These are just some of the many responses we received
from our Editorial of 11/19/08
-
Jewels from
Joanne
I wanted to
tell you that I read your article from the reader
who was telling about how she "popped in" at the
nursing home at all different times of the day and
so forth, to check on her husband.
In reality,
not everyone can do that, as much as they would want
to. My
mother has Alzheimer's disease and has recently been
placed in an assisted living center where she has
caregivers to keep an eye on her and it bothers me a
lot that I can't "pop in" frequently to check on
her, but the place is 45 minutes away from my home
and I can't afford the gas to drive there as often
as I would like.
My father lives about 20 minutes away, and
two brothers and a sister live about 15 minutes
away.
None of us can be there as often as we would like,
but, luckily we feel that the caregivers treat the
residents well and we don't feel the need to worry
about Mom being abusedI agree that people need to spend as much
time as they possibly can, visiting relatives who
are placed in nursing homes, to see to it that they
are being treated well, but, unfortunately,
sometimes it just isn't possible
Sincerely,
D.W.
My grandmother was in a care home for 10
months. We
were her advocates, like Joanne said. Most of the
aides were kind hearted but way over worked.The biggest problem with care homes is being
under staffed - you
must be there to oversee your loved one especially
if your loved one has dementia like my grandma.
My grandmother is no longer with me as
she passed away.
I do fault
the care home that she was in as I truly feel they
did not monitor liquids as efficiently as they
should.
My grandmother ended up in the emergency room
severely dehydrated.There needs to be many changes in care homes
- one voice can make a difference.
I urge anyone
who is interested in change to stand up, speak up.
Who is better
equipped than
us care takers who continue to care for our loved
ones even in the care homes..
I will continue to forge on in this endeavor.
Thank you for listening
Diana
Gary,
A word of
appreciation for this article I will pass it on to
all my caregivers. We are a new Adult Day Care
program and the next move for most of our caregivers
is to place their family members. I know this
article will give honest perspective to a difficult
time in a caregiver's journey.
Thanks again for
the thought filled article.
Ginger McClure
Site Supervisor,
Day Break III
Adult Day Care
Caregivers Support Services
Catholic Charities
of Santa Clara County
