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Believe me, I am VERY proactive regarding my dad's care. I can be the nicest person in the world; thanking the nurses and MA's for all their hard work and being so nice to my dad, etc., but if there's a problem..I'm the first to let them know, as I'm not one to be messed with.
I'm one that always asks how my dad is doing when I get there, including details. I thank people nicely for them.
There have been several occasions where I needed to stand my ground, as when my dad fell out of his wheelchair and sat next to it for over half an hour before staff found him. Mind you, he was on 15 minute checks!!
The time my dad was given a second flu shot when he'd already gotten one in February 2015. The excuse I got was that the individual putting information into the computer was told NOT to put my dad in for a flu shot, but it got there anyway. Instead of checking to make sure (as it's not that big a facility), they gave it to him at night and then the next day, realized he shouldn't have had one.
I got a call telling me about it and was thankful they told me about it, but continued that this should never EVER happen again..and staff that doesn't know the patients have NO business entering ANYTHING on the computer. The turnover there is large..and if it EVER happens again..well I'd leave it at that.
One day they called me and told me that ants somehow had gotten into my dad's bed and he was bitten all over his back by them. They had no idea where they'd come from. The second I got there, every staff member with any sort of importance was in the room letting me know that they'd hoped the problem was taken care of, yet they had no idea where the ants came from.
As I rolled my eyes..all it took was a look outside as my dad's room overlooks a courtyard that was full of berries from an overhanging tree. Chances are that the falling berries fell onto the courtyard, drew ants, the weather had gotten colder..and the ants came in through the heating element behind my dad's bed that wasn't turned on yet.
Other MA's that came into the room later on said that they would have been angrier that I was, but the problem was fixed, so why?? Besides the fact that things happen all the time in every single facility in the country, as long as it was fixed, I was fine with it. My dad was feeling better and that's all that mattered.
If I can give you my opinion regarding MA's and those that take care of the elderly with little pay..it's amazing that the good ones stay because they care more about the elderly than the measly pay. It's rewarding for them and that's all that matters.
Bless their hearts as they are the best ones!! I've seen many come and go thinking they can find it better somewhere else and always end up coming back...
Don't be too surprised, if your Dad should go to the hospital one day/night, stays there for whatever length of time, and wishing your Dad could return to the facility he was staying in, only to find out there's no empty beds, and you then need to find another facility for your Dad.
I've seen it happen at the facility I've worked in, that "no empty bed message", when there's were empty beds available.
The dream residents of any number of facilities are residents with no family or friends pestering, intimidating the staff, in whatever manner.
Upset by staff not doing 15 minute checks? Well, at night, with 25 patients, if there should be a Blue Code in the building somewhere, where the staff drops everything and rushes to that room, that next check could be 30-45 minutes!
It's more than obvious you've never worked in one of these facilities!
Don't be too surprised, if your Dad should go to the hospital one day/night, stays there for whatever length of time, and wishing your Dad could return to the facility he was staying in, only to find out there's no empty beds, and you then need to find another facility for your Dad.
I've seen it happen at the facility I've worked in, that "no empty bed message", when there's were empty beds available.
The dream residents of any number of facilities are residents with no family or friends pestering, intimidating the staff, in whatever manner.
Upset by staff not doing 15 minute checks? Well, at night, with 25 patients, if there should be a Blue Code in the building somewhere, where the staff drops everything and rushes to that room, that next check could be 30-45 minutes!
It's more than obvious you've never worked in one of these facilities!
I suspect something similar happened to my father. The hospital caseworker had spoken with me, rather than my older sister regarding rehab facilities. She then spoke with my father who approved the plan. Big sister comes in and yells at caseworker because big sister held medical poa and she should have been consulted. Big sister chooses two other facilities and convinces father to agree. Caseworker determines father is capable of making the decision so he is set up for those two facilities, with the one I chose as final backup.
Where do you think my father ended up? The place I chose. Rule No. 1: Be nice to the staff.
I just want to mention that when my dad was in a small senior care facility he received excellent care. The staff and owner went out of their way to take good care of him. They were amazingly dedicated to providing excellent care to patients. He was always clean and bathed. His bedding was changed daily and he always wore clean clothing. When they felt he might be cold they would bring him a warm blanket. Food was prepared fresh daily and they would assist those who needed help eating, never rushing. We were fortunate that we found this facility and I can’t say anything negative about it.
There are good facilities, bad facilities and those in between.
Very sad. When all the baby boomers reach that point it's likely to be even worse, especially with the low reimbursement rates for all those on medicaid.
Yes, it is sad, but I foresee a different outcome.
When the boomer generation (of which I am a member) nears that point, we will vote ourselves the benefits and reimbursement rates that will afford us quality care. Just as with the US National Debt, we will pass these costs along to the next generations.
Very sad. When all the baby boomers reach that point it's likely to be even worse, especially with the low reimbursement rates for all those on medicaid.
We have a brewing demographic tidal wave, plus a gazillion underemployed Xers and Millies, plus another economic bubble about to pop, plus, 1%ers hording their money. Something is going to give. It may not be Communism but something a whole lot more Communitarian may emerge. I'm especially interested in what will happen when Millies start having real power. They don't buy into the Gordon Gecko "greed is good" mentality.
The times they'll be a changin'!
One thing. Once all that stagnant money goes into circulation paying the wages of the future armies of caregivers it will juice the economy big time.
A family member during his last month of life, back in the hospital (a major high profile Kaiser one in the heart of Silicon Valley) after experiencing a major set back during the final rehab attempt.
He's going through periods of intense delirium.
Way beyond being able to toilet or ask for help with toileting.
He was OKed for a catheter and restraint.
But what did the numbnuts who was assigned do? She layed a simple liquid decanting container (you know, one of the rectangular cross section ones with a wide mouth at the top and a handle) into his bed between his legs, with his UT supposed to magically remain engaged into the mouth of the container. No restraint. Nice move Einstein!
So, just as I'm arriving, he goes into a minor fit, and promptly sweeps the container out of the bed, flying across the room and it bounces of the wall, spraying urine all over the room.
It was obvious no one had properly assessed him or if they had, definitely did not follow protocol.
Suffice it to say, that night, our decision to get him into home hospice was made for us.
And once home, with hospice protocol underway, there would be no more distress and smooth sailing to the final port of call.
Well, yes, it is a joke (on the reader). Clearly the authors know nothing about prison life.
Maybe you don't know nothing about nursing home life.
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