A while back I got an email “Jails And Nursing Homes,” from my niece who lives in London. As I was reading it I thought of my own mother who passed away seven years ago. I thought with gratefulness that with the grace of God my mother never saw the inside of a nursing home thanks to the niece who sent me the email I am sharing with you.

Every time I read it and every time I think about it, it makes me mad and also so very sad. There are countless seniors all across America who have no other choice but be housed in a nursing home.

This is not to say all nursing homes are like the one described in the email but there are enough, even one is one too many.  I am betting you will agree with me and have a similar reaction once you’ve read the email.

Jails and Nursing Homes What Makes More Sense?

Here’s the way it should be:

Let’s Put The Seniors in Jail And The Criminals in Nursing Homes. This Would Correct Two Things in One Motion:

• Seniors would have access to showers, hobbies and walks. They would receive ultimate free prescriptions and dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs, etc.

• They would receive money instead of having to pay it out. They would have constant video monitoring so they would be helped instantly if they fell or needed assistance.

• Bedding would be washed twice a week and all clothing be ironed and returned to them.  A guard would check on them every 20 minutes.  All meals and snack would be brought to them.

• They would have family visits in a suite build  for that purpose. They would access to a library, weight/fitness room, spiritual counseling, a pool and education… and free admission to in-house concerts by nationally recognized entertainment artists.

• Simple clothing – ie – shoes, slippers, pj’s and legal aid would be free, upon request  There would be private secure rooms provided for all with an outdoor exercise yard complete with gardens.

• Each senior would have a P.C. T.V., phone and radio in their room at no cost. They would receive daily phone calls.

• There would be a board of directors to hear any complaints and the ACLU would fight for their rights and protections. The guards would have a code of conduct to be strictly adhered to with attorneys available at no charge to protect the seniors and their families from abuse or neglect.

As For The Criminals: 

• They would receive cold food

• They would be left alone and unsupervised

• They would receive showers once a week

• They would live in tiny rooms, for which they would have to pay $5,000 per month.

• They would have no hope of ever getting out.
  

Sounds like Justice to me!

 So what did you think?

Something very wrong with this picture don’t you think? Did it make you mad, like it did me? The contrast between the treatment of seniors in nursing home and prisoners in prisons couldn’t be more stark and more absurd.

Do you have a mother, a grandmother, a neighbor in a nursing home? How did it make you feel reading this? Do you know for sure what kind of treatment they are subjected to in their most vulnerable years of life?

please share any personal experience you may have had or may have experienced regarding seniors and their treatment.

Meanwhile if you have a senior in your own life or know of seniors living alone, think of them on a conscious level and do something nice for them.

Like find a little time and go visit a senior in a nursing home. Better still, take your children with you. It will teach them an invaluable lesson and give them a gimps into the reality of life.

Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. – Harvey Macka

 

Imagine your self in a senior’s shoes, and then imagine the joy your unexpected visit would bring to them.

Don’t forget to post a picture of your visit. Because your words matter, your words are priceless and always welcomed. So please, share them and say your piece.

 My very best, till the next time.

Me!