Hello and welcome to
"Health for a Lifetime"
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I'm Don Mackintosh, your host,
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and today we're
joined with Dr. Kevin Bryant
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from Wichita, Kansas.
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Welcome Dr. Bryant. Hello
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What kind of medicine do
you practice there in Wichita?
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I'm in family practice,
but primarily in the area of
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geriatrics and
long-term care medicine.
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So when you say "geriatrics"
what age group would that be?
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Most people think of that in the
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over 65 retirement age
population... Which is an
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increasing population in
America isn't it? Absolutely
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Today we're going to
talk about a subject that
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many people in that
age category, but OTHERS
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you know, family
members deal with, and that's
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nursing homes,
and more specifically,
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choosing a nursing home,
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and I think that's
probably a very important topic
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for the time in which we live.
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Yes, studies show that
in America, 43% of Americans
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at some point in their lifetime
will spend some time in a
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nursing home, so it
is an important topic...
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and for children of aging
parents, or sometimes spouses,
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this may be one of the
most important decisions
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that they need to
make in their lifetime.
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Probably a lot of anxiety too,
that goes with that decision,
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both for the people
that are considering it,
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and those that are maybe
going to be in that home.
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Is that the only
choice they have...
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Is the nursing home
the only choice they have?
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Well our first illustration
talks about some of the
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other options, and obviously,
a home setting is going to be
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your best environment,
because it provides that
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familiar setting
and surroundings;
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people that the person
has known for a long time...
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And if they have some
memory impairment, these become
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very important to
helping them remain calm.
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But it does frequently require
24-hour a day coverage and care
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So that's why, at times,
it becomes almost impossible
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for families to care for
their aging loved ones at home.
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There are some ways that
they can try and supplement
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that 24-hour coverage
by adult day care centers
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where if they're
working, they can take their
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family member to an
adult daycare center,
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and sometimes respite times.
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These are where they can
take the aging parent to,
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for instance, a
nursing home for maybe a week
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if they're wanting to go on
a vacation or something like...
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it gives them a break so that
they can recoup their energy.
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These sound like
excellent ideas...
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I don't know if everybody
would know about those ideas,
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but let's say,
someone there is saying...
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"Hey, you know, I'm watching
this program, and I know
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that we have to face
some of these decisions,"
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who really should
they be talking with?
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Who should they go to,
and counsel with concerning
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finding the right
type of situation...
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the right type of nursing home.
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Well as a Christian physician,
I believe we have a source
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of knowledge that
we can tap into...
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And our next illustration gives
us a verse from Psalms 32:8
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where God promises that He
will instruct us and teach us
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the way we should go;
guide you with My eye.
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And I think this goes even
to the point of being able to
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guide us to just the
right nursing home environment
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for that parent, or spouse...
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And I believe God is interested
even in those choices.
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Claiming that promise!
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Have you had people that
have claimed that promise
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or have really
done that that just come
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and felt driven to talk to you?
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I can't remember any
exact instances, but I know
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of the families that I work
with, many of them Christian,
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are deep in
prayer about this issue.
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What kind of... you know,
someone is just starting out,
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maybe they really have
been in prayer about this...
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Maybe they have counseled
with people professionally.
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Maybe they're not really
doing some of those things,
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what initial advice would you
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give anyone
looking for a nursing home?
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Well first of all, one trap that
I see in this next illustration
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talks about it, is that
frequently, people fall into
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a trap by thinking "I need to
find the closest long-term care
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facility to my home so that I
can be quickly there if needed
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And actually, being able to
look a little bit farther out,
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maybe that extra 5, 10, 15
minute drive may be able to
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expand your search to
facilities that would actually
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serve that loved one better,
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and so don't be cause in
thinking, "I have to stay close"
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Is that for the people as much
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as the person
that's in the nursing home?
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Is it good for the person
that's in the nursing home
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to be further away?
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Not necessarily, but
just that you don't want to
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keep your focus of where
you're looking so close that you
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leave out other facilities
that may be actually better
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than those closest to you.
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Another trap is
looking at the expense...
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Now I know that nursing
home expense and long-term care
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facilities are a
tremendous expense,
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but sometimes just a
little bit more spent per month
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can get you into a whole new
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arena as far as
nursing home care.
