Abuse in Nursing Homes or Assisted Living

katlupe said:
I put the wow on not because I was shocked but because I was surprised due to what you said: "they weren't required to have any special training/certification; and we could accept folks in wheelchairs, as long as they were ambulatory."

In NY, at least where I lived the certification course was much more than 2 weeks. And you had to take a test given by a state representative and it was a very serious test. Plus you had to go to inservices constantly to keep your training current with new regulations and methods of doing things. Back then we were not drug tested, but probably are now.

I think the reason that drug addicts, homeless and poor individuals are directed toward these type of jobs is because they think they can teach them these skills. But that keeps the job of caring for nursing home residents classified as a low level job. It shouldn't be. You really need to be a compassionate type of person to be good at it. Plus this type of job places drug addicts right in an area where they can get more drugs. This is why you have to be careful when you have home aides coming into your home also.
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Thanks for clarifying!
When their Home was open (decades ago in NY), aides only needed to have BLS training, they didn't need to be CNA's or anything like that; I think my father was the only person who had actual medical training. My training was in a different state, also decades ago, so I was kinda stunned to see how lax training and standards are in my current location.
 

Totally agree with Katlupe...it's a tough job,hard on the body,the pay scale,especially in upstate NY is abysmal,operating without sufficient staff is pretty much standard operating procedure
 
Floridatennisplayer said:
And sadly, people spend outrageous sums of money for LTC insurance for this wonderful opportunity.
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You're entitled to your opinion, and I'm entitled to politely disagree with you. As I've said elsewhere, we bought LTCi because we have average mortality risk but above-average morbidity risk.

We investigated nine full-service senior facilities in our area for my MIL. That included multiple visits, dining at least twice, observing Memory Care classes and touring both Skilled Care Nursing and Memory Care units. The good quality places were very good indeed. Our top two choices for her, in fact, were #3 and #6 in the state rankings.

My MIL dined with three other women for her meals. She was the "baby" at 84 - the other women were in their late 80's and one was age 99, using a wheelchair. They had been residents for over twenty years, and loved living there.

Fast forward to today, and those two facilities remain our top choices for ourselves as well. But they are not cheap. Without LTCi benefits, my spouse and I would not be able to sustain SCN/MC costs for one of us if needed for more than seven years. If BOTH of us needed care, our assets would drain even faster. The income and Medicare tax hit would be devastating in itself.

I salute anyone who has enough assets to self-insure. We can only do it for a limited amount of time. Current morbidity statistics do not inspire me with confidence that we could withstand a decade or more of serious mental/physical ill-health without impoverishing one or both of us.
 

I can only speak of New York state,haven't had any reason to inquire about other areas...
LTC insurance is prohibitively expensive for a large part of the population.Most if not all surrender their social security and get their meager allowance each month,someone stated 20.00,I believe it's now 50.00
I come from a somewhat unique perspective,I was a CNA for 25+ years and then after my husband passed I developed some cardiac problems and was a resident for 4 months,so basically both sides of the call bell.
Like any business,it's all about the bottom line and nothing more,I have witnessed shortages of supplies and equipment,many have been taken over by large investors group and have partnered with other facilities.
It's all about the staff,the workload for said staff,call outs are frequent as are no shows,sadly,it's a very needy group which can become overwhelming rapidly,consequently,there's a huge turnover!I
The state dept of health does inspections once a year,usually around the same time and facilities will call each other to let them know to expect a visit,unless there are numerous complaints,then they may show up unexpectedly.
Best idea is to visit frequently,paying attention to your loved ones mental and physical state as well as their belongings.
 
Anyone can work in a nursing home, and that's the problem. You can become employed at 8 AM, and be on the floor working at 8:01 AM. You start at minimum wage and in ten years, you'll be making minimum wages. It's back breaking work. And those sweet little old ladies ,, and gents, can haul off, and paste you right in the face. They can swear at you. Scream at you. Spit on you. Throw feces on you. Vomit on you. Piss on you. Kick you. Grab your hair. Throw dinner trays. Helping someone to bed may mean getting pummeled by canes ,fists , & feet, and anything within reach. And you have to endure all that for minimum wage. And the oldsters are extremely fragile. Just holding there hand may cause fractures. Whatever walks in the door, gets hired. Most don't think dear sweet Aunt Mary is combative and has sent staff to the ER, but it does happen. We expect nursing homes to be staffed with highly qualified, caring people, the best medical staff, and provide an immaculate setting, with chef quality cuisine, and all for $1.80/day.
 
As a former employee of a nursing home, I would suggest visiting multiple times at different times of the day and take an extra set of eyes & ears with you. What you miss the other person might see or here. While you're checking things out and talking to staff the other person can be watching and listening to what's going on around you. Pay heed to the amount of attention that the caregivers are giving the residents within your immediate line of sight. Watch their body language, their tone of voice, how they are manipulating the residents or their wheelchairs etc. Sometimes if there's hinky stuff going on, if the other person strikes up a conversation with a resident sometimes they will tell people what they think of their stay there.
 
