Working+Draft

Maggie Harkins

Nursing Homes for the Better

Nursing home. For some, this word may send shivers down their spine, thinking they one day have to be in one. For others, it makes them think of a place where elders go to be provided with extra care. Today, nursing homes strive to provide a comfortable, homelike environment for their residents. As a volunteer at a nursing home, I see many elders playing games, making friends, and enjoying life. Sometimes I think it is sad looking at those who live in a nursing home rather than home. But then I think about it, and I would rather send a loved one somewhere in which they are constantly surrounded by others and are cared for, then at home, by themselves struggling day to day. Nursing homes are essential to our society for they provide the unhealthy with constant care including Medicare, a healthy diet and activities that keep the aged active.

In 2003, the United States accounted for 16,323 nursing homes and in Pennsylvania, there were 3,182 which included 1.7 million beds. The Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey found that the three most urgent challenges facing nursing homes are securing adequate financing, improving the quality of care in long-term facilities and developing a workforce that is sufficient in both size and skill to provide care (Zigmond, para 1). Leslie Grant, director of the Center for Aging Services Management at the University of Minnesota stated, “It’s all about giving residents more autonomy in their day-to-day decision making.” Now and days, some nurses will create a schedule filled with different activities that keep the residents busy. Such activities include bingo, “Pet Therapy,” sing-a-longs, different holiday celebrations, trivia, etc. These activities made the residents feel as if they were more at home rather than in an institution. Within the United States 14,500 of the nursing homes have off-site activities; 15,300 have evening activities; 15,700 have weekend activities; 15,200 include outdoor activities; 14,000 allow Pet Therapy; and 13,700 comprise of intergenerational activities.

The number of violations identified within a nursing home increased from 4.8 in the year preceding the initiative to 5.5 in the year since it began. One may look at these statistics and think they will never send their loved one to a nursing home, but the number of violations with actual harm or immediate jeopardy to resident health and safety identified, increased from 0.65 to 0.73. The SCAN Foundation confirmed that direct care workers, “DCWs,” are essential to quality nursing homes. Having one of these well trained DCWs reduces the chances of nursing home abuse or neglect. One of the highest complaints that residents protest against is that some nurses don’t treat them with respect and dignity. This complaint is much better than having one complaining of being ill-treated. In the book, //An Aging Population//, Lou L. Hartney describes the traumatic decision to send her mother to a nursing home after many years of caring for her at home. “While I am turning endlessly, I find myself wishing she could go peacefully in her sleep before I have to do this” (Hartney). At the beginning of Hartney’s decision, she felt it would be easier for her to have her 94 year old mother pass away in her sleep then pass away in a nursing home. After choosing the best fit nursing home for her mother, Hartney visited her mother two times a day. She found that the staff was even kinder and more cheerful then she expected, and her mom even made a best friend. Hartney decreased her visits to one a week. Her final thought about sending her mom to a nursing home was the following: “I have come to the decision which surprises me: I think my mother is actually happier here than she was at home with me” (Hartney).

Our society needs nursing homes in order to strive and move forward with life. From an adult perspective that is taking care of an elder, nursing homes take a load off their shoulders. Instead of providing an elder with day-to-day care, nursing homes have registered nurses, doctors and specialists, like an occupational therapist, who work with patients one on one. This allows the residents to still lead productive lives but have someone watching over them. If still living at home, there is a big chance someone wouldn’t be home, in case something happened. Children of these elders will feel more relived, although they may not in the beginning, the long term effects are greater. There worries will stay small for they know there loved one is in good hands. They may feel as if they were better off at home, but the realization is, that adult has a life and they can’t be home 24-7 caring for one, even though they try.