Just received the Ohio Family Nursing Home Satisfaction Survey

markus8174

I torn. Overall my beloved is getting great physical care. She is always clean, her hair is cared for, her clothes match and are neat ( I do her laundry). The problem being, 80% of the survey I have to answer in the negative. Common areas are clean, but patient rooms only get a "lick and a promise" with many details being a bit gross. There are NO activities other than sitting in a circle and watching game show TV. The grounds are nice, but the doors are not even remotely handicapped accessable. There is no way to get my spouse onto them without lots of, difficult to find, assistance, and I'm am at a loss as to how I'd get her back in. I guess my question is, is personal  hygiene, decent food, and reasonably attentive nurses enough? Ohio seems to think nursing homes are cruise ships with a never ending parade of entertainment and personal attention. Maybe that is more true on the "assisted living" and non-dementia care units, but on the dementia floors patients seem pretty much ignored as far as keeping them engaged with their surroundings and socially stimulated. I almost never see her out of a wheelchair even though she can ambulate from chair to bathroom and chair to bed with minimal assistance. Of the 28 patients on her floor 3 ambulate reguarly in the common areas Everyone else is encouraged to not get out of their wheelchairs by escape alarms. I'm not upset if she falls and I've told staff that. I just hate to have her lose any more of her independance than is necessary. My DW is losing a lot of language, but even she complaines of  "I don't have anything to do." and "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing". It's heartbreaking.

M1

Markus, I suggest you copy your post verbatim and send it in with the survey. Wish there were some legislators or ombudsmen you could send it to also....

White Crane

Markus, I'm glad you posted this.  My DH is still at home but will probably need to be in MC at some point..and that is a problem.  Some facilities list themselves as having a memory care unit but in reality it is nothing more than a locked ward.  A very dear friend who had Alzheimer's was in one of those places and it used to break my heart to see her sitting, just sitting along with others in the day room with no activities and nothing to do.  I pray that if my DH does need to be placed I will be able to find a place that encourages interaction and tries to keep him active and involved.  I'm so sorry this has happened to your DW and hope you can find a place where she can be happy and engaged.

markus8174

White Crane- unfortunately for my spouse no facility within a hundred miles will touch my wife. I'm trying to be satisfied with good physical care, attentive caring nurses, and my DW loves the food.  I just can't believe there aren't churches or schools that have a music program that could come out for an hour or two and give the residents something besides TV.  Does no family member have skill with a guitar or piano?  Fill up helium ballons and let the residents bat them around, have "movie night" on Monday afternoons with low salt, light butter popcorn and fruit snacks. Put on a Disney flick or simular type movie. Even patients who are pretty far gone would appriciate the familliar musical numbers from Bambi or Lady and the Tramp. There are so many very easy activities that would give the patients something to do but esides sitting around and waiting to die. Heck, even make the doorways handicapped accessable so a resident can go out and enjoy some fresh air in the enclosed courtyard weather permitting. 

I've said, more nursing assistants or more housekeepers- I'll take the nursing assistants, so I'm not allowed to complain about some grunge in the roon. People will tell me if I want to see this issue better managed, volunteer and make it happen myself. I have all I can handle driving 3 hours round trip 4 days a week, and still take care of myself and the house. I hear from EVERYONE in the family "Why do you keep going out there so much, **** won't even remember you were there a couple hours later !"  I don't have the budget to offer a couple hundred dollar honorarium to entice some groups to spend a couple hours there. As far as movie night or helium ballons I can just hear the "we can't do that because..." excuses starting up. This facility has been quite up-front about not wanting family input on their program. Any suggestion is going to be viewed as criticism and is likely to get my DW adused or discharged just to spite me. Sorry, ranting again. My broken heart gets me on my soapbox every now-and-then.