well she is in a nursing home... So far since she has been in there.. She has fell twice and now has a yeast infection..
If my aunt hadnt done an all over examination of nana no one would have even known.. I guess these people never even notice it.. My aunt pointed it out to them.. Now they are treating her for the infection..

My aunt was irate.. She told them under no circumstance was nana to have a depends on or any tight clothing until this is healed..

this is why i dont like nursing homes.. why cant they be more observant? Then again I guess its kinda hard to pay attention to everyone b/c there are so many sick people and not enough staff..


I will say they do their very best in making sure she eats rather well and brings her snacks during the night..

I suppose the place has its pros and cons...

Getting old is rather scary.. Nursing homes should be called reality homes..

Hope all is well with everyone.. Take Care

How right you are .. yes, Nursing homes have their good and bad points.

*Most* of the time, they successfully keep your loved one safe, relatively dry and fed well.

*Other times* the entire project goes pear-shaped and residents miss out on some care.

*Other times* inadequately trained staff don't know the *simple* things such as wiping from front to back not the other way around, or don't know about fungal infections and the smell and look.

*Other times* adequately trained staff care so much they spend too much time with residents and over-react to each and every little sniff and cough that happens and whips them off to hospital (a trauma in itself)

When you get 30+ people needing the care needed in a 24 hour period, SOMEBODY is going to miss out, because the demands put upon the carers is just too much ..... whilst your attending to Resident No. 1, Resident No. 30 has just been incontinent. On an average of 7 minutes per person in a 2 hour window (120 minutes) , Resident 30 is going to wait for 210 minutes before care can be given unless they can ring a bell and get care sooner. (Can you see the discrepancy already?? you've got 120 minutes to do 210 minutes work)

Then whilst attending to resident 30, resident 5, 10 and 15 all ring at the same time ....... and of course, then there are the daily activities .. could you please take residents 12, 17, 23 and 26 to the hairdresser/bingo/craft NOW please.

Nobody is *at fault* except the hierarchy who put unbelievable expectations on carers.

Having been on the caring end of nursing home experience you are absolutely right Gemini. It is impossible to be all things to all residents at all times. The staff is over worked and underpaid so most of them truly care about the elderly to be there. The best thing family members can do is be an extra pair of eyes and ears for the staff. If you see something you think needs attention, then bring it to the attention of the staff and be patient. You know there are problems when care is repeatedly neglected. So be vigilent but don't get out of sorts if you notice something first. It is not who noticed it first as much as how well it is treated after it is noticed.

The wellness center where Mom and Dad are is probably the worst part of the experience. I have been dilligent since they have been there. Today I called with a simple question and got the answer to that and several other unask questions as well. It took them a while to figure out that I expected quality treatment but was not going to go crazy if something slid past them. I just wanted it fixed when it was brought to their attention and to know it was taken care of. I even got a pleasant comment out of the sour apple that works first shift!

A nursing home is not a place anybody wants to be but it is a place that some need to be. It has it's goods and bads but every patient has an extended family to focus just on them.

Love, deb