Resident Advocacy Group
Posted by Patti on 18th December 2007
The daughter of a nursing home resident forms a family support group and gets grief for it.
As soon as Rose Guyer suspected quality might be slipping at the nursing home where her mother lives, she took action.
She created an advocacy group at Spring Creek Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, where her 90-year-old mother has lived for three years. She formed the group in January, inviting Spring Creek residents and family members to join.
As Guyer envisioned, the group quickly became a forum for serious concerns, such as complaints that staff failed to notice medical problems, and that activities for highly disabled residents have declined significantly, with the residents left in front of TVs or windows.
Other recurring concerns include late meal deliveries and caregivers talking on cell phones during work.
According to Guyer, the home’s administrator, Matt Rohman, reacted positively when she told him of her plans for the group. He said the group could meet in the home’s library and attended the first meeting, saying his door was always open to questions and concerns.
But over time, Guyer says, her relationship with management has cooled.
Of course it’s cooled…management doesn’t want to hear the negatives. They want to believe all is perfect and could care less about the mundane boring aspects- things families call problems. I realize management’s hands are often tied when it comes to fixing so many of the problems…but they should be more open to group concerns and should try hard to work with the customers here. There is much more to this article- 4 pages worth. Have a look…
Posted in Culture Change, For Families, Nursing Homes | 2 Comments »