We don’t pay enough attention to eldercare. Our senior citizens have forged the path for us and yet as they enter the years where relaxation should be their sole concern, we leave them to their own devices.
Surburban areas in New Orleans have few if any senior centers. Staff in most assisted-living, retirement apartment complexes and nursing facilities are either not fully trained in eldercare or are short-staffed and cannot implement best practices. Even hospital care for those with chronic, complex and multiple illnesses focuses only on maintenance of life. It doesn’t have time for the dignity of life.
All of this was driven home to me when my mother’s health began to seriously decline. In June, 2005, she was diagnosed with colon cancer and received a colonoscopy. Already displaying signs of what we assumed was Alzheimer’s, the anesthesia brought out full blown symptoms of what we discovered was Parkinson’s. As a result, her periods of lucid speech and limb movement were greatly reduced. Additionally, her ability to swallow was affected and she had to have a feeding peg.
I discovered early on after her surgeries that the focus in the hospital was on keeping her comfortable, reasonably quiet, and out of imminent medical danger. But her care provided little stimulation. She was, in the beginning, given daily physical theraphy. Sometimes she could follow along, sometimes not. I found out by accompanying her that when she was resistent or unable to understand direction, the staff effort became less.
As time went on, it became my daily routine to travel to the hospital just to make sure they got her out of the bed and at least considered taking her to therapy. On the days the therapists didn’t come, I invented “balloon volleyball” and would have my mother bat a balloon back and forth with me to help her eye/hand coordination and limb use. When she tired, I would often have to ask several times for her to be returned to the bed before there was assistance available. I would then leave the hospital to return later in the evening to begin the daily ritual of catching the doctor on his rounds to augment the staff’s infrequent observations of my mother’s daily behavior, key signs of her progress or regression. My brother and his wife shared these duties.
When this all started, I was living in Atlanta. I began a routine of 2 weeks of work (which included travel), and two weeks of FMLA in New Orleans to care for my mother. When I was in New Orleans, I lived in my mother’s assisted-living apartment. It was there that I really became appalled at what eldercare meant to most.
We had searched and interviewed many locations before my mother agreed to the assisted-living complex we chose. They spoke of exercise classes, pet therapy, bingo, socials, card games, outings. While living there I discovered that the exercise classes consisted of placing everyone in the central TV room and shoving in an exercise video then leaving the occupants to follow along. Pet therapy was inconsistent and often not well advertised so residents could easily miss the visits to the common area. I am not saying the complex was mis-managed. I think they were suffering from the common problem of not enough staff and inadequately trained staff. They were focused on the health of their residents and hired for that.
Eldercare is a complex issue. Most eldercare focuses on what often becomes a complex, multi-dimentional medical history with multiple illnesses present at the same time. Studies have shown, however, that seniors can benefit from guided social, mental, and physical activities. Such activities lowers blood pressure, fights depression, staves off dementia, and even helps with Alzheimer’s symptoms. Seniors who have pets fare even better. Yet most eldercare facilities cannot, or do not, make use of this information.
My mother’s health decline began when her beloved poodle passed away. At the time she was in a retirement apartment complex. We wanted to get her another dog. The dog had given her daily movement activity, gave her social contact, and hourly comfort. The retirement complex said no. They had changed their pet policies since my mother’s arrival and residents were no longer allowed to bring in pets. Ludicrous! Their only concern was that pets caused carpet cleaning and higher costs to the management.
We have to realize that eldercare, while it does need to have a large focus on maintaining physical health, also has to include maintaining dignity of life. Part of that dignity is to have availability to those resources, including encouragement and concern, that provide stimulation.
The “Golden Years” should not mean that as physical abilities decline with age, senior citizens are left to sit quietly in front of televisions or in sunrooms to stare into space.
If I succeed with the Smith library, and it is relocated to a larger facility, its current location would provide a wonderful senior center. There would be space for computers, large print readers, a small exercise room for tai chi or yoga classes suited for seniors, maybe an art room, and a small snack bar serving a diet suited to diabetics and special needs. If a second floor (with elevator) was added, there could be a large sitting/library/card table area for socializing, board games, jigsaw puzzles, mah jong, etc.
Do senior citizens deserve less? Such a center could delay some seniors from having to seek care in assisted-living or nursing facilities because it would improve their balance, movement, mental capacity, and socialization.
Again, can I make it happen? Maybe. Will I try to make it happen? You bet!
