The elder population is in need of many different varying forms of long-term-care. Our bodies physically deteriorate as we age. A large portion of us will find ourselves in need of assistance as we get into our last few years of life. Some will need help with a few activities of daily living while others will need serious care do to serious illnesses like Alzheimer’s or Dementia. When elders find themselves in need of help they are then faced with the hard choice of what kind of care will meet their needs.
Around 70% of long term care is provided in the home by a family member or loved one. I know firsthand, from having a disabled mother, that it takes a lot of work. It puts a stress on everyone in the family, but the sick, loved one didn’t have this happen to them on purpose. If you love someone you are going to take care of them. I don’t mind taking care of my Mom most of the time, but it does get hard. I just tried to list the things she does that make it hard to care for her but I can’t. It’s true that I don’t always enjoy helping her but I would never stop. I hate that I don’t live at home still and am there for her. I talk to her on the phone almost every day but that only helps her emotionally, it doesn’t help her get out of bed in the morning or help her make a meal. Guilt is a big struggle with family member care. Both of us feel it, she hates that I have to help her and I hate that I don’t want to do more.
For the more extreme cases we will have to get professional assistance for our loved ones. I know this day is not too far away for my Mom. Where to put her when her health worsens depends on how much we can afford and what her limiting factor, which is forcing her to need more help, is. We will have to choose from Home Health Services, Adult Day Care Centers, Nursing Homes, and Assisted Living Facilities. Once we have decided which of those is best we then have to figure out which local facility will best suit her preferences and provide exceptional care. I hate that I have to think about things like this but that is life and it’s better to be prepared then surprised.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Safety in nursing homes
I have an internship with the Florida Health Care Association and we are the state’s largest association for nursing homes. Something that people don’t generally think of when the picture nursing homes are criminals. I am not talking about the caretakers, but this is also a problem. I think people have always been concerned about the caretakers though. I am talking about criminal patients.
There needs to be a state regulation to address this problem. At least one state has done this, Illinois. They have run into problems though with having to place a big sign in the front of their facility saying that they accept people with criminal backgrounds, who would bring their loved ones into that environment? In Florida every city can pass their own ordinance for what they feel to be best. I have been focusing on sexual predators and offenders in nursing homes. Florida currently has around 80 sexual predators or offenders living in nursing homes. I have not been able to find one city that will notify patients or families when an offender moves into a nursing home. Lots of times the staff is not even aware. The law enforcement does however notify people when a predator moves in.
I like to say everyone should be treated equal but I do not think we should have to treat sexual criminals in the same way we treat our elders. There is not an easy fix to this problem. I just read an article from the Chicago Tribune that told a story about an 65 year old women who was raped by a sexual predator who was also a patient of the home. Occurrence is still very low but that is why not much has been done to fix this problem yet. I would just advise anyone looking for a nursing home ask about their policies on accepting criminals.
I agree with my coworkers that there needs to be a separate facility to house these individuals. It is a shame that nursing homes are forced to accept these people. They have nowhere else to go and if they are coming from a hospital they have to be discharged somewhere. Many elders are not able to research this information so we need to make sure as a community we are taking care of them in the best possible way.
There needs to be a state regulation to address this problem. At least one state has done this, Illinois. They have run into problems though with having to place a big sign in the front of their facility saying that they accept people with criminal backgrounds, who would bring their loved ones into that environment? In Florida every city can pass their own ordinance for what they feel to be best. I have been focusing on sexual predators and offenders in nursing homes. Florida currently has around 80 sexual predators or offenders living in nursing homes. I have not been able to find one city that will notify patients or families when an offender moves into a nursing home. Lots of times the staff is not even aware. The law enforcement does however notify people when a predator moves in.
I like to say everyone should be treated equal but I do not think we should have to treat sexual criminals in the same way we treat our elders. There is not an easy fix to this problem. I just read an article from the Chicago Tribune that told a story about an 65 year old women who was raped by a sexual predator who was also a patient of the home. Occurrence is still very low but that is why not much has been done to fix this problem yet. I would just advise anyone looking for a nursing home ask about their policies on accepting criminals.
I agree with my coworkers that there needs to be a separate facility to house these individuals. It is a shame that nursing homes are forced to accept these people. They have nowhere else to go and if they are coming from a hospital they have to be discharged somewhere. Many elders are not able to research this information so we need to make sure as a community we are taking care of them in the best possible way.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Elder Drivers
I think it would be prudent for not only Florida but the United States as a whole to adopt mandatory testing of drivers over the age of 65. It is unsafe for not only the elderly but the rest of the population. There are many different factors affecting the skill of the elderly in their driving. The elderly are less likely to drink and drive, speed, or drive without a license. They also wear their seat belts more than the rest of the population. This is not sufficient though. They may try the hardest to be safe but many have physical factors that prevent them from driving safe. This is why skills tests should be administered to elders, some are fully capable of driving while others are not.
