Help Me! Somebody Please Help Me!

Today I want to introduce you to Alice. I am not sure how old Alice is, but she looks to be in her late sixties. I believe she has been in the home for years. She too apparently suffers from some form of Dementia. You rarely see Alice out of her room; I do not know why. When somebody/anybody walks past her room she yells, "Please help me! Somebody please help me!" She does this because she says she has to go to the bathroom. She thinks she has to go to the bathroom constantly, or has she learned that is the only way she gets any attention? A lot of us rule these people out as having "lost their minds"...get to know them, they are more intelligent than you think.



I stopped by her room one day while she was yelling and she did not even mention having to go to the bathroom. We had a sweet conversation and she quieted right down. It amazes me that the Silver Lining Nursing Home staff has not figured this out yet. Maybe they have, but who has time to stop and talk to a lonely old lady, right?

Everyone Deserves "Special" Treatment

Belinda is an 80 year old woman that is in the Silver Lining Nursing Home. She is only supposed to be in the home while she is being rehabilitated after having surgery; at which time she will be going back to her own home.

Darnella is her roommate. She is older than Belinda and gets, what seems to be, "special" treatment. You see, Darnella's family is with her at least ten hours every day so she is catered to by the nursing home staff, as well as her family. Belinda rarely has any visitors and is the last one to get up and out of bed, to get her call button answered, and to be fed.

I sadly wonder if Belinda is wondering, 'why does she get special treatment?' I also wonder if Darnella realizes how blessed she is compared to the majority of the residents in the home.

You know, if I were "the home" I would cater more to those that do not have loved ones visiting on a regular basis. I would want them to feel just as special as their neighbor!

Give Me My Smile Back

Donald has been in the Silver Lining Nursing Home for five months. He tells me today that his dentures have not been taken out of his mouth to be soaked and cleaned since he has arrived here. Now this has me wondering about the rest of the residents. I would not hesitate to say that 75%, or more, of these precious people have dentures.

According to Dentalgentlecare.com the resin that a denture/parcial is made of has microscopic holes that can collect food or debris and/or bacteria. Dentures become contaminated because they are in the mouth on a daily basis and sometimes worn 24 hours a day. Continuous reinfection by dentures may lead to microbial disease that can be a cause of chronic systemic diseases. To read more visit http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/denture_home_care .

I am beginning to feel like Patch Adams (if you have not seen the movie, it is a good one) and believe with a little show of proper care, attention, and love these people would be smiling a whole lot more.

Listen To Me! I Have A Voice!

Today Donald tells me to look at his food tray. "It's sticky, just plain nasty" he tells me. I told him he should tell someone and he said, "I've tried, but nobody will listen to me". I sit back out of sight and witness him motion for at least six employees of the Silver Lining Nursing Home to 'come here'. They keep walking!

I told Donald to try pushing his call button because then someone would have to come and check on him. Fifteen to twenty minutes later an employee (C.N.A) comes in and asks, "what's wrong?". He tells her he wants "the kitchen" to know about the "nasty tray". She says she will tell someone.

I am surprised when someone from the kitchen actually comes to his room. He shows the lady the tray and instead of addressing him she starts apologizing to ME. Hello! He has ears and a voice! Listen and talk to HIM! She leaves the room and comes back with her supervisor which again addresses ME when she says her "entire line will be written up for allowing a tray like this to leave the kitchen".

I think I will make a sign to hang over his bed that says, LISTEN TO ME! I DO HAVE A VOICE!

Why Are You Holding Me Prisoner

Lillian spends her days wheeling around in her wheel chair humming and singing. I think this is her way of keeping her mind off of wanting to leave the Silver Lining Nursing Home. Apparently she has some form of Dementia because she has one of those sensors attached to her that sounds the alarm if she gets near the doors. Bless her heart! She will go up to the doors and almost shake them off of the hinges trying desperately to get out.

I wonder where she would go if she had all of her faculties about her. You know she can not possibly understand why she is never allowed to exit the building. She is a prisoner at the Silver Lining Nursing Home and is a prisoner in her own mind and body.

My Window To The World

Ms. Pearl is a resident at the Silver Lining Nursing Home. She is another sweet person that I take time to talk with almost every day. She has family that comes and visits, but I do not see them there very often.

Ms. Pearl has sad eyes, as do a lot of the residents in the nursing home. She sits in her wheel chair and stares out the window. I wonder what she is thinking...I wonder if she thinks, 'how did I end up here amongst all of these strangers?' I wonder while she is staring out of the window if she thinks, 'I wish I was outside instead of in here'.

There is a sun room at the nursing home and I find it interesting that you can almost always find someone sitting in there starting out of the window. I guess it really is their window to the world.

