Webbready

On a recent trip, I visited two of my out-of-town relatives who were in facilities for the long-term care of people who could not care for themselves. These names vary. Some are considered “skilled-nursing facilities,” others are called “long term acute care facilities” and finally, some are labeled as “rehabilitation centers.” However, there is a term, albeit not genteel, that describes them aptly.

Nursing homes.

There are some who are admitted to nursing homes for long-term rehabilitation. These people have a capacity to recover, but cannot perform rehabilitation at home. One of my relatives is in this position and may even be out of the facility as of this writing.

Another relative is not so lucky. She is among those who are admitted because they have chronic 24 hour care needs that cannot be met by families. Many of these faces, usually older, populate the halls or the full beds in the rooms.  Despite the perception that nursing homes are solely for those stricken with dementia, many are very much within their right minds, but they simply cannot use their bodies in ways to care for themselves. I have never been to jail, but I will admit these places are prisons. For the ones who are not lucky enough to improve, nursing homes, despite the efforts of the staff, are literal death traps. The people within cannot leave and will likely die there.

It concerns me that for all the causes célèbre that get attention, that those living in nursing homes are considered forgotten.  Celebrities will take time out of their day to stage a photo-op for sick children, and some even make it a point to regularly personally visit.  Other groups, be they veterans, cancer survivors, domestic abuse victims, the homeless, and even companion animals will tug at the heartstrings.

However, when it comes to those who are in nursing homes, there is no large-scale collective effort to make sure their needs are met.  There are agencies and ombudsmen, of course, and no one will publicly vilify those who reside in these facilities.  At the same time, there are few famous faces who will make it their mission to ensure that every resident of nursing homes be treated fairly. Instead, responsibility falls solely on the family, which can be unfair. Not every person is able to take in a sick relative and give round-the-clock care, and in many cases, there is no immediate family that can do that.  If we would not blame a child’s family for bearing a child with a chronic condition, why blame people for the condition of their parents?  If we can help orphans, why not help the childless as well?

I cannot start such an effort.  I have neither the talent nor the resources to even begin, but as a matter of practicality, someone has to.  As a our population ages, those of us who are lucky enough to be alive and walking around may soon find ourselves in the unlucky category, and it will not be possible to sweep the growing lump of dirt under the rug any longer.