Controversy Surrounding Nursing Homes

Nursing homes are facilites that are there to provide 24/7 care for an individual who can no longer perform vital life functions for themselves or need a little assistance in doing so.

Looking around at the world today, we realize how hectic everything really is. We stress over every little thing. With this being said, can we slow ourselves down enough to care for a loved one who has fallen ill or that can no longer care for themselves? The overwhelming answer to this question is NO. It's easy to see this by stopping to take a look at the nursing facilites around us. With the baby boomers reaching retirement age, the nursing homes have or are beginning to reach maximum capactity. The economy has left the children of the baby boomers with no other choice. Pulling 60 hour work weeks to make ends meet has left them with no one to care for the elderly, thus have to place them into a nursing facility.

With them reaching the capactity, is it really safe to place another person, perhaps a loved one to you, in a nursing facility? Ths is one of many questions that ran through my mind when having to make the decision of placing my mother in a nursing faciltiy. Overcrowding is just one of the many controversies surrounding these types of facilties.

There are some clear advantages to a Nursing Home. An individual many require trained medical care that an untrained family member cannot provide. This care may also be required 24/7. An individuals family may not be able to provide around the clock care, thus making the nursing home seem like an more appealing choice. One, they are getting the trained medical care they are so desperatly needing and two, they always have someone there in case of ememergencies.

However, there are several disadvantages to a Nursing Home. The highest quality of staff may not be avaliable. Most nursing homes do not follow the same standard of care, therefore leading to countless lawsuits due to abuse and neglect.

There are many more pro's and con's to Nursing Homes that I could list for you, but you get the main picture. Like I had mentioned above, the hecticness of everyday life is what led me to placing my mother in one of these facilties. Yes, I have heard the horror stories, but I have heard amazing stories as well. Playing an active roll in my mother's care helps me ease the worries on my mind. By visiting her on a very frequent bases and checking in with someone else when I can not helps me keep an eye on what is going on with all of this. Because of the horror stories, I will continually keep a close eye, so to speak, on her.

Placing my mother in a Nursing Home was the one of the hardest decision of my life. I did not and still do not like the ideal of her being there. Until I finish school and get my life in order, this is where she is going to have to stay. Yes, I do plan on getting her out of there!!!