Today's Dr. Phil shocker: Nursing home abuse

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Or more specifically elder abuse.

A woman states this particular nursing home has been abusing her mother for 2 years. Would you wait that long to remove your mother if you believed she was?

Something not quite right here.

Specializes in ER.

I watched Dr Phil, and beyond moving the woman to another nursing home I was wondering why the daughter didn't come in for her Mom's baths. That was what Mom found the most stressful, and when most of the bruising was happening.

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Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.
The video of this is here:

53a3c0e55ea5985eb599d26adfb52ed0.jpg

http://drphil.com/shows/show/1949/#

This is disturbing. There are many injuries and cuts (one going across the entire arm and deep), and an unbelievable amount of bruises everywhere.

Clearly this is abuse. If a person talks to the elderly, they will find these cases everywhere, unfortunately.

These abuses are one reason why I will never put my elderly family members in a nursing home/LTC. I will have them stay at an independent home for as long as they can and hire personal caregivers. If it costs me $18,000 a year, so what?

I feel sorry for the people who do not have the money to do this and have to send them to publicly funded nursing homes/LTCs. There are in-home services for the poor (IHHS), but this is not enough. Nursing homes/LTCs should be replaced entirely by in-home health care. Everyone should be at home with a caregiver 1 on 1, in a comfortable environment, and a calm and sunny place to live (I noticed in the video it was extremely dark, as if there were no windows in the place and dreary). Medical equipment should be more moveable and affordable, so everyone has their own system and equipment at home.

For now, I will never let a family member go to an LTC and advise everyone to do the same and hire 1 on 1 caregivers if they can.

I suspect these comments come from someone who has not had to seriously consider placing a family member in LTC or else you wouldn't be so flippant about $18,000. I also suspect that you've never actually *done* home care or else you would realize that "home" isn't always "a comfortable environment, and a calm and sunny place to live" or uselessly stating that medical equipment should be moveable and affordable.

Having actually done pediatric home health, I can assure you that many times "home" is often a matchbox sized apartment with several other people living in it, that may or may not be infested with bugs, smells, dirty dishes and laundry, etc.

Honestly, even my families that literally did live in McMansions had problems operating Hoyer lifts, wheelchairs, walkers, handicap strollers, etc. within their homes -- hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms, and doorframes in even less-than-poor peoples' houses are not built for that sort of machinery.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Folk who wear rose-colored glasses most freq know not of what they speak. Reality is very hard to view thru those glasses.

Anyone who has tried to provide family high-level home care know the realities of time committment and financial burdens. And the toll on existing family dynamics is unbelievable!!!

Abuses are also very, very much present in home care environments, probably more so than in institutions which are always under some agency's scrutiny. I briefly did home care - I have the horror stories to tell also.

Regardless of the environment, experienced healthcare practitioners have seen abuses in all shapes & forms. Victims cross all age strata and SES levels. Abusers do too. So a LTC placement is no safer from abuse than a home setting. And to think one is better than the other is a big mistake.

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Considering that a person is caring for another human being's welfare, $18,000 is not very much money, especially when it is a family member. I would pay $1,000,000 if I had that money even if it made me 100% broke.... (Which is more important a person or money?) Most nurses make $60,000 median, which is not exactly near the federal poverty level, but definitely middle-income...

I have seen in-home caregiving and it is a wonderful environment. They get to be at home, where they want to be, and it is 1 on 1 care. Many caregivers at home would agree with me. The family can also be actively involved, knowing exactly what kind of care is given as they are the employers. I've seen medical equipment being used by knowledgable cargivers.

Some people who work in-home care are retired RNs...

Public funding should be going to in-home care and shifted away from institutions. The way we treat our elderly is dreadful. There can be socialization at home too, as they can be taken out into public or have friends visit. They should not be separated from well people simply due to them being sick. They should be in the communities with the rest of us, and not end their lives in a foreign place. Quality of life can be improved

Wow that post is mostly insulting. $18000 is not just a lot of money for the 'poor' but for most people. Some elderly thrive in in the LTC environment too or might be in a position where in-home health care is not an option due to the level of care required.

Also, what medical equipment are you talking about? It's all very well being able to afford and buy medical equipment but there has to be a need or use for it and someone with the training and knowledge to use it.

I've worked in and have run several nursing homes. I would have my family member in any of them. I would stay in any of them. Home care is not always a viable option. Many residents are a two assist and very medically unstable. Family members or someone who'll be a 24 hour a day care giver for $18,000 a year can not possibly provide the care needed.

