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[quote=Anonymous]"How can government help?"

By addressing elder care with the same level of humanity and regulation they do child care.

In some states, caregivers in nursing homes only need to spend 1 1/2 TOTAL hours of hands-on care PER DAY on a resident. That includes bathing, dressing, help with eating, transferring to/from wheelchairs, etc.

When you think that a stroke patient (100% mentally cognizant) who has some paralysis needs help eating all three meals, there is your 1 1/2 per day. Essentially, the facility is good to go. Getting them in the wheelchair and out of their room to go to an activity is considered optional.

This is virtually impossible so overmedicating is the solution, even for those who have no real mental or physical problems other than frailty. It's much easier to keep them drugged, sleeping and in a diaper than have to keep them engaged, happy and as active as possible.

Imagine if the state/federal standard was 1 1/2 hours per day on a child in daycare and all other times the kids were drugged and napping?  Didn't have to provide them with any kind of stimulating activity? Had caregivers who were criminals or had no training in child care?  When a facility was found to be mold-infested, serving spoiled food?  Any violation is essentially a minor fine for deep-pocket corporate owners who laugh all the way to the bank with their Medicaid checks and the resident's hard-earned life savings?

Well, that's what's happening in elder care. [/quote]

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