Nursing Homes and the Seniors We Love
Good morning everyone! Well, it has been a long night and I haven’t went to bed yet. I plan on crawling into bed hopefully early this afternoon. As many of you know, I am a care-giver to my 89 year old great auntie who is like my grandmother. She helped my single mother raise my brother and me. We are extremely close and she never had any children of her own & practically raised my mother since my grandmother died at a young age.
Today’s topic is something a little different and something I have wanted to discuss here on our blog for a long time. Today is the day! Great auntie has been living in the assisted living wing at the nursing home for almost 2 years now. We are still responsible for providing 75% of her care. With that said, I need to talk to you all about something that is extremely important.
We all live very busy lives and I completely understand that. However, I do NOT understand how families can drop loved ones off at nursing homes and only come in to see them a few times every year, mostly around the holidays! What the hell is that about people? Really? If you think this doesn’t go on often, I am here to tell you that it is an EPIDEMIC! It happens it large numbers and it needs to stop!!!
Between myself, my mother and my aunt…we go in to see auntie several times a week! We are very involved in her care and she gets visitors at least 3 times a week. Sure, on some days she isn’t aware we are there and on others she is. We are doing the RIGHT thing and being very involved & not just showing up around the holidays or when we can “fit” her in. That is ridiculous and crapola!
Yes, we lead very busy lives! I run 4 businesses and work 50 hours a week. My husband is busy and works 55 hours a week. We are all busy!!! However, she is LOVED and it is our responsibility to be in there at least twice if not three times a week between the four of us we get it done. We don’t believe in dropping off our loved ones into a facility and making them someone else’s problem! That is just plain WRONG!
Every week when we go in there we find more and more seniors who are there who haven’t seen friends or loved ones in months! What the hell is that about? I would say that at least 65% if not 70% of the patients/residents in there don’t get regular visitors and that is WRONG!!!
Even if you don’t have a loved one in a nursing home you can still help! Help to end this epidemic by volunteering your time. These loved ones love it when volunteers come in to read to them, build puzzles with them, play games or just sit with them to watch a little TV. These little things mean the world to them! If you can spare an extra hour or two every month, I really encourage you to spend it with some seniors at a local facility to you. We need to end this epidemic today!!!
Getting off my soap box now but I really hope that my “words” will help people to make the right decisions and hopefully we can make a difference even if it is a small one.