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Want to see people survive fear, physical deprivation, and politics while isolated in a hazardous environment? Don’t bother searching the TV Guide for a listing. Just visit your local nursing home. Nursing home residents face incredible challenges every day. While they battle debilitating diseases and loss of mental functioning, their arduous climb to recovery is hampered and exasperated by a system of poor care and negligence. After suffering a stroke, my 89-year-old mother needed long-term care. She overcame the disease with strength and determination, but the lack of proper care and safety in the nursing home was beyond her endurance. (Full story coming soon.) Due to profit motives or lack of government funding, nursing homes do not hire enough nurses and nurse aides to ensure proper care and safety for their residents. For people with these tremendous needs, getting a drink of water or getting to the toilet is no less daunting than foraging for food or finding shelter in the wilderness. If a person is bedridden, his or her dependence on an overworked and frustrated staff becomes a trial of patience and fortitude. The National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) reports: In July, 2000, the Health Care Financing Administration issued a report showing that fewer than half of the nation’s 16,000 nursing homes have enough nursing assistants to avoid harm to residents. Fewer than half also have enough licensed nurses (RNs and LPNs/LVNs) to provide adequate planning, direct care and supervision. The Nursing Home Coalition of New York State provides these statistics: Present Ratios Based Upon 1997 Cost Reports
People in nursing homes do not vote or buy cars or travel the paths of e-commerce; therefore, they are forgotten, their problems rationalized, and their citizenship diminished. They have been voted off of our island. Vote them back on by supporting new laws and increased government funding to ensure proper nursing home care. Sign and distribute a petition urging Congress to support higher standards of care in nursing homes. For information and copies of the petition, contact: National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) In New York, the State Assembly will soon be
voting on Bill No. A04171, which will mandate a staffing ratio of 1 aide to
every
5 residents. For more information on the bill and ways to show your support,
contact: Contents of This
Section This web page and entire website © Copyright: 1997 - 2007 by Hearts and Minds Network, Inc. http://www.heartsandminds.org/articles/nursehome.htm - online May 11, 2001, latest text changes April 21, 2006 |
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