How It Feels To Live in a NY Senior Care Facility
"We've never had anyone do this. What exactly do you want?"
That was the initial reaction of the employees at the NY senior care facility. It was a justified response to the unconventional request of Kristen Murphy, a medical student attending the University of New England. Kristen was studying to become a Geriatrician and wanted to learn first hand what it feels like to be completely dependent on senior care at a local New York senior care home. She was only 38 years old when she decided to spend two weeks at the senior home.
Senior care placement is an issue everyone deals with. It usually takes a while before people get to that point but the cycle of life promises that there will always be someone in your family that needs senior care assistance. In a New York Times report about her experience, Kristen said it was more about connecting to the people who spend their lives dependent on senior care in NY. An official at the nursing home said that Kristen "came to us with a predetermined set of diagnoses." By doing so she limited her ability to walk, move her right hand, and listed that she had difficulty swallowing.
Kristen's adventure is part of a program called "learning by living." It was developed four years ago in an attempt to make students who are studying to become geriatric practitioners more empathic towards the people they help and eventually place them in the right senior care facility. Kristen's grandmother died of Alzheimer and spent her final years in a nursing home. "she was not responsive and always in bed. But the TV would always have something on that the staff would enjoy, like wrestling." This inspired Kristen to go into medical school and become a geriatric practitioner.
Before coming to the nursing home she couldn't understand why some older people were reluctant to do activities. But after her experience she realized that most of them are simply in a lot of physical pain on a daily basis, which makes them tired. They would just rather be there and be comfortable.
There are many senior care agencies in NY, but finding the right one usually means finding out the stories of the people who work there. You can say the same about a nanny agency or a household manager. Pretty much any helping hand has to have a back story that made them work where they do. Finding out why they do it may be more interesting than you think.
About the Author
http://www.penelopespeople.com is a senior and child care agency providing nannies, caretakers, executive assistants, and more to the New York area. If you're looking for household management or child care NY, you've come to the right place! Check out our blog at http://www.penelopespeopleblog.com
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