ENGL 1302 composition
Draper 6
Allison Draper
Alex Kurian
ENG 1302
3 May 2015
For Nursing Homes
Does every single elder person need to go into assisted living after a certain point in his or her life? Should one’s family have a say in whether or not one gets put into a nursing home? Is the financial aspect the most important deciding factor for those considering nursing homes for loved ones? These are questions that people are faced with when thinking about elderly people getting put into nursing homes. Elderly people should be put in nursing homes because nursing homes provide constant care, have a better social aspect and are cost effective.
Nursing homes in the United States have been around for many years. According to ‘The Changing Structure of the Nursing Home Industry and the Impact of Ownership on Quality, Cost, and Access’, “The nursing home sector has, however, been dominated by proprietary providers for decades, and publicly held corporations owning and operating nursing homes have been prevalent since the late 1960s.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “States with the highest proportions of older people in their populations in 2013 included Florida, West Virginia, Maine, and Pennsylvania (all above 15 percent).” In addition, “The West and South regions experienced the fastest growth in their 65-plus and 85-plus populations between 2000 and 2013” (U.S. Census Bureau).
**Cause/Effect As people age, they have a higher risk of becoming sick. The side effects of diseases are innumerable, from memory loss to weakening of muscles to hallucinations. If an elder has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and has to deal with hallucinations, this could be incredibly dangerous to his or her safety. When in a nursing home, the nurses and volunteers are able to give continuous care to the people living there. Whether someone needs help taking medication, eating food or going to the restroom, there is always someone on duty ready to help. According to ‘Nursing Homes’, “For those residents that need help with daily tasks, nursing homes are great for this because they help immensely. These daily tasks include bathing, dressing, eating, drinking, running errands, and much more.” Nurses are able to help the elderly make a variety of choices that can ultimately help improve their health, even if only by a little.
At a nursing home, there are nurses and volunteers ready to help an elder 24 hours a day. According to John W. Rowe and Robert L. Kahn, a person’s “…choices including changes in diet, types of exercise, mental stimulation, self-efficacy, and dynamic connections can improve one’s health, no matter what age.” Despite the fact that doctors may not be in the building all 24 hours of the day, the staff can keep a watchful eye over all the patients throughout the day and night. The full time constant care that nursing homes provide give the families of the elder patients a break from busy schedules. According to ‘Nursing Homes’, “Most of the time, family becomes the caretaker for the elderly, but it is hard to take care of them when you have a life or family to take care of as well. Nursing homes are a great way to getting them the care they deserve with round the clock service.” The staff at the nursing homes have one responsibility while on duty, and that is to continually care for the elder people there. They don’t have to worry about personal responsibilities while on duty; they are fully committed to serving the patients in the homes.
If a family member were to try and take care of the elder by himself or herself, then he or she could have a difficult time constantly being there. This is because caring for an elder person can require the work of a full time employee, not knowing exactly when the elder may need help and what he or she might need help with. According to ‘5 Benefits of Working in a Nursing Home or Long-Term Care Facility’, “People who chose to go into geriatric care are often caring, patient people. They like to help others, and really enjoy getting to know their patients.” Nursing homes allow for the family to entrust that their aged family member is in the hands of licensed professionals who provide unceasing care.
**Emotion To be around people who are in a similar stage of life as you is like living in a dorm for college - everyone is there for the same overall purpose, but each person has his or her personal reason for why he or she is there. Every person living in a nursing home is there for the same overall reason - they need help because they are unable to live on their own. However, the ultimate reason each person is there can be different. Some elders may have cancer, Parkinson’s, arthritis or even osteoporosis, which makes them unable to do activities on their own. But in a nursing home, each person living there is surrounded by other people who are in a similar stage of life. Therefore, this gives them opportunities to socialize with other residents. “Maintaining an active social life can help ward off the feelings of isolation and loneliness that can lead to depression” (Elizabeth Meyer). The elderly are not always in their rooms; assisted living centers have groups of children come and do performances and also have movie nights. According to Seth Schiesel, “…even nursing-home residents have been drawn to the Wii's simple games such as tennis and bowling. This helps form a comradery between residents that forces them to interact with one another…” Activities such as these allow the residents in the nursing homes to get together and participate in fun activities.
Opportunities for socialization are not only with the residents in the facility. According to Joyce McQueen, “Many facilities even offer guest lectures from visiting scholars and professionals. Those communities located on or near a college usually enable residents to take advantage of the nearby campus resources, including courses and cultural events.” When an elder person who is sick is taken care of by a family member at home, he or she can feel a sense of loneliness or become depressed as opportunities for interaction with others may be limited.
At a nursing home, a sick senior person is able to come in contact with others who are also of an older age and are also sick. A situation such as this gives every person involved a sense of community. These feelings of bonding with others and feeling like they are in a place where they belong help his or her personal psyche. According to Elizabeth Meyer, “Loneliness can easily take its toll on individuals of every age, but there's greater concern for older adults as routines and independence changes. Socialization can have a positive effect where isolation is concerned by helping seniors feel loved and needed.” If a person were to live in a hospital or have a caregiver at home, it would take a lot more effort to meet up with other elder people. Nursing homes allow the seniors to spend time with other seniors easily without having to move to a new location.
