Heath Care Vs. Nursing Homes
Essay by 24 • March 28, 2011 • 859 Words (4 Pages) • 1,993 Views
For many people the time will come when they can no longer take care of themselves. No one really wants this to happen, however nobody has the power to stop the way of life. As hard as it is to except the truth, it is just as hard on the family. They have to make the choice of where and what kind of care they want for their love ones. They only want the best care for the people they love. Although Nursing homes have been the popular and easier choice, private home care gives the elderly more opinions at a better life.
Nursing homes seem to be very popular, in the choice of where to put the elderly. However what many people don't know is that in the last 5 years over 150 nursing homes have been sued for abuse. That may not seem like a big number however even one is to many. Most abuse charges are: bedsores, malnutrition, wandering, falls, dehydration, elopement, physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Another thing most nursing homes have a 12 to 1 ratio, which means one nurse to 12 residents. This in other words means they wouldn't have the time or energy to give their full and 100% attention. Many older people feel when they are put in a home that the family has no use for them or lost use for them. It doesn't really help matters when the when the person who is taking care of them doesn't really care about them or care about what they want. With a private home care nurse, they don't have to feel like the family has dumped them off, but they have a new friend to spend the day with. Private home care nurses worry about the patient and family. The ratio is 1 to 1, the attention is all on the patient. That is the way it should be because the most important thing is the person they are caring for.
The most important thing is to make sure our loved ones are happy, and feel useful. The number one killer of the elderly is boredom. It is a slow, lonely and painful, death. It can seem more like a silent killer. A lot of nursing homes don't have much for residents to do; there isn't much to look forward to. Really all they do is eat, sleep and use the restroom. Most of them really die within a year or two after being put into a nursing home. Why wouldn't they, their world has been ribbed right from their feet, with no worry or an expedition. Many feel like everything they have worked for is gone, and now there is no point for them to carry on or even try to make the best of things. With private home care, the elderly don't have to feel alone or the pain of boredom. They can still live at home, walk down their halls, watch TV from their favorite chair, and sleep in their own bed. Life still as meaning, something to live for. The only thing that has changed is they have someone
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