In a review of Making Grey Gold, which is a compelling evaluation of nursing home caregiving, the reading seem more like a revelation into the unknown world of the aged and/or disabled, and not just another book. Moreover, the beginnings of the book set the stage for a real life sequence unfolding in each sentence, and each chapter to the very end. The effectiveness of the book may bring current policies for nursing home care and procedures into question; however the book is more appropriate for adults considering nursing homes as an option, adult children in charge of their parents care and the staff that are employed or pending employment in such an institution. Author, Timothy Diamond called his work a project ( ackn…xiv), but from the …show more content…
In other words, the course and teachings focused on the mechanics of a human body that will require maintenance. This is a compelling realization into what it is like to be a resident in a nursing home whose goal is to only respond to thirst, hunger, toileting, medication needs (only with physicians approval) and injury to residents. While reading Making Grey Gold, there is an eerie similarity to prison …show more content…
This is a chilling indictment and warrants an honest answer. In addition, many residents remember their pass occupations in the same fields where they were now recipients of the service to which they complain. Diamond notes that common frailty has now come to mean the life of a pauper (p 151). It seems that senior’s long working life is a consequence, instead of a benefit. This brings the evaluation of Diamond’s book to the theory behind nursing homes. The author’s argument seems to bring into question that nursing homes are a commodity, from this standpoint; one would have seen nursing home practices and teachings behind closed doors to come to this conclusion (p 169). In Diamond’s semi undercover research, he notes that regardless of patient resident’s emotional feelings of just needing someone to talk to or wipe a tear from their eye, there is no time for that….the work must continue, moved to the next patient [paraphrase, p
Mollie is the patient in our case study. Mollie lives with her daughter and son in law, both in their 70’s. A home health aide assists Mollie five days a week for three hours each day. At age 94, Mollie is an older adult, considered to be part of a vulnerable population, at risk for hearing, visual and mobility deficits. This at risk population can experience changes in cognitive or physical status making the activities of daily living difficult to perform (Meiner, 2011). As people like Mollie age, gradually becoming less able to function independently, their grown children, potential caregivers, may be preoccupied with the demands of their own lives and not prepared to care for an older
Nursing homes initial purpose was to provide care to the aging population in a home-like environment. With the creation of social security, the elderly had the opportunity to be taken care of and supported through the healthcare system. Ultimately turning nursing homes into a hospital setting. Now people are mostly thought of as patients and their disease first rather than human beings. Basic needs are meet such as shelter, food, and medication, but interpersonal human needs have been lost. Covering the cost of medications which sometimes numbs a persona are far easier, than personal music which could help retain a person’s sense of
Houde, S., & Melillo, K. (2009). Caring for an aging population. Journal Of Gerontological Nursing, 35(12), 9-13. doi:10.3928/00989134-20091103-04
Matthews, J. L. Beat the Nursing Home Trap: A Consumer's Guide to Assisted Living and
Upon growing older there are many decisions to be made. Among one of the most difficult and perhaps most important decisions is where the elder person will live and how long-term care needs will be met when he/she is no longer capable of doing so independently due to the incapacity that accompanies many with old age. Nursing homes seem to be the popular choice for people no matter the race, gender, or socioeconomic status with 1.5 million Americans being admitted to them yearly.[3] Because nursing homes are in such a high demand and are not cheap, $77.9 billion was spent for nursing home care in the United States in 2010 alone, they are under criticism of many professions including the legal profession, which is in the process of establishing elder law as a defense to issues with in the elder community. Nursing homes have a duty to provide many things to the elderly including medical, social, pharmaceutical, and dietary services so that the individual may maintain the highest well-being possible.[4] Stated another way 'a nursing facility must care for its residents in such a manner and in such an environment as will promote maintenance or enhancement of the q...
Butler, R. (2008). The Carers of People with Dementia. BMJ: British Medical Journal , 336, 1260-1261.
