The Healthcare Industry: Profit on a Margin(alized People)
The healthcare system in the United States is capitalist by nature and, as a result, negatively impacts those seeking care and those providing it. In particular, those involved with hospice care, nursing homes, and general long-term care are most impacted. Although most may only think of the patients and their families being negatively, the way the healthcare system works specifically ensures that patients and caregivers face hardship. Due to the for-profit model most long-term care facilities use, care assistants are forced to work long hours in understaffed environments for low pay, which not only creates economic hardship for them, but causes their patients to endure miserable conditions in which their needs are often unmet due to the assistants’ inability to provide adequate care, which is usually due to lack of time. This cycle of deficiency in providing resources to not only patients but also caregivers is outlined in Timothy Diamond’s book Making Gray Gold: Narratives of Nursing Home Care. In Making Gray Gold, Diamond gives a firsthand report of his experiences in the nursing care field as he spent ten years in training and in the field.
One of the most interesting and perhaps most prominent concepts brought up by and discussed by Diamond in his book was the role of intersectionality, specifically race and class regarding nursing home assistants. Early on, Diamond noted that the majority of his fellow care assistant trainees were immigrants and people of color. Diamond observes that “[f]rom the administrative point of view it is logical that the homes located in poorer sections… would be more likely to rely on immigrant workers, who provide cheaper labor costs f...
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... she hinted at the nursing assistants being abusive, and she occasionally had bruises on her arms. She rarely went outside and ate very little, which reflected on her health very poorly. I definitely believe her health deteriorated much faster while living in the facility than it would have had she lived with family. The other elderly in her home did not talk to each other and it was very depressing to be inside. Prior to reading Making Gray Gold, I blamed the entirety of poor care on the nursing assistants because I assumed that since it was their job to take good care of the patients, they were simply just not doing a good job and it was their fault. However, after reading this book, I definitely see that it is more complicated than that. I cannot excuse elder abuse, but I can see why all the other problems happened with the nursing home my great-grandmother was in.
To begin to understand an individual must start to understand the current status of care for the elderly people with dementia. In the twenty-first century there are differences that occur that are unlike past elderly care (Bookman & Kimbrel, 2011). One difference that is looked at is the six key groups that people look for in outsourcing are health care providers, nongovernmental community-based service providers, employers, government, families, and elders themselves (Bookman & Kimbrel, 2011). Roberto and Jarrott (2008) discuss one of the key groups that Bookman and Kimbrel (2011) talk about. In Roberto and Jarrott’s (2008) article they explain that older adults have to rely on family member for instrumental support and more intense care activities.
The story of Miss. Julianne took me to my childhood. When I was 13-14 years, my Nana was also suffering from dementia at that point. I was too young at that point to understand his situation, now in nursing I am learning about different diseases and how patients react to those particular situations, I can relate more to his pain and understand from what he was going through. As in the story Miss Julianne forgets things, as she said, “Where are my dentures?” (Lenar, K., 2016,), and she blames others, “and
Stone, R.I & Wiener, J. M. (2001). Who Will Care For Us? Addressing the Long-Term Care Workforce Crisis. The Urban Institute.
Immigration and the minority population is increasing each and every year. With a growing ethnically diverse population, it is vital that nurses are sufficiently equipped for and able to work with patients in a way that identifies and respects their diversity.
Employment discrimination includes unequal treatment in employment decisions, opportunities, hiring and firing, compensation, promotion done by the supervisor and management on the basis of nurses’ race, origin, color, religion and language (Walani, 2015). In some cases even the patients refuge to be treated from a nurse with certain ethnic or national background. In Primeau’s study (2014), one IEN reports that a patient denied her care and said, “I don’t want to be treated by a terrorist”. Moreover, immigrant nurses are often employed in less desirable areas, lower positions and are excluded from the opportunities which could promote them easily to higher positions ((Li, 2014). Discrimination is not only unethical but also an illegal practice at any workplace. However, sometimes the IENs themselves acknowledge that they have less confidence and take inequality for granted. So, they do not report some cases of discrimination. Moreover, even the colleagues, patients and families treat the IENs with aggression, resentment, less trust and uncooperative manner (College of Nurses of Ontario [CNO], 2007). Sometimes, the coworkers intentionally misunderstand and underestimate the IENs’ education and skills and bully them (Kingma, 2007). A study by Hagey shows that immigrant black nurses also face racial discrimination in nursing employment in Canada (2001).
During the time when all nurses were undervalued, Gordon followed and observed three registered nurses every day at Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, while on their daily routines for almost two years. Each of the nurses have different jobs, which cause them to have different roles. The three nurses Gordon evaluated were: Nancy Rumplik, an oncology nurse; Ellen Kitchen, a home care nurse practitioner; and Jeannie Chaisson, a clinical nurse specialist. All three nurses together have more than 50 years of work experiences in the medical field. Gordon gives us an assortment of cases the nurse worked on. She shows how each nurse has special abilities when it comes to helping their patients.
Hanks, R.. (2008). The Lived Experience of Nursing Advocacy. Nursing Ethics, 15(4), 468-77. Retrieved February 27, 2012, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1486004371).
