In my last permanent job, at a nursing home as an office administrator I received about 60% higher wage than the Care Staff. There is a lot of talk about paying peanuts and getting monkeys. Well, peanuts is what we pay nursing staff.

At the nursing home I worked at, everyone was employed part-time - so staff would hold other part-time jobs at other nursing homes to make ends meet. Employment conditions were also very poor. Tea room miles away from residence, no private toilet facilities for staff, no-one in place to handle claims by abused staff (abused by other employees) The senior management only gave credence to D.O.N. who was a major culprit in staff bullying.

In spite of this and much more, the care that was given to elderly was very good, however I was only there for 8 months (abused by boss) and already stress levels were getting high.

Our elderly deserve assistance from carers who are in turn treated well and paid value for the contribution they make.

The caring professions are amongst the least respected and lowest paid.

How staff can care adequately for their charges when running two or three jobs at a variety of shifts is impossible in the long term.

I don't see any improvement in the future. I am fortunate, at present, that my mother (82) is fit and independent. However, I at least have knowledge and experience to avail me if I have to seek placement for my mother in a nursing home.

While I think that the abuse of the elderly in nursing homes is despicable, has anyone given any thought that sexual abuse can happen to the young disabled people, who are just as vulnerable as the elderly, that the government shoves into these places because there aren't enough homes for the disabled.
My disabled 30 year old daughter is just one of these young people that has been sexually abused in a nursing home. Thank God, she has been moved to a suppoted accommodation home now. Even though this creep confessed to the police, the investigation is still continuing and I pray that they throw him in gaol and toss the key away.

Tiddles, I'm so sorry to hear about what your daughter had to experience. It is unconscionable that the police have not done their job properly. Where is the outrage? That anyone, elderly or disabled much less the ambulatory must endure abuse at the hands of those in whom trust is placed, is just a sad commentary on the world we live in today.

Kay wrote:
"Staff talked about residents as if they were not present."

I think that happens everywhere in dementia high-care.
I remember it made me uncomfortable when I first encouintered it, but after a while of seeing everyone do it, it became like background static.
I try not to do it myself, as some people with dementia are much more present then they let on.

I do think that it's funny how everyone gets upset when the odd depraved person rapes or bashes someone(we had an RN who got mad with a resident so she bashed him and broke his skull). Which you can't anticipate or stop beyond police checks, which we already do.

But ignores the forced neglect in aged care.
Like 7:1 ratios. And since you(in theory) work in teams of two, that's 14:2, and they've all gotta be done before 10 AM. It's a quarter past 7 and the clock starts, now!

This, and not the occasional depraved person, is the real shame in aged care IMHO.

Husmusen

Husmusen

I was not talking about people with dementia. I was speaking about people with profound mental illness. Even so, so what? People with dementia are not necessarily hearing impaired. That is a myth.

I get the impression that you are not an RN, or an EN. I get the impression that you are an untrained nursing assistant.

Thus, your disgusting views are cognisant of a monkey brought in from the street to carry a bedpan. I bet you have no idea how to analyse the contents of the bedpan as predictors of confusion in elderly persons.

That you think that sexual assault is Ok makes me sick.

And strawman of the year award goes to Kalweb.

If you bothered to read my post, *which you obviously didn't*, you would have noticed that I never said any such thing.

To make it blatantly clear I did not say I though assaulting people was OK, what I found funny was that there was great outrage about the smaller problem but at the same time, no outrage about the much bigger problem.

Tell me Kay, which do you think does more damage?
One depraved individual, who might assault a score of individuals before they are caught, or (invisable) institutionalised neglect affecting thousands of people, leading to hundreds of pressure ulcers skin tears etc and the attendant pain and suffering?
Moreso as institutionalised neglect is something we CAN stop before it happens.

If you are planning to have a swipe at someone, read their post properly, otherwise you risk giving the impression of being a complete idiot or a troll.

The fact that society focuses on the sensational but relatively small problem, while ignoring the much larger problem is as perverse as it is common.

I'm an RN Div2 I find the PCA's I work with to be poorly trained, but their hearts are in the right place and most of them seek more training because they really care about the patients, your attitude to them is pretty much what I expect from an old school Div 1.

P.S.
You think I don't know about the cognitive effects of UTI's? What has that to do with the price of fish? Waaay off topic.

Husmusen.