Western views on healthcare is crampin' my style.

[BenChuy]

this is mostly a rant, but I think people with aging parents/grandparents should understand some things:

want to care for people. That is my “calling.” It is what I feel fulfilled doing. It is what I have been trained to do in so many facets of my life.

I don’t deal with failure well. I don’t dwell on failing when I tried my best. I rip myself apart if failure is due to me not giving my all. If I fail through no fault of my own I can look at the situation and learn from it and have little remorse.

When these two worlds collide I have found a new area of failure: failure due to other’s lack of trying or care of their impact on real, live people. Instead of learning or regret I have found a deep and abiding anger that is turning my food sour, my music uninspiring and depression to the depths I have never experienced.

I understand fully that without finances in order the place I work would be shut down. But we gave our word to provide services and care to these people (it is on paper) that we, as caregivers, are unable to provide. Why? because we are doing 22 people’s laundry, toileting about 16 of them, laying down 4 of them after ever meal and all the while doing everything for food services but washing dishes and cooking the food. We are supposed to treat these people like humans but with the schedule we have, as 3 people to 22, we have to treat them like products on an assembly line. I have been trying to brush people’s teeth as much as possible. What happens when I do? It looks like I punched their teeth in; they spit out profuse amounts of blood.

My residents (yes, MINE) are supposed to get showers 2 times a week. Most of them don’t get that. Probably 2 times a month would be a generous guess. We just don’t have time. it is a 30 min. ordeal and the time can not be spared. We would love to do showers, it is not like we are sitting on our butts! There are always “emergencies” with residents: a fall, a “blow out,” an argument, someone needing attention to calm them down. (”why not use chemicals to calm them down?” because it is an unethical use of chemical restraints. They are not there to be warehoused until they *finally* die and rid ourselves of their presence)

Another thing that has actually made me, a 28 year old, 6′3″ male with a scruffy look cry is that I have heard multiple times that if the family does not provide wipes, we have to use peri wipes and paper towels. Now, crap your self and sit in it for an hr. Even better if it is diarrhea (more acidic usually). Do it again 3 days in a row. Now, take a paper towel and wet it slightly. Wipe. From what empathy I can still access from my quickly numbing set of emotions, I would think that hurts like hell. Add to the fact that this method is MUCH more time consuming (and peri wash is hard to find as well) and it shows how much management cares about the care staff and their morale.

It is time to get out of this job. I am even looking at retail. I don’t care. I am just done with this type of thinking. Business majors should not be lording over health fields. Advising, yes.
Just one more year to complete the nursing degree and more ability to change things.

[Fotzlid]

I hate to rain on your parade, but a nursing license alone isn't going to give you any more ability to change things then where you are at now. In fact the frustration may get worse.
My advise to you is to help your patients the absolute best you can with what you have. Like you are doing now. The paperwork and red tape only increases the higher up you go.

[genuinegirly]

A nursing degree is the first step. An MBA is the second. Get out there and start a nursing home with your standards. It will improve the lives of those around you as it improves your own.