In the 1970s I was Director of Human Services in La Plata County and San Juan County in beautiful southwestern Colorado in the towns of Durango and Silverton. I had a radio program called Senior Saturday. Each week I interviewed one of the many interesting senior citizens, and the program aired on the local CBS affiliate every Saturday morning.
One morning I was in the local nursing home, interviewing a 99-year-old woman, who had come to that part of the country in a covered wagon! I was interviewing her in her room at the nursing home. A man who had the room directly across the hall from hers came into the room while I was interviewing her. I saw the very large head of nursing grab the old man and push him back into his room.
The next day I gathered together all of the caseworkers who had clients at that nursing home. They told me that what I had seen was nothing unusual. I told them I was going to file a grievance with the state against the nursing home, and that if they knew of abuses, I expected them to file grievances, too. We ended up filing thirteen grievances. The nursing home lost its Medicaid funding. The local medical society came at me like a swarm of hornets. Lawyers in three piece suits came to Durango from the east coast. I learned that the corporation that owned the nursing home was a vending machine company out of Pennslyvania, and that it had Mafia ties.
Hearings went on for months and months. Eventually, the nursing home was cleaned up and became a first rate operation. I am thinking about this part of my life, because of Mothers Day. You see, my own mother came to live there, after suffering several strokes. Maybe someday I will tell you about my mother.
4 comments:
Good job of smokin' out the varmints.
You asked the other day if i was adopted.
No I wasn't. I'm the oldest of five and many unknown others who my Mom nourished.
Before the days of guvmint 'caring' services, there were private orphanges. My mother was on the board of the Galveston Orphans Home, a God-centered organization.
My step-daughter and her hubbie adopted a Chinese baby girl with a cleft palate last summer. We love her like our own.
I'm glad you were able to make some positive changes there, Bob, despite the fight their lowyers put up.
It would've been a lot less expensive if they just would've fixed the problems.
I worked as a security guard/janitor at a Catholic nursing home called Rosary Manor for a few years.
Fortunately, most of the nurses and doctors did a good job, and they were quick to put a stop to neglect or abuse of any kind.
Most of the folks there enjoyed the pet therapy more than anything else.
I spent a lot of time chasing down Levi.
Levi was wheelchair bound but was constantly trying to enter the ladies rooms, albeit very slowly (his only speed).
Levi would attempt to talk to the women but no one could make out what he was saying, other than hello (or "get away" when a nurse or I took him out of the rooms).
He wasn't a physical threat, but the women didn't appreciate his intrusions nonetheless.
Sometimes, he would make a run for it. Heh!
He kept us all on our toes, but everone liked him, except for the other residents that is.
Ben,
Lowyers!
Chasing Levi! I'll bet every nursing home has at least one Levi!
Mizze,
The reason I asked is that you sent us that beautiful song about mothering children who are not our own biological children.
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