It is this reporter's opinion that most of us, certainly as we grow older, are experiencing more visits to hospitals or nursing homes ... and that, my friends, is a story in itself.
An old friend once said to me, "Whatever you do, stay out of the hospital - you'll be lucky if you get out alive."
Recently, I have made numerous visits to a longtime friend who, after dozens of years as a top-flight businessman, is suffering from poor health. He served in the Marine Corps, at one point assigned to the Chinese government of Chiang Kai-Shek; later became Chief Administrative Officer in the construction of the Alaska Highway; and served as top consultant to Howard Hughes. But now he is struggling to win back his failing health.
These visitations to my friend have reminded me of a congressional report concerning the conditions in our hospitals and nursing facilities and the problems they face with staffing. It's a tough job nursing and caring for those who are bedridden, unable to keep up with their bodily functions, some of them hovering between life and death. My heart goes out to those who dedicate their lives to caring for these unfortunate people.
The fact of the matter is that for years, hospitals and nursing homes have been struggling to find the adequate staff to perform these demanding duties. And the congressional report states that many facilities fail to meet federal standards for adequate care. In one area,
All of these violations are directly related to incompetent personnel. Examples of inadequate staffing are numerous: The residents - to a certain extent - are ignored, diapers are not changed, food sits uneaten on trays in front of residents unable to feed themselves, hair is not combed, teeth are not brushed, bed sores and infections develop and proliferate, and on and on ...
This abuse is correlated to poor nutrition, malnutrition, dehydration, and, in many instances, the inability to actually swallow. In one facility, 62 of 112 total residents had bed sores, which required a total of 147 treatments; however, the facility had only one licensed nurse to provide those treatments. Several residents with severe bed sores were lying in urine and feces in bed linen that had not been changed in 10 hours.
Many did not receive showers for an entire month. In two instances during a transfer from wheelchair to bed, a resident fell to the floor because only one staff member was present.
The problem is so acute that the residents are actually perceived as "work makers" by harried staff members who do not have enough time to even say hello. And another problem is that too many present-day personnel come to us from foreign countries, many of them unable to speak English, and many of them completely unfamiliar with our culture. The results in many instances are horrendous.
Mind you, these are not low-grade facilities examined in the report. These are upgrade places suffering from incompetent workers and are grossly understaffed.
For this and many other reasons, it is so important that a family member or friend be present with the patient/resident because it's imperative for adequate care; and they can be on hand to perform simple basic tasks such as making sure the patient has water!
These residents and patients are our forgotten souls - our fellow Americans at the end of the line, all but left to die. And these conditions, unfortunately, exist all across our great nation. Surely we can do better!
Congressional Report - U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform - A Report on Nursing Facility Conditions
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs/pdf_inves/
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/
http://www.heaton.org/waxman.htm
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The legendary George Putnam is 88 years young and a veteran of 68 years as a reporter, broadcaster and commentator ... and is still going strong. George is part of the all-star line-up of Southern California's KPLS Radio – Hot Talk AM 830.
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