This has become my number one best seller, in my writing world anyway. Maybe more people are waking up to the fact that at $1,500 a week for room and board, they are not getting what they pay for, at least their loved ones are not.
As long as the Medical Model is still practiced in traditional nursing homes, there is NO good quality of life for the people living there. Living there is just another phrase for: being trapped there. Yes, a traditional nursing home, touting the Medical Model will always, always, be run for the convenience of staff, and staff alone.
My son recently needed antibiotics, as I was reading the label, it started me thinking, again, about how staff dispense medicines in traditional nursing homes. Nowhere on my son's prescription did it state: Dispense however you please. You can dispense in a group all at the same time, for staff convenience. The label has specific instructions as to when and how the medicine should be taken. The nursing home I once worked was willy-nilly about dispensing medicine at Every breakfast, to Every patient at the Same time daily. This is not right, no matter how you slice it. I once suggested maybe medicine cabinets in each room would be best. I was told that anyone could then get the medicines. Well there is a wonderful invention called a padlock to cure that. Translation from nurses: "Well Then we'd actually Have to do our jobs properly and it might take time, effort and caring on our part." You should not be surprised because given the human warehouses these places are, the let's herd old people like cattle, mentality of nursing homes, it makes sense. To THEM anyway.
Another funny thing I noticed while working there, was the sole owner was older than dirt, himself. For the most part he had Nothing nice to say about old people. People who live in glass houses. But since 'older than dirt owner' had money, HE didn't relate to those in his peer group. Funny how that works.
This book Should be a good seller, especially to college Social Work classes because Social Work does not come from books. Social Work comes from real life, real world experiences. When I was about to graduate from college, many, many students said: "But college has Not taught me Everything I Need to know about this profession." They were right, it cannot possibly teach you ALL you will need to know. This book is a good teaching tool unless instructors are afraid the truths in this book will scare students. It Should scare students because it should keep them on their toes. It should teach them about human dignity. It should teach them about old people being human too, not just cattle to herd and shuffle to activities, to showers resembling a car wash, to dispensing medicines all at once to everyone (contrary to label instructions), and to Stop bullshitting loved ones at care plan meetings. Teach them that, while nurses Love to be head cheeses, they DO NOT know it all about your loved one. YOU are That expert on that subject because you've known your loved one Longer than ANY staff. Staff NEEDS to LEARN that nurse aids Should be invited to care plan meetings Because They Are the primary caregivers, NOT nurses who mostly push medications. So I'm grateful this book has picked up with sales. If Anyone Cares in our society, then the Truths in this book will be of concern to all.
To those who have bought my book and read it, I thank you. To those of you who have not, you Should as one day YOU Too will be old.
