The dark side of life here

TheOtherRick

TheOtherRick

Member
Location
Savannah Missouri
Don't get me wrong life is better here, but it does have its trade-offs, one of the biggest issues is the short-staffing problem that is affecting so much of the country right now. There are many facets of the problem, not enough people want to do this type of work for the pay, it's hard and dirty, sometimes downright filthy. Then there is corporate ownership trying to shoehorn every place into the same mold, which doesn't work we're not a fast-food restaurant.

They run two twelve-hour shifts here instead of the traditional three eight-hour shifts, the workday gets long, and the workers get exhausted in the last few hours things can get sloppy, and dangerous. Especially on the night shift in the early mornings, the other morning one of our troubled dementia residents who is also wheelchair bound decided that she needed to get up for whatever reason.

She got tangled up, fell, and broke her leg very badly which will probably prove to be fatal in her case, old people and breaks are very bad news, they are hard to recover from, and given her mental state the prognosis can't be good. Often times there is only one aide working, and that was the case when she fell.

I keep a urinal by my bed in case I need to use it at night, I woke up at three in the morning and reached for it and knocked it off, fortunately, it was empty, but it fell just out of reach so I put on the call light and waited and waited I fell asleep with the chimes ringing at the nurse's station. At 4:20 in the morning, the aide woke me up and gave me the urinal she had been sleeping in one of the empty rooms, I'm glad it was just a dropped urinal, but I'm wondering now how long that poor woman lay with a broken leg.
 

I don't know your circumstances, TOR. However, I think we are all humbled as we age. Things that were so simple that we didn't even think about them become a chore, difficult, and perhaps impossible. Sometimes we must give up some of our personal dignity, things we want private are exposed to helpers and family members. We have to set aside our pride and give up so much in the long journey to the end.

Tragedy is, sadly, part of the human condition.
 
TheOtherRick said:
Don't get me wrong life is better here, but it does have its trade-offs, one of the biggest issues is the short-staffing problem that is affecting so much of the country right now. There are many facets of the problem, not enough people want to do this type of work for the pay, it's hard and dirty, sometimes downright filthy. Then there is corporate ownership trying to shoehorn every place into the same mold, which doesn't work we're not a fast-food restaurant.

They run two twelve-hour shifts here instead of the traditional three eight-hour shifts, the workday gets long, and the workers get exhausted in the last few hours things can get sloppy, and dangerous. Especially on the night shift in the early mornings, the other morning one of our troubled dementia residents who is also wheelchair bound decided that she needed to get up for whatever reason.

She got tangled up, fell, and broke her leg very badly which will probably prove to be fatal in her case, old people and breaks are very bad news, they are hard to recover from, and given her mental state the prognosis can't be good. Often times there is only one aide working, and that was the case when she fell.

I keep a urinal by my bed in case I need to use it at night, I woke up at three in the morning and reached for it and knocked it off, fortunately, it was empty, but it fell just out of reach so I put on the call light and waited and waited I fell asleep with the chimes ringing at the nurse's station. At 4:20 in the morning, the aide woke me up and gave me the urinal she had been sleeping in one of the empty rooms, I'm glad it was just a dropped urinal, but I'm wondering now how long that poor woman lay with a broken leg.
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There are similar stories from regular hospitals. Like someone left on a hard plastic portable toilet for six hours. It's good to be aware. It seems like a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Having a friend or relative who can intercede helps.
Thanks for sharing, Rick. I wish you the best.
 
I remember working as an OT in a nursing home and feeling badly for the residents. Sometimes I would hear someone calling for water and being ignored. I would be conflicted, because you couldn't just give water to someone; they might have had fluid restrictions. The nurses and aides were always stretched to the limit and too busy to answer call bells.

The way that medical care has been taken over by corporations has made receiving meaningful and appropriate care difficult, if not impossible.
 
TheOtherRick said:
Don't get me wrong life is better here, but it does have its trade-offs, one of the biggest issues is the short-staffing problem that is affecting so much of the country right now. There are many facets of the problem, not enough people want to do this type of work for the pay, it's hard and dirty, sometimes downright filthy. Then there is corporate ownership trying to shoehorn every place into the same mold, which doesn't work we're not a fast-food restaurant.

They run two twelve-hour shifts here instead of the traditional three eight-hour shifts, the workday gets long, and the workers get exhausted in the last few hours things can get sloppy, and dangerous. Especially on the night shift in the early mornings, the other morning one of our troubled dementia residents who is also wheelchair bound decided that she needed to get up for whatever reason.

She got tangled up, fell, and broke her leg very badly which will probably prove to be fatal in her case, old people and breaks are very bad news, they are hard to recover from, and given her mental state the prognosis can't be good. Often times there is only one aide working, and that was the case when she fell.