Expect the best, prepare for the worst and capitalize on what comes (Zig Ziglar). The demand for talented, educated and experienced nursing home administrators is increasing, and filling this demand is becoming more challenging. In this paper, the qualifications, responsibilities, and duties of a nursing home administrator, professional staff, nonlicensed staff, and consultants will be identified. We will explore trends that are likely to affect assisted living in the future. We also will explore new changes in regulation related to the F490, the Facility assessment and how it will impact the role of the administrator.
Eva Kittay’s “Love’s Labor” truly opened my eyes to the profession of dependency work. I realized that there are many underlying ethical concerns of the job and that it is not to be taken lightly. I believe that society should provide more opportunities for caregivers and that more people should take the time to learn in more depth about what the profession requires.
Bookman and Kimbrel acknowledge the gap between financial status as well as culture and race, they stated, “.because elders are widely diverse by race and socioeconomic status, their families attach differing cultural meanings to care and have widely different resources with which to accomplish their care goals” (2011). Thus, creating the large gap seen in nursing home facilities. Specifically, cultures like the Chinese maintain traditions like filial piety, in which the adult children must care for their elderly parent (Li & Buechel, 2007). This type of culture defines the line between those who view nursing homes as ideal and those who prefer a separate form of older adult care.
Who is going to care for our aging population when they are unable to care for themselves? A Certified Nursing Assistant, also referred to as a CNA will. A CNA has many responsibilities in the healthcare field. CNAs are the primary caregivers to residents in long-term care facilities and hospitals. CNAs help residents perform activities of daily living. A few examples of activities of daily living are feeding, bathing, dressing and toileting. With all the responsibilities CNAs have, their job can be stressful. The night shift for CNAs requires getting patients ready for supper and put to bed. Some people may think this is simple, but it is not. On average a CNA is responsible for twelve residents while toileting every resident, assessing their needs, and watching for the other residents call lights, CNAs need to have every resident to supper by six o’clock. Once all residents are at the table for supper, CNAs must give each resident their trays and then feed them. Once they are done feeding the residents, CNAs start taking residents to bed. While giving bedtime care CNAs toilet the resident, wash the resident, brush their teeth, put pajamas on them, and transfer them into bed. While giving night time care CNAs need to listen for the alarms of fall risk residents, answer call lights, and be patient with the resident they are giving care to. CNAs need to give quality care
Nursing assistants work in many types of settings including nursing homes, hospice, mental health centers, assisted living residences, home care agencies, hospitals, rehabilitation and restorative care facilities (Sorrentuino & Remmert, 2012). There are many types of Long-term care centers. For this paper, I will focus on the long-term care centers often referred to as nursing homes. These LTCs are "licensed facilities that provide extended care for individuals who do not require the acute care provided in a hospital but who need more care than can be given at home" (U.S Department of Health And Human...
A nurse’s role in our society today is exceptionally significant. Nurses are somewhat idolized and looked to as our everyday “superman”. “The mission of nursing in society is to help individuals, families, and groups to determine and achieve physical, mental, and social potential, and to do so within the challenging context of the environment in which they live and work” (“The Role of a Nurse/Midwife”). Many Americans turn to nurses for delivery of primary health care services and health care education (Whelan). In our country, there is constantly someone in need of health care. There will always be a baby being born or a person dying, someone becoming ill or growing old. Some people due to their physical and/or mental state of health are completely dependent on a nurse and wouldn’t be able to get through the simple obstacles of every day, or achieve the necessary requirements of a simple day without their aid. Not only do nurses help, and assist you when you’re sick, but also act to promote good health to others. They end...
Long term care facilities are for patients looking for 24 hour care, these are sometimes referred to as nursing homes. Providing safety and quality of life with nursing as well as endless supervision. Long term care facilities are held through profit or non profit organizations. Long-term care facilitates are generally classified by ownership: Proprietary (for profit) meaning owned by individual or corporation and run for profit. Religious, meaning owned and operated by a religious organization, lay/charitable meaning owned and operated by a voluntary, non governmental and non religious body. (non profit). And others would be municipal, regional, provincial and federal. “Ontario carries 17% For profit facilitates, 46% government owned, 18% not for profit, and 19% Religious facilities for long term care. That is a 48.4% rate of not for profit homes with a 51.6% rates of profit organizations” (Banerjee, An Overview of Long-Term Care in Canada and Selected Provinces and Territories). Through the whole of this research paper, the terms will be grouped looking through for profit facilities and not for profit facilities of Ontario. This paper also has the intention to promote the need for maximizing priorities in long term care facilities as they lack the funds needed to fully produce the mission of quality. “Take away the public relations spin and it is clear that even the for-profit association admits that cutting on food and staff costs, and charging higher fees is the practice to maximize profit taking from the homes. Conversely, municipalities are pouring funding into the operational budgets of the facilities to improve care. Non-profits fundraise to provide activities and amenities. They act ...
Mona Counts works in the village of Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania. It is a medically underserved area and a HPSA (health professional shortage area). The town has an extremely poor economic base and majority of Mona’s patient population are poverty level. Mona is not worried about the money and will tell a patient to come in for a check up, regardless of whether or not they have health care. One patient said, “she is old-fashioned, she talks to you and tells you what you nee...