I decided to get out of the house yesterday afternoon and go visit some of my friends at the nursing home especially Mabel who is 104. I stay amazed at how alert and bright minded she stays. She is such a joy to be around. She is always positive and never complains. I took her in her wheelchair to visit some other residents in the nursing home because her arms are too weak to push herself. We visited Mary, who is 89 and her roommate. We enjoyed our visit very much. I took Mabel down to the activity and dining room when it was time for to eat her dinner. When we arrived there was several other residents already there. I noticed at one table a young looking girl sitting by herself. Since dinner had not arrived, I asked Mabel if she would like to talk to Linda the young girl. She said yes. We went to that table. Linda’s mother was sitting at another table who seemed in a bad mood and was saying a bunch of mean things to the other residents at their table. Linda would hang her head down like she was in trouble or ashamed of her mother. Linda is slightly developmental challenged otherwise she is so sweet and has the cutest smile and laughter. Her mother is so afraid of something happening to her daughter, but would say her daughter was not her daughter right to her face. I am not sure what health or mental conditions Linda’s mom has but to have lived in the home life they mush have lived in must have been bad. They do share a room at the nursing home so Linda must have to listen to some pretty horrible things her mom says to her in there. I wish Linda could be moved to a room that is more peaceful. After talking to her in the dining room, I could tell she enjoyed Mabel and mine’s talk with her. I can see now why the aides put her at a different table than her mother, but she needs to sit with other people for social interaction unless other people have been cruel to her in the past by saying mean things to her.

I did visit several other ladies I knew in the nursing home. The biggest complaint I hear is that they have to wait for a long time to get someone to assist them to the bathroom. They end up with kidney infections and soiled clothes and bedding. They feel like their dignity has been taken away being left helpless. I really do feel for these people. There is a shortage of staff to assist these people. I wish more of their family members visited more often to see what is going on in the lives of their loved ones in a nursing home. I am not saying that the nursing home is a bad place. It is just making a person wait for over 45 minutes to go to the bathroom is ridiculous. I have personally witnessed it and said something about it. I get smart remarks about the aides are busy when I see them standing and leaning on the nurses station with the lights to the residents rooms flashing on the board. This does upset me and think about when I get older and may have to go into a nursing home if my family can not care for me. I have been told about their is an ombudsman for the nursing home. I will have to check into this person who handles complainants for the residents in long term care.