I agree with CapeCod. I have many people who thrive in long term care with increased socialization, proper nutrition and bathing. Home care can be an option or some, but home care dollars are just as stretched as long term cares. They suffer the same pressures to have a healthy case load with nurses who may seem overloaded with start-of-cares and supervision visits. Quality long term care allows families to have peace. That daughter who was providing 24 hour care at home can now come in and visit as a daughter, not a care giver. Nurses who are in tune with the families can help alleviate the guilt and fear with a newly placed resident. There will always be "those families". I, thankfully, have encountered more families that I enjoy working with than the ones that make me cringe. (I just have to add that I want to throw my remote at the TV when those class action lawsuit commercials about elder abuse in nursing homes come on. And if Dr Phil was doing an interview with a daughter who was singing the praises of her mom's nursing home-no one would watch. Negativity and anger gets people talking)

I suspect these comments come from someone who has not had to seriously consider placing a family member in LTC or else you wouldn't be so flippant about $18,000. I also suspect that you've never actually *done* home care or else you would realize that "home" isn't always "a comfortable environment, and a calm and sunny place to live" or uselessly stating that medical equipment should be moveable and affordable.

Having actually done pediatric home health, I can assure you that many times "home" is often a matchbox sized apartment with several other people living in it, that may or may not be infested with bugs, smells, dirty dishes and laundry, etc.

Honestly, even my families that literally did live in McMansions had problems operating Hoyer lifts, wheelchairs, walkers, handicap strollers, etc. within their homes -- hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms, and doorframes in even less-than-poor peoples' houses are not built for that sort of machinery.

Folk who wear rose-colored glasses most freq know not of what they speak. Reality is very hard to view thru those glasses.

Anyone who has tried to provide family high-level home care know the realities of time committment and financial burdens. And the toll on existing family dynamics is unbelievable!!!

Abuses are also very, very much present in home care environments, probably more so than in institutions which are always under some agency's scrutiny. I briefly did home care - I have the horror stories to tell also.

Regardless of the environment, experienced healthcare practitioners have seen abuses in all shapes & forms. Victims cross all age strata and SES levels. Abusers do too. So a LTC placement is no safer from abuse than a home setting. And to think one is better than the other is a big mistake.

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Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

I have seen in-home caregiving and it is a wonderful environment. They get to be at home, where they want to be, and it is 1 on 1 care. Many caregivers at home would agree with me. The family can also be actively involved, knowing exactly what kind of care is given as they are the employers. I've seen medical equipment being used by knowledgable cargivers.

Some people who work in-home care are retired RNs...

I *did* in-home care as a RN. It doesn't even appear that you're in nursing school as of yet.

There are a lot of barriers to in-home care that you can't really grasp unless you've actually done it. Some are practical, which I've already mentioned. Some are psychological, which others have mentioned. Many are financial.

There are certainly abuse hazards to be had with private care giving, as well. In an institutional setting, there are usually other people around -- as well as institutional checks, often times cameras, etc. that make elder abuse *less* likely to happen because you'll get caught. In a private setting, with family members that may not even be present on a weekly or monthly basis and no one to answer to, neglect and even outright abuse can pretty easily slide under the radar.

Anyway, I'm not going to go on. Your posts seem more like you're writing a quick generalized paper for school without having actually done any research than actually replying to people. I'm sure your views will become slightly more nuanced once you have some life experience under your belt.

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Specializes in MDS Coordinator.

I couldn't have said it better!!!

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Considering that a person is caring for another human being's welfare, $18,000 is not very much money, especially when it is a family member. I would pay $1,000,000 if I had that money even if it made me 100% broke.... (Which is more important a person or money?) Most nurses make $60,000 median, which is not exactly near the federal poverty level, but definitely middle-income...I have seen in-home caregiving and it is a wonderful environment. Theyget to be at home, where they want to be, and it is 1 on 1 care. Many caregivers at home would agree with me. The family can also be actively involved, knowing exactly what kind of care is given as they are the employers. I've seen equipment being used by knowledgable cargivers.Some people who work in-home care are retired RNs...Public funding should be going to in-home care and shifted away from institutions. The way we treat our elderly is dreadful. There can be socialization at home too, as they can be taken out into public or have friends visit. They should not be separated from well people simply due to them being sick. They should be in the communities with the rest of us, and not end their lives in a foreign place. Quality of life can be improved

Really? You do realize that going "100% broke" paying for home care will only result the family and their aged loved one winding up on the street together. But as long as they're there together I suppose the power of love will see them through. Or something.