I think God is teaching me to appreciate life more by seeing the lives of these wonderful people through their eyes. What do you think?

Please Wash My Hands

As a self proclaimed germaphobe this issue really gets next to me. Betsy is a precious lady that can no longer walk. She spends her days in a wheel chair and her nights in her bed. She is a very sociable lady and tells some hilarious stories. I noticed while we were talking the other day that her hands were black from pushing her wheel chair around.

I take notice of most of the residents and low and behold they only get their hands washed once a day. These people shake hands, scratch heads, pick noses, and go to the bathroom throughout the day and when meal time comes their trays are plopped right down in front of them to eat with their dirty hands.

I think I have found an additional mission for me...I am going to get some baby wipes and go around and wash their hands.

The Midnight Train To Georgia

Today I want to talk about Birdie. Birdie is an adorable woman that apparently suffers from some form of Dementia. She thinks the Silver Lining Nursing Home is a train ride. Birdie does not even realize that she is in a nursing home on most days.

I stop and talk to her every chance that I get as she is so sweet and loves to laugh. As she tugs on the chair rail in the hall I ask her, "what are you doing?" Her reply, "Getting ready to get off of this train." I go on to ask her if she has enjoyed herself, in which she replies, "Oh yes!" as she looks past me and out of the window. I ask what is she looking at and she tells me she is checking to see if her taxi has arrived yet. I bet Birdie did a lot of traveling "back in the day". What a neat lady!

I think if I live to be old and have a choice of losing mind or body I would choose body. I think I would rather think I am on the midnight train to Georgia than to know I am helpless in a nursing home. What would you choose?

Help! I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up!

Before I start getting tons of emails from well-meaning, good at their profession CNA's and nurses; I must repeat not all employees in the health care industry are mediocre, or worse. Sometimes places are shorthanded (how in this economy I'll never know, but possible).

Today I want to talk about what happens during meal times when someone rings their call button. The call button is the button that someone pushes when they need help.

A resident at the Silver Lining Nursing Home need not need anything during meal time. I'll use supper for an example, from 4:30 to 7pm the employees are getting all of the residents (unless they are like Donald, then they may have to wait a couple of days to eat) served for supper. Please do not fall, have a heart attack, or any major problem during meal time. This is a major inconvenience and will not be tolerated. Seriously, if a resident pushes their call button during supper time someone might stop by within 30 minutes to check on them. What if someone has fallen and can't get up? Will they be in the floor until supper is over? Possibly.

Note if you have eyes on the inside you might be seen about within 30 minutes or so. Who knows how long the others have to wait.?.?.?

Donald - The Man Without Eyes On The Inside

I met Donald back in early June while I was visiting a friend at the Silver Lining Nursing Home. He was just returning from a stay in the hospital after having surgery. The ambulance service brought Donald in on a stretcher and transferred him to his hospital bed. While this was going on the gentleman was almost dropped and I looked over because of the commotion; Donald did not have a stitch of clothes on. Where were his clothes? Nobody knew! The nursing home staff find a hospital gown to give to him until his clothes can be found. You see Donald does not have family or friends close by so he doesn't have eyes on the inside. This man is completely dependent on total strangers.

Donald had arrived between 2pm and 3pm in the afternoon. Supper (as they call it here in the south) is served around 5pm. His roommate was served supper, but none was brought for Donald. At 6pm I mentioned it to the CNA that he had not received any food. A tray was brought to him around 6:30. The tray of food was brought in, set on his bed side table, and left...this gentleman was so weak that he can not stay awake, let alone lift his arms to feed himself. The tray was retrieved untouched around 7pm. This (tray not brought, then brought and dropped off, and full tray picked back up) went on for the next two days at all meals. On the third day he was brought food with the rest of the residents, but he was still too weak to feed himself.

I started talking to him, "Donald you better eat so you will get your strength back. Please try to eat. You'll feel better if you eat." He would eat a bite or two and drink his milk. I did this every day for at least two weeks and every day he ate a little more and every day he became stronger. I am convinced that the sweet gentleman that I refer to as Donald would have dried up and blown away if the Silver Lining Nursing Home had continued their meal practices!

Does your loved one have eyes on the inside?

Eyes on The Inside - A Story About Life In The Nursing Home

This blog is about life for the elderly or terminally ill that live in nursing homes. The names of people and places will be changed to protect the innocent.

Like any other field, the health care industry has good employees, mediocre employees, and employees that are riding a time clock just for the pay check. This blog is not intended to bash the health care/nursing home industry, but to give you a look from eyes on the inside. I am a private caregiver for the elderly and terminally ill so I am able to see what goes on - on the inside and I am in hopes that this will change the way you view the elderly and the terminally ill.

Please feel free to openly comment on any of my posts as this too is an ongoing learning experience for me.