Elders have vision problems. They range from cataracts to presbyopia to glaucoma. They also suffer from more chronic illnesses and uses of medications. They have medications for strokes, dementia and other illnesses that can cause impaired judgment and diminished reaction time. They also have problems with mobility from skeletal degeneration like osteoporosis which make it hard for them to turn their head. They also have a high tendency to be on sedatives or painkillers which can impair reflexes and cause drowsiness and confusion.
One of the reasons this initiative is not more widely supported is because someone is going to have to transport these elders around if we are taking their license away from them. There will be a huge burden to make sure that our elders are not trapped in their homes when they are no longer allowed to drive. Many places have very minimal forms of public transpiration. Many elders live alone and still need to go shopping and to doctors, how will they do this without a car? I think this is the real reason no one is taking their licenses from them. We would have to create a way to fix this problem before we can think of removing licenses from the elderly. 16-year-olds are not good drivers either, and it is not even necessary that they are able to drive because they are living with family at this age but we still allow it. I think people need to just understand that if they are out on the roads they should be driving defensively and that there is a risk factor just for being out there.
I hope we can come up with a solution to this problem so we are able to save lives without severely diminishing the quality of life our elders live.
Elders have vision problems. They range from cataracts to presbyopia to glaucoma. They also suffer from more chronic illnesses and uses of medications. They have medications for strokes, dementia and other illnesses that can cause impaired judgment and diminished reaction time. They also have problems with mobility from skeletal degeneration like osteoporosis which make it hard for them to turn their head. They also have a high tendency to be on sedatives or painkillers which can impair reflexes and cause drowsiness and confusion.
One of the reasons this initiative is not more widely supported is because someone is going to have to transport these elders around if we are taking their license away from them. There will be a huge burden to make sure that our elders are not trapped in their homes when they are no longer allowed to drive. Many places have very minimal forms of public transpiration. Many elders live alone and still need to go shopping and to doctors, how will they do this without a car? I think this is the real reason no one is taking their licenses from them. We would have to create a way to fix this problem before we can think of removing licenses from the elderly. 16-year-olds are not good drivers either, and it is not even necessary that they are able to drive because they are living with family at this age but we still allow it. I think people need to just understand that if they are out on the roads they should be driving defensively and that there is a risk factor just for being out there.
I hope we can come up with a solution to this problem so we are able to save lives without severely diminishing the quality of life our elders live.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Aging Stereotypes
The elderly have so many attributes that are associated with them. A few are good, like they are wise, but most are bad. They range from not being good with technology to physical appearance to emotional happiness. Most of these stereotypes will work for the majority of the elderly but definitely not for all of them.
When only looking at physical attributes we see a huge rang of body deterioration depending on the person. My Dad is 58, still looks good, and is in great health. My best friends Grandma is only 59 but she looks like she is in her eighties due to a life time of smoking. Humans cannot stop aging but we can slow it down if we treat ourselves with care. It is easy to find stereotypes in the elderly but it in no way means that is what being old will be like. Growing up in West Palm Beach I thought all old people were cheap, grumpy and bad drivers. This may be true for some of them, but my grandparents are not this way. People are more of a product of their surroundings then defined by an age. When I travel up north I see a whole new kind of people who are totally different. I do not think anyone should ever be judged by appearance or stereotype. My great uncle is better than me with technology and worked at GE for years. The theory that old people are sad probably stems from the idea of loneliness, and this is possible. It depends on whether the person has a living spouse or at least family close by or friends.
I just hope I can learn to embrace my golden years and not worry about losing some of my youthful vigor. I will always have God, and that is all anyone really needs.
When only looking at physical attributes we see a huge rang of body deterioration depending on the person. My Dad is 58, still looks good, and is in great health. My best friends Grandma is only 59 but she looks like she is in her eighties due to a life time of smoking. Humans cannot stop aging but we can slow it down if we treat ourselves with care. It is easy to find stereotypes in the elderly but it in no way means that is what being old will be like. Growing up in West Palm Beach I thought all old people were cheap, grumpy and bad drivers. This may be true for some of them, but my grandparents are not this way. People are more of a product of their surroundings then defined by an age. When I travel up north I see a whole new kind of people who are totally different. I do not think anyone should ever be judged by appearance or stereotype. My great uncle is better than me with technology and worked at GE for years. The theory that old people are sad probably stems from the idea of loneliness, and this is possible. It depends on whether the person has a living spouse or at least family close by or friends.
I just hope I can learn to embrace my golden years and not worry about losing some of my youthful vigor. I will always have God, and that is all anyone really needs.
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