The life we get to look forward to.

         

Janice Payne

Blog #4

Throughout this semester, I have learned so much about the issues that senior citizens have to deal with on a daily basis.  Senior citizens don't retire in the sunset with a drink in hand, but have to deal with serious changes in their physical bodies, their mental health, and especially their financial stability. I honestly have a new outlook on the life I have now and a new perspective as to the life most elderly people live. 

                  First, as people age, there are serious changes to their bodies.  I am currently 30 years old and have a 3 year old.  I can't even begin to describe the energy that I have to have every day to take care of her.  From 7a.m. until 9p.m. I am constantly on the go because of her.  My mom, who is 75 spends 10 minutes with her and is exhausted.  As we get older, we just don't have the energy we used to. Lose of energy is just a small factor for most senior citizens though.  It has been estimated that almost half of those age 75 and older suffer from a chronic disease. (Ferrini & Ferrini, 2008) Chronic diseases include heart disease, cancer; stroke Alzheimer’s, diabetes, just to name a few.  Having to wake up on a daily basis and deal with a major health issue seems so depressing to me.  

                The presence of a chronic illness not only affects the physical body, but can affect the person's mental health as well.  When a person doesn't physically feel well, it can be harder to deal with the complications of everyday life.  Your mind tends to dwell on the fact that you don't feel well, instead of more positive thoughts.  Illnesses physically make you tired but the mental battle can be just as exhausting.  Even some of the treatments needed to cure illnesses can make it hard to have a positive outlook on life.  It's not just physical and mental issues that senior citizens have to deal with though; paying for their everyday life can be extremely expensive and usually costs more than most people have.  

                I recently have recently learned more about the problems with Medicare and Social Security.  The government has predicted that if changes are not made, these two programs will be bankrupt in 20 years.  (Social Security Online, 2010) I also learned that when it comes to long term care and assisted living, Medicare doesn’t really pay for that much and it is the responsibility for payment is left to the patient.  This is a serious task considering the fact that long term care can cost around 50,000 a year.  (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009) 

                To be honest, at the beginning of the semester I was very naive to the things senior citizens have to deal with.  I had no idea how hard life is for them.  I have truly ended this semester with a new found appreciation for my health, for a sound mind, and the ability I have to financially support my life.

Works Cited

Ferrini, A. F., & Ferrini, R. L. (2008). Health in the Later Years. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Social Security Online. (2010). Status of the Social Security and Medicare Programs . Retrieved November 2010, from Trustees Report Summary: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TRSUM/index.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2009). Who Pays for Long Term Care. Retrieved November 2010, from Long Term Care Information: http://www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Paying_LTC/Costs_Of_Care/Costs_Of_Care.aspx

Phyllis and John

   Phyllis and John live in the house next to mine.  Phyllis and I talk often so I am very familiar with the challenges that she and her husband are facing at the age of 85.  Starting in January of this year, her husband John became ill.  John's main health concern was Alzheimer's, however he has also battled colon cancer and even strokes.  In January, John was diagnosed with kidney failure and this started a 7 month ordeal of hospital stays, nursing home facilities, home health, and finally hospice care.  Phyllis had opinions on each place of care that I would like to relate.
  Phyllis was very pleased with the care her husband received while in the hospital.  They monitored his every move and John's health greatly improved from his stay there.  The hospital eventually released him and John was allowed to return home.  Not long after, John's health deteriorated again and he was admitted again into the hospital.  After a short stay there, they placed him in a nursing home that was 40 minutes away from Phyllis's house.  During these few months of taking care of John, Phyllis came down with pneumonia and was very ill and very weak, yet she continued to make the 40 minute drive to see her husband of 68 years.  In an attempt to bring him closer, Phyllis decided to place him in a nursing facility that was only five minutes away.  She felt that this was necessary to be able to maintain her own health so that she could continue to visit with him.  It only took a couple weeks before Phyllis noticed a drastic difference in John. 
     John started to have bed sores, he used to sing every morning, but was now quiet and subdued.  Phyllis felt that this was a reflection of the lack of care at that facility.  She tried to approach administration with her concerns but was instead told that there was nothing wrong and that she just needed to relax.  Phyllis was so frustrated that she made the decision to bring him home, that even in her frail condition, she could care for him better than this facility could.  Phyllis brought John home and took good care of him for two days, but when the home health nurse came to check on him, there were big problems, and John was admitted once again to the hospital.  John's life was near the end and hospice got involved. 
    With the help of hospice, Phyllis was able to bring John home one last time.  During the last month of his life, hospice came by not only to help John, but to help Phyllis as well.  The would take care of John while she ran errands, and in the last moments of John's life, there was a nurse from Hospice there with Phyllis to be a guide through the entire death process.  Several of the nurses from hospice even stopped by the house to check on Phyllis after John's death. 
   I learned a lot watching Phyllis go through this experience.  I am so grateful that there are facilities out there that are able to care for their patients, and to provide optimal care.  I am also saddened that there are facilities that do not care for their patients as well as they should, or provide the care and support for the families like they should.  I most of all am grateful for the hospice program.  I have never heard a negative comment about them.  I am grateful that they were their to help and support Phyllis in such a huge way.  I wish more could be done to make sure those who are entrusted with the care of our elderly actually provide care and encourage health instead of being neglectful.