Lethe200 said:
You're entitled to your opinion, and I'm entitled to politely disagree with you. As I've said elsewhere, we bought LTCi because we have average mortality risk but above-average morbidity risk.

We investigated nine full-service senior facilities in our area for my MIL. That included multiple visits, dining at least twice, observing Memory Care classes and touring both Skilled Care Nursing and Memory Care units. The good quality places were very good indeed. Our top two choices for her, in fact, were #3 and #6 in the state rankings.

My MIL dined with three other women for her meals. She was the "baby" at 84 - the other women were in their late 80's and one was age 99, using a wheelchair. They had been residents for over twenty years, and loved living there.

Fast forward to today, and those two facilities remain our top choices for ourselves as well. But they are not cheap. Without LTCi benefits, my spouse and I would not be able to sustain SCN/MC costs for one of us if needed for more than seven years. If BOTH of us needed care, our assets would drain even faster. The income and Medicare tax hit would be devastating in itself.

I salute anyone who has enough assets to self-insure. We can only do it for a limited amount of time. Current morbidity statistics do not inspire me with confidence that we could withstand a decade or more of serious mental/physical ill-health without impoverishing one or both of us.
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And you are entitled to your opinion as well
 
MarciKS said:
That's also another factor in play is what a person can or can't afford. The nursing homes I've seen have all treated the paying residents better than the ones who were on the State's dime. That should never be a factor when it comes to elderly care.
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In an ideal world, maybe that's true. But it's not the world you and I live in, unfortunately.

Person-on-person healthcare and medical assistance is expensive. I wouldn't do it (and physically COULD NOT do it) for eight hours a day at $15/hr or even $35/hr. Even as an executive assistant I made more than that in the last year I worked (2006) in a comfy office job.

If you are middle-class in the U.S. you might get very good medical care when needed - but you also might not. But if you're in the 1% or even the top 10% you'll likely afford a lot better care than my friend who is struggling with breast cancer recurrence on Medicaid.

She doesn't even want to think about what might happen to her should she survive and end up becoming elderly with only SocSec to depend on. My spouse and I have choices that she never will. Divorce devastated her finances and she was never able to recover economically.
 
It's a sin and a shame that elderly people are being abused like that. Many have no one or family members that only come once in awhile. I visited my mother twice a day when I was well enough and my uncle went up at dinner time when he was well enough. Home health aides have just as much opportunity (if they are inclined) to abuse their patients. I agree with visiting nursing homes but some things about the home may not be obvious to visitors. There are sites that give nursing home ratings based on certain categories. Here's the Medicare site:
https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html
After you find nursing homes in your area, use the tabs across the top once you open a listing to get detailed information about each category. (ie: General Information>Health Inspections (includes full reports) >Fire Safety Inspection, etc.)
 
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Lethe200 said:
In an ideal world, maybe that's true. But it's not the world you and I live in, unfortunately.

Person-on-person healthcare and medical assistance is expensive. I wouldn't do it (and physically COULD NOT do it) for eight hours a day at $15/hr or even $35/hr. Even as an executive assistant I made more than that in the last year I worked (2006) in a comfy office job.

If you are middle-class in the U.S. you might get very good medical care when needed - but you also might not. But if you're in the 1% or even the top 10% you'll likely afford a lot better care than my friend who is struggling with breast cancer recurrence on Medicaid.

She doesn't even want to think about what might happen to her should she survive and end up becoming elderly with only SocSec to depend on. My spouse and I have choices that she never will. Divorce devastated her finances and she was never able to recover economically.
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Preaching to the choir here about divorce and devastated finances.
 
jerry old said:
do you have relatives, friends that can make unannounced visits-nursing homes hate unannounced visits, but it gives them a head's up-'someone is interested in this resident's welfare.
Consider:
Church affiliated nursing homes, where the profit motive is not the only
consideration would be my pick.

Investigate, take your time, don't rush a decision. If you get a feeling,
'things aren't quite right,' LISTEN!
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Hmm, I was in a Church nursing home, it was clean, guess cause cleanliness, is next to godliness. Other than that, horrific.
 
JaniceM said:
When my parents owned and operated a home many decades ago, they were absolutely livid when hearing stories in the news about abuse and neglect of elderly persons in nursing homes and similar facilities.
However, there's another serious issue that either wasn't as common in those days or wasn't known about- misusing psychiatric medications to control patients' behavior and make them more 'manageable.'
Statistics from research nearly 4 years ago stated "25% of nursing home residents in this country are on anti-psychotic medications"- often without the patients' or family members' consent, and without any medical necessity.
Considering the widespread 'push' for what some refer to as psychiatric drugging, it's safe to assume this problem is worsening.
So if you don't mind some advice, don't move into any facility without somehow learning if they practice this.
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This is so true. I was so unhappy that my insurance insisted on my going to a nursing home after my hospital stay. Because I hated it instantly, a nurse came in and said they would give me some medication to make me “happier to be there”, refused. Stayed about 36 and left. Never again.
 
