The Bethlen Home Messenger, 1991 (1-3. szám)

1991-09-01 / 3. szám

Social StrWce Comer

by : Pat Armel

A special "Welcome" to our new Social Worker Pat Armel who recently started here at Bethlen Home in June.

Below is an article written by Pat on the Do's and Don't of placing a loved one in a nursing home.

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I recently read an article by Jesse N. Bradley called "A Home for Mama" concerning the decision to place his mother in a Nursing Home. For those of us who have or will have relatives in a Nursing Home, he offered the following list of hard learned "Do's" and"Don'ts".

DO get acquainted with all of the staff. They will play a large part in your life for a long time to come and it is better to deal with friends than with strangers.

DO NOT hesitate to ask for help or report problems and encourage your patient to speak out also. DO NOT be overbearing about it but DO expect to get the service for which you are paying.

DO NOT interrupt the daily routine by demanding special treatment for your relative at the expense of others.

DO visit regularly. Nationwide, an estimated 20 to 30 percent of all nursing home patients never receive any visitors ... a heartbreaking statistic.

DO NOT limit your visits to your own relatives. Talk and listen to other patients also. Talk about pets, religion, history, sports, weather and politics.

DO treat all patients as normally as possible. Learn and use their names. Be sympathetic but not pitying.

DO help out but do not be overly solicitous. Encourage the patients to do as much as they can for themselves. However, most of them need an extra pair of hands occasionally.

DO NOT do anything for a patient that will have medical repercussions.

DO NOT visit when you are ill. Colds, coughs, flu and sore throats are particularly hard on older people.

DO bring gifts. Small personal items such as toiletries, clothing, flowers, snapshots, stamps, stationery, books and magazines are always appreciated.

DO see that your patient is supplied with an adequate wardrobe.

DO bring children to visit.

DO NOT let others make you feel guilty about placing your loved one in a nursing home and DO NOT second guess yourself.

In Honor of Grandparents

Sunday, September 8th, celebrates National Grandparents Day. The following poem is dedicated to anyone who is a grandparent.

GRANDPARENTS

by: Ottis Shirk

It’s funny how grandparents sometimes act when their first grandchild arrives, but often little things will make great changes in our lives.

While talking one day, it was Grandma who said, "I know I'll never bar those darling, little, chubby hands from Grandma's cookie jar."

Then Grandpa, with a heart of love, spoke these words in between, "I'll never once refuse to buy him candy or ice cream."

Grandma continued, "I'll sure be glad when he begins to crawl, and leaves his little fingerprints on furniture and wall.

"And Grandpa won't refuse to spend, if it will bring him joy, the last cent in his pocket, for some simple, little toy."

Thus they talked for quite a while, when mother came along and said, "If you did all those things, I think it would be wrong."

Grandparents must remember if it's true love they would show, for baby's good, there's many times they'll have to answer, "No."