To: President Donald Trump, The Indiana State House, The Indiana State Senate, Governor Eric Holcomb, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Higher Safety Standards/More Staff for Nursing Homes
How do you, as a free and powerful nation, wish to spend your last days? ..in a crowded, poorly funded, poorly staffed, big facility with safety issues and stress left and right? ..or in a smaller, more carefully controlled environment with low staff to client ratio, latest equipment, treatment, a good budget, and with highly skilled and well-paid staff? If we can fund our wars, space programs, poor youth, poor seniors, etc..why can't we fund our oldest and most vulnerable segment of our population?
Why is this important?
From the time I was a child, I can remember visiting relatives in nursing homes on field trips and with family. Perhaps some others can relate to the feeling of helplessness that one always seems to find in these places... I grew up and went into nursing as a career to try to face my fears. I have to say that overall, it really didn't help that much. After having worked in nursing homes, I still had that same helpless feeling...people I couldn't save from falling down, breaking bones, hitting and injuring each other because they had Alzheimer's/other behavior disorders, feeling like there would never be enough minutes or hours in the day to properly care for everyone, hygienic messes left and right, not enough aid staff, not enough coping/communication strategies taught for all staff to work together, etc. I feel there needs to be continued work at all levels to improve these situations, perhaps smaller group homes with plenty of staff..instead of large facilities with skeleton staff in comparison to client work load, (I have heard of small adult foster homes in Michigan that sound much more ideal than what I have encountered in Northeast Indiana). I don't believe an aid should have to take care of more than three or four people on a shift, whether working in a hospital or nursing home...nurses, perhaps not more than six clients. I think the pay rate needs to go up...no way it's high enough for what these people put up with even in the best of conditions. Thank-you for reading.