@Michella A please be very very careful before making this life altering experience
I worked in a Nursing Home In Adelaide South Australia for many years and it was one of the better ones but there were and still many where the Nursing Home residents are left unattended for lengthy periods and often in wet beds
Ambulant residents are better off but I always remember one darling old lady who told me 'I am just one of a herd now'
There are regimented meal times and activity times which may not suit you....would not suit me that's for sure
During this Covid-19 Pandemic Nursing Home residents are confined to the grounds of the home unable to go anywhere
 
peramangkelder said:
@Michella A please be very very careful before making this life altering experience
I worked in a Nursing Home In Adelaide South Australia for many years and it was one of the better ones but there were and still many where the Nursing Home residents are left unattended for lengthy periods and often in wet beds
Ambulant residents are better off but I always remember one darling old lady who told me 'I am just one of a herd now'
There are regimented meal times and activity times which may not suit you....would not suit me that's for sure
During this Covid-19 Pandemic Nursing Home residents are confined to the grounds of the home unable to go anywhere
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With culture change some of the "regimented" things have a little more slack now. If a resident isn't hungry for breakfast at 7 a.m. they can arrange to have it later. If they don't want anything except coffee at 9 o'clock that's ok too. They're at least trying to do away with the hospital model and make it more home-like except for the fact that they are often understaffed and there is often neglect.
 
Aneeda72 said:
This is so true. I was so unhappy that my insurance insisted on my going to a nursing home after my hospital stay. Because I hated it instantly, a nurse came in and said they would give me some medication to make me “happier to be there”, refused. Stayed about 36 and left. Never again.
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LOL! Like that medication is gonna make it all better.
 
I have had experience of nursing homes and hostel accommodation for several of my dear old ones. My mother and maiden aunt, who had lived together for decades decided to move into hostel care when Auntie was becoming physically frail. They did not want to be separated and in the hostel Auntie could have the level of care she needed and Mum was able to get out and about but without the need to cook and clean house. They stayed together until Auntie needed more care than they were set up for and she moved very reluctantly into a nursing home and it was not long before she had a stroke and really needed nursing care. The separation was very painful for both of them and Auntie took it very badly, however, the care at both places was excellent. The staff were very professional and caring and I could walk in at any time of the day to see what was going on there.

Eventually Mum succumbed to senile dementia and needed secure accommodation to prevent her from wandering away. We found a place for her in a specially designed dementia hostel. She still had her own little suite - bed sitting room with TV and an ensuite but unlike the previous hostel, there was no sink, fridge and tea making facilities. However, at any time at all, visitors could enter the kitchen and prepare a tray of tea or coffee and raid the biscuit tin. Then we could find a nice quiet nook in the sun and enjoy the visit. This facility also had a lovely garden that the residents were free to access themselves and a BBQ area where visitors could celebrate birthdays etc whenever they wished. My MIL was in the same facility before Mum and we were very much amused when we held a bit of a family party for her to find that a number of the residents wandered out to join us when they heard us singing Happy Birthday. Everyone had cake and it was like an extended family celebration.

For both MIL and Mum the time came when they needed full nursing home care and they were simply transferred to another section of the same facility. Eventually both ladies died there and the atmosphere was so much better than being in a hospital. Not only were the residents cared for lovingly, so were the distressed families.

All of the facilities I have referred to were not for profit aged care facilities. The dementia one is an industry leader in Australia. When my time comes I would much prefer a not for profit one. The staffing is more stable and better qualified, and there is a philosophy of care that supersedes the profit motive.
 
Aneeda72 said:
This is so true. I was so unhappy that my insurance insisted on my going to a nursing home after my hospital stay. Because I hated it instantly, a nurse came in and said they would give me some medication to make me “happier to be there”, refused. Stayed about 36 and left. Never again.
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I'm glad to hear you got out of that awful and dangerous place!
 
I began working in the hospital biz in 1966. And I can honestly say, I have never seen a patient get beat up, or asaulted. Patients beating the hell out of the staff- oh, hell yeah. Does abuse happen? Yes. But I think it occurs a lot less than what is presented on those TV scandal of the week shows. I believe what abuse there is comes more from neglect than assault. You don't need some fancy degree, or insider info, you can tell what kind of place you're in by the way the residents look. Do they look neglected? Do residents look comfortable? That is going to be readily apparent. Does the staff seem overwhelmed? This ain't rocket science-what you see is what you get.
 

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