I was wondering, do you think that countries that do more elder care in family settings, rather than institutional ones, will fare better in this crisis?
I read today, on a mainstream news outlet, that in some states 50% of the fatalities from the Coronavirus are from nursing home patients. More than 10,000 nursing home deaths in NY alone.
I'm pretty sure that less wealthy countries do most of their eldercare by relatives. What do you think? Nursing homes seem to be a vortex for coronovirus fatalities.
Sorry about that ? Yeah it was something to do with Corona originally!
I think Emergent was being series. I feel like we all learned a lot about each other and how we've come to be the people we are. Personally, I feel like I understand you more than I did last week. ?
I think Emergent was being series. I feel like we all learned a lot about each other and how we've come to be the people we are. Personally, I feel like I understand you more than I did last week. ?
Agree, sometimes it is nice to put aside (any) differences and realize that "deep inside we are all the same" (Styx song for those who don't recognize that), we are all in this journey together!
My Dad was a musician and music teacher. You have almost certainly heard his trumpet. He is the trumpet player in the video I'll post at the bottom of this post.
A couple days before he died my Daddy gave me a wonderful gift.
He was in hospice with mets in his bones and paralysis traveling up from his spinal cord. Step-Mom was the official caregiver. After a 12 hour registry day shift I turned on my phone to a message from my sister, who is not a nurse, and step-Mom to come right away. I let my husband know where I was going and drove to their house. The "emergency" was a code brown in the king size bed!
While I cleaned and changed the sheets I let them know I would be there as long as needed.
Step-Mom said to me, "It must be difficult doing such a personal thing to your own father."
My Daddy said to her, "No. She is a professional. To her it was like me practicing scales."
What a wonderful gift from a daddy to his nurse daughter! ?
I'm so glad your daddy was able to allow you to care for him with such graciousness.
My mom died last fall after a heartbreakingly short battle with cancer. We were shocked at how fast it went, and how abruptly we were told there was nothing left to do. My mom went from living on her own, being fully independent in a two-storey house to being a total care in a matter of weeks.
She would not allow me to help with her personal care. She died about a week after we transitioned her to hospice, and spent her last days in a hospital. While she would have liked to go home, she chose to stay inpatient because she would rather that than have her daughter as her caregiver. I even left the room when the nurses or aides put her on the bedpan.
Part of me is sad that I wasn't able to use my nursing skills in a hands-on way with my mom. And part of me is glad that I was able to be just her daughter during that time, and allow her to keep her dignity. She was keenly aware she was losing her life; I'm glad she didn't have to lose her pride, too.
I just wish she could have seen that taking care of her would have been my privilege after all she did for me.
Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
3 hours ago, turtlesRcool said:
I'm so glad your daddy was able to allow you to care for him with such graciousness.
My mom died last fall after a heartbreakingly short battle with cancer. We were shocked at how fast it went, and how abruptly we were told there was nothing left to do. My mom went from living on her own, being fully independent in a two-storey house to being a total care in a matter of weeks.
She would not allow me to help with her personal care. She died about a week after we transitioned her to hospice, and spent her last days in a hospital. While she would have liked to go home, she chose to stay inpatient because she would rather that than have her daughter as her caregiver. I even left the room when the nurses or aides put her on the bedpan.
Part of me is sad that I wasn't able to use my nursing skills in a hands-on way with my mom. And part of me is glad that I was able to be just her daughter during that time, and allow her to keep her dignity. She was keenly aware she was losing her life; I'm glad she didn't have to lose her pride, too.
I just wish she could have seen that taking care of her would have been my privilege after all she did for me.
turtlesRcool THANK YOU! You honored your Mom. That was your gift to her.
On the “nation of Individuals” question— it is also true that my 75 year old mother would not WANT to live with me. She, like many European Americans, very much values her independence and her privacy. I see many posts about daughters changing, bathing, and physically caring for their elderly parents. Which is absolutely lovely and inspiring. But my mother, as she ages, would absolutely prefer a “stranger” (a kindly nurse or aide) to do her intimate care. She has said as much. The loss of her independence and privacy would be worse, for her, than almost anything else.
A Hit With The Ladies, BSN, RN
408 Posts
Sorry about that ? Yeah it was something to do with Corona originally!