**Comparison/Contrast While some elderly live in assisted living homes, others live in the care areas of hospitals. Some elderly people even have in-home registered nurse assistance. Assisted living homes can make the elderly feel like they are at home more than a specific care area of the hospital can. According to CBS News, “It costs up to $10,000 a day to maintain someone in certain units of the hospital depending on their personal needs.” If there was an elder person who had more than one disease, the price could reach extremely high numbers for the family to pay very fast. According to Guide to Nursing Homes, “As far as in-home registered nurse assistance goes, it can be anywhere from $50-$100 per hour.” While an in-home registered nurse may be the best fit for some sick elder people, generally overall for most elder people, nursing homes are the most cost efficient option. “On average per year, hospital units can cost up to $650,000 and in-home registered nurse assistance can cost anywhere from $127,750 to $255,500 a year for a 7 hour workday” (Guide to Nursing Homes). According to Guide to Nursing Homes, “Nursing homes average $76,000 per year.” $76,000 is not cheap, but it is still cheaper than the other two options.
As the economy continues to worsen and large payments become more of a burden for families, cost effectiveness is something people are beginning to, or should be paying more attention to. According to Pamela Yip, a writer for the Dallas Morning News, “Medicare does cover some home health care [a caregiver], but those services are intended mainly for patients recovering from illnesses or injuries. The federal health care program just is not set up to meet the long-term day-to-day needs of the chronically ill.” The government program Medicare, which is usually only given to people ages 65 and older, does not offer enough support for most families to be able to hire a caregiver for an elder person due to the high costs. Even if it did, nursing homes provide more service for the amount of money that is being paid. As some nursing homes may be more expensive than others, overall, they are more cost effective.
Those with a different point of view may argue that if an elder person lives at home, then a family member can be readily available to help him or her with anything that he or she may need. However, I would respond by saying that people tend to get busy and have many things to worry about, so a family member may have other engagements, causing him or her to not always be readily available. Proponents of the counter position may say that being in a large nursing home surrounded by other elder sick people can create a feeling of unhappiness. However, I would respond by saying that when sick elderly people are around other sick elderly people, that environment actually brings them closer together, creating a friendship because they know they are not alone in the situation. There are others who can empathize with them, and with whom they can identify.
In order to improve an elder person’s experience in a nursing home, nursing homes around the United States can take various steps. First, the inside of the nursing homes should be made more attractive. For example, large pictures/paintings depicting beautiful scenery (such as the countryside or a day on a lake) could essentially improve the overall mood of the elder living there. Furthermore, pictures of the members’ family (e.g. children and grandchildren) or pictures of the members doing something they enjoy, may help to focus on positive, rather than negative thoughts. A professional interior decorator should be hired, so that appropriate color schemes and themes could be chosen for the different rooms/hallways. Second, nursing homes should be required by law to have specific activities for the elderly to participate in, especially outdoors (weather permitting, of course). I would suggest group outings at least once a week. The outings would be to a calm but vibrant place, like an arboretum or the zoo. This will give the elderly the chance to benefit from nature and not feel too confined in their living quarters. Another option would be for the elders to go see movies in theatres. Surveys can be distributed to the residents, to get an idea of what kind of activities/outings they would prefer. For any who are unable to leave the facility (due to health reasons) or during the winter, a variety of activities should be scheduled. These could include games like bingo, guest speakers, in-home movie nights, scrapbooking, talent night, and so on. Hopefully, these suggestions will make their stay in nursing homes more comfortable and enjoyable.
Works Cited
‘5 Benefits of Working in a Nursing Home or Long-Term Care Facility.’ Harris School of Business, n.d. https://www.harrisschool.edu/5-benefits-of-working-in-a-nursing-home-or-long-term-care-facility. Accessed 29 Apr. 2015.
‘65+ in the United States: 2013.’ US Census Bureau, May 2014, https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/p23-212.pdf. Accessed 27 Apr. 2015.
Court, Andy. "The Cost of Dying." CBSNews. 19 Nov. 2012, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-cost-of-dying/CBS Interactive. Accessed 29 Apr. 2015.
Hawes, Catherine and Charles Phillips. ‘The Changing Structure of the Nursing Home Industry and the Impact of Ownership on Quality, Cost, and Access.’ National Center for Biotechnology Information, 1986, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK217907/. Accessed 29 Apr.2015.
Loos, Rhonda, RN, and Amy Hackney Blackwell. "Nursing Homes." The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 4th ed., vol. 5, Gale, 2008, pp. 2525-2528. Health & Wellness Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3662600804/HWRC?u=txshracd2500&sid=HWRC&xid=24dc85ea. Accessed 25 Apr. 2015.
Margerie, Linda et al. Guide to Nursing Homes. Stockstill Publishing, 2014. 47, 78, 82.
McQueen, Joyce. "What should we do with mother?" Vibrant Life, Jan.-Feb. 1993, p. 22+. Health & Wellness Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A13396168/HWRC?u=txshracd2500&sid=HWRC&xid=33efbb8d. Accessed 27 Apr. 2015.
Meyer, Elizabeth. ‘Why It’s Important That Seniors Have A Social Life.’ Walker Methodist, 24 Jan. 2010, http://blog.walkermethodist.org/blog/why-its-important-for-seniors-to-have-a-social-life. Accessed 27 Apr.2015.
Rowe, John W., and Robert Louis Kahn. Successful Aging. Pantheon, 2005. 13.
Schiesel, Seth. "O.K., Avatar, Work With Me." New York Times, 15 May 2008, p. G1(L). Opposing Viewpoints in Context, dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A179012029/OVIC?u=txshracd2500&xid=1de3bdf5. Accessed 28 Apr. 2015.
Yip, Pamela. "In The Right Hands." The Dallas Morning News 7 Jan. 2015, p.D01.