And $18k is not enough to provide care for someone who needs 24/7 care, as the vast majority of LTC residents do. Just how much were you planning to pay these home care givers? They already make pathetic wages. Most of them, I'm sure, are wonderful people. But let's be honest, you get what you pay for.

They are *not* nurses. They are in no way prepared to do anything beyond basic custodial care. Many LTC residents are medically fragile and NEED a licensed nurse physically present around the clock. Not some on call RN who is also on call for 50 other home cases. Many of my residents would be dead in a week if their care was managed by a home health aide....

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Just so it doesn't seem I'm dumping on home care workers, let me stress that they provide a valuable and necessary service. But home care is NOT a viable alternative to skilled nursing. They are two completely different things. Most LTC residents need more than a HHA popping in once a day. Even having a HHA 24/7 isn't enough because these people really do need a licensed nurse present to supervise care at all times. There just isn't enough money and resources to provide this level of care in home 24/7, unless you're insanely rich. And this is why nursing homes exist and won't be replaced by home care anytime soon.

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I will say that I have two very close family members that did an excellent job caring for elderly loved ones with medical needs at home, and one of them worked full-time. It wasn't at all easy, but I agree with their choices, and I came and helped too. It's a really tough situation in which to be. I don't want to judge anyone about their decision either way. I personally do not want my loved ones in LTC if at all possible; but I don't have a crystal ball.

Long-term care insurance is already outrageous for any individual to carry on himself/herself. No easy answers. It's just that God blessed and it worked out for my family members. But I cannot make judgments about what other people face/choose. There are not easy answers. I do know that there is abuse of elderly throughout many settings, and even with some folks in the home. Regardless of which path is choosen, you need vigilant, caring, and highly committed family/loved ones. Maybe it's me, but in my area, excellent LTC centers are few and far between. I wish it were not so, but it is.

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I *did* in-home care as a RN. It doesn't even appear that you're in nursing school as of yet.

There are a lot of barriers to in-home care that you can't really grasp unless you've actually done it. Some are practical, which I've already mentioned. Some are psychological, which others have mentioned. Many are financial.

There are certainly abuse hazards to be had with private care giving, as well. In an institutional setting, there are usually other people around -- as well as institutional checks, often times cameras, etc. that make elder abuse *less* likely to happen because you'll get caught. In a private setting, with family members that may not even be present on a weekly or monthly basis and no one to answer to, neglect and even outright abuse can pretty easily slide under the radar.

Anyway, I'm not going to go on. Your posts seem more like you're writing a quick generalized paper for school without having actually done any research than actually replying to people. I'm sure your views will become slightly more nuanced once you have some life experience under your belt.

Thank you. Our little friend who is so enamoured of home health might want to include a plan on how is is going to be PAID FOR!! Whether an infant, a pet, or an elderly family member, one-on-one care is ALWAYS more expensive than communal care, and very few families can afford 24/7 assistance at all, let alone NURSING care around the clock for Uncle Frank. So, are we to have our debt-ridden governments pay instead? With funding from......where??

Ideals are lovely, but immaturity and wishfull thinking have never solved a problem. Sadly, the unicorn who poots gold nuggets had gone missing...

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I think people who have issues with placing loved ones in LTC would be surprised just how many residents actually *flourish* after being placed there. Sometimes it's not "the only option left". Sometimes it's the *better* option, even in cases where the family does have the money and time to care in home.

As for abuse, well, I see far more bedsores and bruises on residents the day they're admitted than I do a year after they've been living in the facility. Take from that what you will....

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My mother in law, God rest her soul, was one of those very idealistic women who vow never to put their loved one in a home so she took on the care of her own mother and gave it a heck of try, but even with help she had to cry uncle. One cannot take care of an invalid all day and all night and expect to last for months and years. She did the next best thing and put her mother in a nursing home. BUT she got involved in her care, got to know the staff, realized that you don't have a private aid and that you have to share so she came often to feed and do little things to make her mother comfortable. She wasn't there to get in the way or bark orders. Simply put she tried to make the best of the situation.

I think people who have issues with placing loved ones in LTC would be surprised just how many residents actually *flourish* after being placed there. Sometimes it's not "the only option left". Sometimes it's the *better* option, even in cases where the family does have the money and time to care in home.

As for abuse, well, I see far more bedsores and bruises on residents the day they're admitted than I do a year after they've been living in the facility. Take from that what you will....

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