Saturday, December 21, 2013

Nursing Homes Prison 101 - Part Four in a Serious Series About Rehab & Care Centers & Nursing Homes


One day, while visiting in a bad rehab and care center, I saw a woman in a wheelchair. She was complaining to someone (Staff) that she was missing clothing. As usual, staff said that she had to wait (because they were busy), and then they would have to go downstairs to see where her clothing was.

The man waited, in fact, the woman stated that her clothing had been missing for more than one week, so figure that must be enough waiting, correct? Anyway, time passed and passed and the woman again came back to staff and complained about her clothing but bottom line is that no one went downstairs to find her clothing. And my guess was that even if someone went downstairs, they probably would not find the clothing anyway. After all, isn't this the place where all the residents are wearing everyone else's clothing? How can you find clothing in a basement, when the clothing is on someone else's body on the fifth floor?

The point that I am trying to make is this--that clothing is a very important issue when it comes to living in or to temporarily staying in a nursing home and a rehabilitation and care center. Practically none of these residents want to live here or stay here. Out of everyone that I saw there, from the ones that were able to express their opinion, NONE of them liked it there, none of them enjoyed their stay and none of them wanted to stay there, yet they are forced to be there because no one is helping them get out of there. And even those who have family members who are there to get them out of there, are met with red tape, long waiting periods, and total non-attention. Everything works against those who want to leave the place. Why? The reason is that most times the only way a resident gets to leave there is if they are fortunate enough to be brought to a hospital emergency room.

Under ordinary circumstances, residents of any other place in the world, would not want to be sent to the emergency room. However there is a rehab and care center in Staten Island, that is so bad, so uncomfortable and so horrible that residents would probably jump for joy if they had to go to the emergency room. Why? Because in this case, in this horrible case, the emergency room is their only ticket out of the place --while they are still alive. Emergency rooms--for these prisoner residents of this rehab and care center --are seen as a blessing, as a God-send, to those individuals who were previously destined to stay there in that place forever.

Can you even imagine hoping that you had to go to the emergency room? Probably not. Most normal individuals would not want to be in a position of going to the emergency room. However, in a certain rehab and care center in Staten Island, NY, many residents hope and wait for that day that they get their dishcharge from this place--even, yes even if it is to go to the emergency room. Practically any place other than this place is considered a blessing from God.

Please, politicians if you are reading this, please have mercy on those inside of those nursing homes that are abusing their powers and that are neglecting their residents and patients. Please, politicians, please hear this plea, that we need your help to change things for the better inside of these locked nursing homes and rehab and care centers.

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