I keep a urinal by my bed in case I need to use it at night, I woke up at three in the morning and reached for it and knocked it off, fortunately, it was empty, but it fell just out of reach so I put on the call light and waited and waited I fell asleep with the chimes ringing at the nurse's station. At 4:20 in the morning, the aide woke me up and gave me the urinal she had been sleeping in one of the empty rooms, I'm glad it was just a dropped urinal, but I'm wondering now how long that poor woman lay with a broken leg.
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I know I’m a NARC, but the corporation could hire a TRAVEL CNA or TRAVEL NURSE to fill in the staffing gaps. They just won’t do it because they don’t want to spend the money.

All the money is flowing to the top. But there are minimum staffing laws and requirements. Stories like this just piss me off. The patients didn’t pay into Medicare their whole lives just to be left waiting for an exhausted CNA because she fell asleep.

I wonder if there are even laws about the 12-hour shift? Might not be, but that’s something to mention too.
Your rights: Residents' Rights & Quality of Care | CMS
Call AARP Legal Hotline to see if they are breaking the laws (I wish every state had something like this for Family Law): https://www.aarp.org/legal-counsel-for-elderly/. 202-434-2120

Report Unsafe Conditions to Medicare. THEY are paying for every resident there. https://www.medicare.gov/claims-app...filing-a-complaint-about-your-quality-of-care. 1-800-633-4227
 
Aunt Bea said:
Rick,

Does your home have an ombudsman to represent you and the other residents.

If so please take the time to learn and use the process when you feel it’s necessary.

Ombudsman Program | Health & Senior Services
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Don’t bother with the Omsbudsman. They could be secret allies with the Corporate Model.

Cut out the middle man and call the AARP Legal Hotline and Medicare directly.
 
Understaffing in jobs like this are why we need (legal) immigration. I've met some lovely hispanic people living in a motel near me and they are anxious to work, work, work!

3 people in eight hour shifts, not 2 people in twelve hour shifts. It is simply Greed at work, greed, not caring for actual people.
 
Pepper said:
Understaffing in jobs like this are why we need (legal) immigration. I've met some lovely hispanic people living in a motel near me and they are anxious to work, work, work!

3 people in eight hour shifts, not 2 people in twelve hour shifts. It is simply Greed at work, greed, not caring for actual people.
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Precisely the same thing been happening here for at lest 20 years if not more...
 
Isn't this type of thing, ultimately, inevitable in any system that is run for profit? Business owners will always be looking for ways to maximize their investment, and some customers are simply more vulnerable than others. The only way they can be compelled to hire more staff, surely, would be either regulation or a law suit. One assumes that caring about customers would be enough to keep a business on the straight and narrow, but it's hardly ever the case, is it?
 
TheOtherRick said:
There are rumors circulating that corporate wants to shut this place I'm hoping it's just a rumor but they may be anticipating a lawsuit over the broken leg incident and shutting down may be a way to head off a big loss. I hope not I don't know where or how we'd go.
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I would think there would be patient advocates of some kind with info on relocations.
 
In Berlin the Protestant Church closed senior homes only to fill them subsequently with migrants from the Middle East and Africa. They get much more money from the government (i.e. the tax payers) if they do this.
 
George1959 said:
In Berlin the Protestant Church closed senior homes only to fill them subsequently with migrants from the Middle East and Africa. They get much more money from the government (i.e. the tax payers) if they do this.
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yep similar things have happened here... same with hotels.. Many hotel chains have stopped leasing rooms to visitors because the government pays them more to house these migrants.

Just one of the many things that have caused the anger in people to create the protests
 
George1959 said:
Yes, we also have some hotel chains who now earn money being part of the 'refugee industry'.
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can anybody make any sense out of it ?..why ?.. most of these people don't work, they draw benefits instead and their rent in those hotels are paid...so what are we... the population missing?.. why is this happening..?
Why is it that we British/Americans/Canadians/Australians/Germans/Italians/French... cannot find hotels in Romania, Bulgaria, Vietnam/Randa.. etc... all paying for us to stay in their hotels for free....?

..anyone got any answers?
 
TheOtherRick said:
There are rumors circulating that corporate wants to shut this place I'm hoping it's just a rumor but they may be anticipating a lawsuit over the broken leg incident and shutting down may be a way to head off a big loss. I hope not I don't know where or how we'd go.
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Don't panic Rick. They shut down a nursing home in the county next to me a number of years ago. It re-opened years later under new owners. But every resident went to another nursing home. No one was one the street. They don't do this overnight and it's likely a rumor.

As far as the lady who broke her leg goes, this is reportable and the state will investigate. They will blame the facility. Not look at staffing. However someone on the night shift sleeping is illegal and egregious. Makes me so mad.

That lady could make it or not. You'd be amazed who can survive surgery. I am so sorry you had to wait like that.

As far as them getting rid of the administration. That's typical and a corporate ploy. In the end, it solves nothing and isn't good for floor staff moral. Bleep those state surveyors. They are all a bunch of personality disorders in my opinion.
 

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