Matthew Machado 10/18/09
Long Term Care Nursing Home
My grandmother has been living in a nursing home for some time and I hardly know anything about the place. I’ve always wondered what the residents do every day, and how they interact with both the staff and other residents. After being assigned this essay, I decided to find out and get a good grade in the process.
I drove down to the nursing home with my mother to visit my grandmother. When we walked in I observed the area. I noticed that the place looked a lot like the inside of a hotel. There were pictures of flowers and rivers everywhere, and real flowers were all over the place. Even the red carpet had flower patterns. All the halls are filled with pictures and paintings of flowers. The flower paintings were made by the residents.
I constantly hear show tune music in all the halls. When I sit on the floor and touch it with my hand, I notice that the carpet is very flat and hard. Probably to prevent the residents from tripping and falling down. There is a clerk at the desk that lets gests in and out. The residents are not allowed to leave the building unless escorted by a family member.
As I look around some more I see fall decorations on the doors and windows to signify the season. The inside of the halls are grey, and there are trays filled with medication near some of the residents doors. The smell in the halls is a little musty but not entirely unpleasant. It is very warm in the building however, around 72 degrees and yet the residents still say that their cold. There is only one elevator and only four floors.
The resident’s rooms all have decorations hanging from their doors. The inside of my grandmother’s room, which she shares with a roommate, is very small. All the rooms are basically built the same. There is really old furniture from the resident’s home, bed spreads filled with flower patterns, very small television sets, pictures of loved ones, and ceramics that the residents made themselves. The bathrooms have safety looks, and there are no stoves, knifes, or any other objects that could hurt them. The interior of the room has a very stale, unpleasant odor that makes me feel a little dizzy. It is also very warm inside.
There are hardly and residents in the halls. Most of them are either in their rooms or on the bottom floor. This floor is where all the activities are. The residents spend most of their day on the bottom floor in the activity room. They seem to talk a lot though I can’t understand what their saying. Some are sleeping, some are just staring into space, and some are talking to themselves. Some of the residents are hard of hearing, some have Alzheimer’s, and some can’t see well.
The staff wait on the residents hand and foot, they play with them like little kids. They play bingo with them, help guide them around, and keep them on schedule. I hear some of the residents constantly repeating themselves or shouting at others. I hear the soft swish of the walkers wheels run across the carpet. The staff all try to make the residents feel happy and at home.
The bottom floor hallway is filled with even more residential paintings, mostly flowers. They also have a hobby and craft room where they make ceramics; they have a hair salon room, nurse’s office, and a family meeting office to discuss patients care. I went bake up to the first floor and found out that they have a small library. I went inside the kitchen and saw that everything was made out of stainless steel. The metal was surprisingly cold when I touched it despite the intense heat. The stainless steel must be to keep the kitchen sanitary. The chef was a nice man who loved to whistle and sing to him self.
The dinning room looks a lot like the inside of a restaurant. With flowers, triangle shaped napkins, and coffee cups. They even had a little café area for family and residents to eat and talk with each other. One dinning area is separated for the patients that need to feed by the staff. Luckily most of the residents are fine on their own.
I said good bye to my grandmother and headed out. On my way out I heard an alarm go off. The reception desk explained to me that it was the “Security-Lock down System”. All outside doors are alarmed and people need to be buzzed in, in order to enter. This is to prevent residents from wandering outside and getting hurt.
After learning so much about this place I feel much better. I am happy knowing that my grandmother is living in a safe and comfortable environment. It really makes me feel secure inside.