No one ever expects to live out his or her later years in life in a nursing home. When people are young they may not realize the obstacles in life that may cause them not to have a place or person to spend their older years in life with. Regrettably, many of the elderly are not treated with the care and respect they deserve. “Poor quality of care is endemic in many nursing homes” (Fernandez, 2011). It is the responsibility of the younger generation to make sure that the elderly are taken care of and that neglect does not happen. Nursing homes have too many patients and not enough care-givers compared to home care that has familiar one on one care. Home-based
With over 1.5 million elderly and dependent adults now living in nursing homes throughout the country, abuse and neglect has become a widespread problem. Even though some nursing homes provide good care, many are subjecting helpless residents to needless suffering and death. Most residents in nursing homes are dependent on the staff for most or all their needs such as food, water, medicine, toileting, grooming- almost all their daily care. Unfortunately, many residents in nursing homes today are starved, dehydrated, over-medicated, and suffer painful pressure sores. They are often isolated, ignored and deprived of social contact and stimulation. Because of insufficient and poorly trained staff commonly found in nursing homes. Care givers are often overworked and grossly underpaid that often results in rude and abusive behavior to vulnerable residents who beg them for simple needs such as water or to be taken to the bathroom.
Assisted living is an effective type of care facility programmed towards helping older individuals with their increasing disabilities. “The fit between individual capacity and the availability of satisfying activities within an environment is an important aspect of positive aging and an especially salient issue for ALF [Assisted Living Faculty] management, given the role of activities in the consumer selection of assisted living”.2 This isolation of this quote is “positive aging”. Positive aging is important since it leads individuals to have a happier and more fulfilling life, and it can be supported through everyday activities and through the living environment. In nursing homes, each individual needs help with making sure that they are given care that meets their needs. This varies through different states and also communities. The purpose of the quote is to show that each person should be evaluated individually, meaning everyone needs a different approach to deal with the aging process.
In today’s society, what was once said to be true and taken as fact regarding older people is no longer the whole story. As Laslett states, “At all times before the middle of the twentieth century and all over the globe the greater part of human life potential has been wasted, by people dying before their allotted time was up.” (1989a), and to a great extent a lot
Sturdy, D. (2007) Indignity in care: are you responsible? Nurs Older People. 2007; 19(9): 9.
Caring for dementia involves a lot of patience and understanding. It should be dealt with audacity and flawlessness to ensure the vulnerable adults’ well-being. Aiding at home or care home required carers to be at their best, physically and emotionally. The responsibility can be distressing but it is rewarding as well since helping dementia adults in their day to day activities is a significant matter for them. However, carers need a pause as over duty can result to substandard nursing. The big question is: who take care for the carers of people with dementia?
Smith, M. C., Turkel, M. C., & Wolfe, Z. R. (2013). Caring in nursing classics. New York: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.
With each passing day, new challenges for nurses are created. As of 2011, the baby boomer generation (those born from 1946 to 1964) turned 65. Between 1946 and 1964, approximately 76 million babies were born. Now that they are rising in age, these older adults are starting to need more hospitalization because of age-related issues. With the growing number of older adults seeking healthcare, there is a shortage in the number of nurses willing to take on the responsibility of caring for them (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz, 2009). I want to make sure that these adults never have a sense of loneliness because of their age. I also want to make sure that they have the same standards of living that they did before they got sick. This leads me into another reason of why I want to be a nurse. I think the world needs me. I want to feel that I belong and, in a sea of older adults needing healthcare, I think I will. I want to make a difference to those who feel that no one cares about them. When my grandmother was very sick, she needed all the help that my father and I could give her. She had a voice box so she couldn’t talk, pneumonia so she was very weak, and she could barely walk on her own. I knew ...
This posting is about the elderly and their reminiscence of their own life. Throughout the post, I will discuss some of the difficulties I have experienced in providing care for the elderly. Furthermore, I will describe my own thoughts and feelings about the required video and what changes I will include in my nursing practice after watching the video.