What Long Term Care says about our society.

    I come from a very large family.  My grandparents had 5 kids and most of those 5 kids had 5 or 6 kids as well.  By the time my grandparents were needing extra care they had 5 children and about 25 grandchildren to help them out.  The decision was made to pull every one's resources together, as well as my grandparents and share in the payment of hiring a care tech to stay with them during the days.  When that was no longer enough, I took over at night time to make sure my grandparents were safe and to make sure that if there were any problems, there would be an adult to call 911 and help out.  Neither my grandmother or my grandfather had to go to a nursing home facility.  They both died in the comforts of their own home.  It was a sacrifice for my family, as well as for my aunts and uncles and their family to make this happen.  I was 21 at the time that I spent the nights with my grandmother.  I had my own place and my own life, but I wanted to make sure she was taken care of.  I just can't help but think how different things would be if more families chose this path.  Would our elderly be taken better care of if family members were providing the care, would medicare be on the verge of bankruptcy?
     Like I stated before, I know that the choice my family made was a hard one, but I know that my grandparents felt more comfortable and I know that they received the best care because it was from relatives who loved and respected them.  Now I am sure that elderly abuse is not limited to long term care facilities and that family members can be abusive as well, but I'm also sure that those who were not abusive would take much better care of their elderly than most long term care facilities. 
It's not even just the care factor that's important here, but the fact that trying to keep our elderly loved ones in their homes or at least with family is going to be more comfortable for them. 
    I also believe that if more families helped out, that our medicare system would not be as overwhelmed as it is now.  Our book stated that whether you put family members in a long term facility or keep them at home it evens out, but I don't think this always has to be the case (Pratt, 2010).  If you can keep them at home as long as possible, they will be happier, they will be separated from other residents who can carry germs and diseases, and overall healthier.  I know that many people have to work and can't be there all the time, but that's why I also think it's great that elderly day care units have opened up.  It provides a wonderful alternative if you can't afford to have a care tech stay at the house all day, but don't want them to end up in a long term care unit. 
    I just think that too often, the burden of caring for our elderly loved ones is dumped on the state or on government.  I also believe that medicare cannot afford this burden.  Before turning to Long-term care, families need to do everything they can to care for and support their elderly. 

Pratt, J. R. . (2010). Long-term care; managing across the continuum. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Blog #1- What LTC means to me.

When I was eleven, I started babysitting for a girl who was severely handicap.  She could speak the names of her family and say the word "cookie" when she was hungry, but that was the extent of her communication.  Aubrey was not able to do anything by herself.  She couldn't dress herself, bathe herself, or carry on any of the tasks that most people are required to perform on a day to day basis.  Her family is providing for her care right now, but what happens when her parents get too old to do that.  Where will Aubrey go?

Long term care is a crucial element in our society today.  There have been and will always be people who are not able to function in our world without the help of extensive care, whether that be mentally or physically.  There needs to be a place, no matter what the cost, where those people can live and be taken care of. It is a moral obligation actually for us to care for those around us who need help; whether it be for the mentally ill or for the elderly. 

One of the problems with this moral belief though is that it costs money, and usually a lot of money to provide this kind of care.  It's well known that the elderly and the mentally ill usually do not have the funds to pay for the bills they incur.  That is why I stated earlier that it is our moral obligation to provide long term care for those who need it.  What that means is that those of us who have a little more than we need, pay for that care.  It seems to me that here in America, people have the belief that to live "The American dream" means to have the nicest house possible, to wear the nicest clothes available and to drive the nicest cars available.  Money is spent on materialistic items and luxurious comforts instead of helping the helpless. 

Long term care means that even when my Mother and my Father can't take care of themselves, they will have a comfortable place to live the rest of their days.  It means that when Aubrey's parents grow old, she will have somewhere to go.  Long term care means that the people I love are cared for no matter what.