally Posted By: onebigunion

Full-time care at home is not an option for most people anymore. What I meant though was staying involved with elderly family members' care and lives after they enter a residence. Things deteriorate in many ways when the senior is just "pawnded off" so to speak.

Having to put an elderly person in residence should not be source of guilt - it sometimes is the only option. Abandoning them after they are there is inexcusable.


Don't just assume that the reason seniors are mistreated is because of lack of interest from the family. In the case of my in-laws, the most of the children have been very involved with their Mother's care, but until you have an effective regulatory mechanism in place, all the family concern in the world has no place to go. When you are met at every remedial path with a shrug and a blank look, what are your options?