Comments on: Five Long Term Care Myths http://eldercareabcblog.com/five-long-term-care-myths/ Mon, 21 May 2012 08:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Jim Clark http://eldercareabcblog.com/five-long-term-care-myths/comment-page-1/#comment-634 Jim Clark Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:31:29 +0000 http://eldercareabcblog.com/?p=1392#comment-634 Myth #6: All LTC Administrators and Managers are out to take advantage of the elderly. We provide a service no one wants; in a regulatory environment that is only exceeded by Nuclear Power; mostly funded by tax dollars and therefore having an Accounts Receivable subject to legislative whims; bashed by the media and politicians using us to promote their careers. The people who work in LTC know they could make more money at less stressful jobs. But they stay because they have large hearts and they love making the lives of our elders just a little better each day. After 20 years as an NHA, I have seen that the vast majority of LTC employees (99.99%) do not get up in the morning trying to determine how they will inflict harm on our elders that day. Are there days when we are not as effective as we could or should be? Sure. Are there days when we wonder why we should get up and go through gauntlet one more time? Sure. But the honest dedicated servant attitude of the LTV workers usually overcomes the doubts and we come in, put a smile on our face and get down to business. This is not a pretty or glamous job. But it needs to be done. And those who would broadbrush paint our field of health care to meet their political needs or to try to confirm their own bias need to spend a month working as a CNA, having to field complaints and deal with regulators. Myth #6: All LTC Administrators and Managers are out to take advantage of the elderly.

We provide a service no one wants; in a regulatory environment that is only exceeded by Nuclear Power; mostly funded by tax dollars and therefore having an Accounts Receivable subject to legislative whims; bashed by the media and politicians using us to promote their careers.

The people who work in LTC know they could make more money at less stressful jobs. But they stay because they have large hearts and they love making the lives of our elders just a little better each day. After 20 years as an NHA, I have seen that the vast majority of LTC employees (99.99%) do not get up in the morning trying to determine how they will inflict harm on our elders that day.

Are there days when we are not as effective as we could or should be? Sure. Are there days when we wonder why we should get up and go through gauntlet one more time? Sure. But the honest dedicated servant attitude of the LTV workers usually overcomes the doubts and we come in, put a smile on our face and get down to business.

This is not a pretty or glamous job. But it needs to be done. And those who would broadbrush paint our field of health care to meet their political needs or to try to confirm their own bias need to spend a month working as a CNA, having to field complaints and deal with regulators.

]]> By: Jenn Jilks http://eldercareabcblog.com/five-long-term-care-myths/comment-page-1/#comment-622 Jenn Jilks Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:01:42 +0000 http://eldercareabcblog.com/?p=1392#comment-622 My big mistake was promising my mother I would help her stay in her home. She wanted to die in her house, and she did. But we should have sat down and talked about what would happen when she was incontinent, unable to prepare meals, etc. We should have had that talk. When my father's brain tumour rendered him unable to manage his <a HREF="http://ontarioseniors.blogspot.com/2008/02/adl-iadl.html" rel="nofollow">ADLs</a>, and I had a full-time job, it was time for LTC. <a HREF="http://ontarioseniors.blogspot.com/2009/01/caregiving-daughters-point-of-view.html" rel="nofollow">Adult children have no rights</a> and as long as my mother remained vaguely sentient, she was able to live at home and refuse all help. My big mistake was promising my mother I would help her stay in her home. She wanted to die in her house, and she did. But we should have sat down and talked about what would happen when she was incontinent, unable to prepare meals, etc. We should have had that talk. When my father’s brain tumour rendered him unable to manage his ADLs, and I had a full-time job, it was time for LTC.
Adult children have no rights and as long as my mother remained vaguely sentient, she was able to live at home and refuse all help.

]]> By: ElderGuru.com http://eldercareabcblog.com/five-long-term-care-myths/comment-page-1/#comment-616 ElderGuru.com Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:54:58 +0000 http://eldercareabcblog.com/?p=1392#comment-616 RE: #4, it is becoming more difficult to protect assets for Medicaid funding long-term care. The "look back" period is often so long that people need to think far in advance (as in numerous years) to legally protect assets. But is that such a bad thing? Long-term care isn't free. Someone has to pay. Is it fair to burden tax payers with the bill if the person has a pile of assets? RE: #4, it is becoming more difficult to protect assets for Medicaid funding long-term care. The “look back” period is often so long that people need to think far in advance (as in numerous years) to legally protect assets.

But is that such a bad thing? Long-term care isn’t free. Someone has to pay. Is it fair to burden tax payers with the bill if the person has a pile of assets?

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