“I believe”
I believe that the majority of nursing homes receive a bad reputation. I work in a small nursing home and feel that the people that work there truly care about the residents and treat them as if they were their own family member. It is no secret that the wages are not the best and some of the employee’s could go down the street and do less work for the same pay. This makes me think that they work there because of their desire and willingness to help others and not because of the paycheck. I have heard facilities be judged on hearsay rather than the truth necessarily. Not only are people negative on their beliefs of nursing homes, but the media also gives nursing homes a bad reputation. Often times, the commercials on television are showing lawyers degrading nursing home care with their attempt to build a case. It seems that one bad incident in a nursing home can overshadow twenty good incidents. Unfortunately, you mostly only hear the talk about people’s negatives experiences. Incidents that occur in one nursing home do not necessarily occur in another nursing home and I feel that they should be judged individually by their acuity, rehabilitation outcomes, and staff turnover rate rather then negative hearsay. Many people who are admitted into a facility have the outlook that the nursing home is the last home before heaven and that they are just their to die. In the past, it may have seemed like that, but society is changing and long-term care facilities are adjusting by promoting cultural changes and person-centered care to meet society’s demands. Nursing homes are now providing rehabilitation services, daycare services, and respite services for the community. I feel that a person’s outlook on their stay has an affect on their quality of care during their stay. I have seen many people come for skilled nursing care and rehabilitation after a fracture to enable them to return to their prior living arrangements. I feel that if people would look around some of the nursing homes, that they would see the love being given during routine daily care of the residents. I hope that as society continues to evolve that the stigma of nursing homes will change and people will come to have a better perception of nursing homes in general. People should become more involved in their community to seek out the truth. It is said that one cannot judge a book by its cover and neither should one judge a long-term care facility by rumors.