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And not always, as we
show there, the fanciest home
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may not be always the best,
because the care being given
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by the individuals
in that facility is the
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most important
issue, not necessarily the
00:07:08.31\00:07:11.80
surroundings that they're in.
00:07:11.83\00:07:14.08
And what you have
here, the large chain homes,
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versus the
smaller... is bigger better?
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The large chain nursing
homes do bring some things,
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as far as being able to
have sometimes expertise of
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consultants that can help that
nursing home with certain issues
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But on the other hand, a
smaller privately owned home
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may have a more stable staff,
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and may have people that
are there more concerned.
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It depends on the staff.
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You see a lot of nursing homes,
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I don't think those
who've joined us would know,
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but how many
homes do you see a year?
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How many places do you frequent?
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I have patients in roughly
20-25 different nursing homes.
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So I see the whole
gamut of what's out there
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in the long-term
care industry today.
00:08:08.61\00:08:10.91
So you're looking really...
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we're talking with someone
here who really has seen a lot.
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So when we're talking to
you, we're talking to someone
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that can give us
a lot of good ideas.
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Let's say you've found a
home that you feel fairly
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comfortable with... initially,
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how do you gauge next concerning
the staff, the stability,
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and all that? How
do you get at that?
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Well again, in our next
illustration, we'll look at
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this issue of staff stability,
and that really is the key
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to the care that your
loved one can receive.
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And the way that I've
seen in trying to determine
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the stability, or an
appropriate gauge of the
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stability, is looking
at the director of nursing,
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and the administrator.
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Those 2 positions,
are the most important.
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They provide the most stability
long-term in that staff...
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And I've seen that if,
roughly, if they've been there
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for 2 years or
more at the facility,
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you can recognize it
carries a stable environment
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for my loved one to be
in, because they'll have the
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ability to know,
over the long-term,
00:09:25.81\00:09:29.21
what's been going on in that
facility and be able to help.
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So they've been there a while...
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Anything else that
you should look for?
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Well, there are other ways
to look at the staff too...
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When you're looking to go to
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that facility for the
first time to look at it,
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sometimes going
unannounced may be important.
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Going on the second
shift; for most people they go
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to visit their loved
one on the second shift,
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the evening shift.
00:10:03.88\00:10:05.10
And so going there before you...
00:10:05.13\00:10:07.91
...Normally do, or when
people would expect you to come
00:10:07.94\00:10:11.09
Going someplace where
they don't know you're coming.
00:10:11.12\00:10:13.85
Right, and seeing how
they respond to you...
00:10:13.88\00:10:16.67
How they help
you can be helpful.
00:10:16.70\00:10:18.65
Is it important
to go at mealtimes?
00:10:18.68\00:10:20.88
Seeing how they help
the residents at mealtime.
00:10:20.91\00:10:26.07
Seeing how they
interact with them.
00:10:26.10\00:10:28.59
How friendly are they?
00:10:28.62\00:10:30.05
How do they treat the residents?
00:10:30.08\00:10:32.08
You know, the
"golden rule" in Luke...
00:10:32.11\00:10:35.79
"Doing unto others as you
would want them to do unto you"
00:10:35.82\00:10:40.19
really plays a big role
here in seeing how they interact
00:10:40.22\00:10:44.37
with those residents.
00:10:44.40\00:10:45.45
Can you trust someone
that's a resident there,
00:10:45.48\00:10:47.87
talking to them... do
they know what's going on?
00:10:47.90\00:10:51.26
Or, you know, how
would you be able to tell?
00:10:51.29\00:10:53.70
Is that a wise thing to do?
00:10:53.73\00:10:56.52
Well in the nursing
home population today,
00:10:56.55\00:11:01.64
roughly half of them
have Alzheimer disease
00:11:01.67\00:11:07.76
of varying forms, so you
have to be careful because
00:11:07.79\00:11:13.53
sometimes you may be talking
to someone that is unable to
00:11:13.56\00:11:16.91
really give you
that information.
00:11:16.94\00:11:18.75
Let me ask you a question
that you and I were discussing
00:11:18.78\00:11:23.02
before the program a bit.
00:11:23.05\00:11:24.31
You know, this is sometimes
a very hard decision for people
00:11:24.34\00:11:29.36
in the family; sometimes it's
a very hard decision for the
00:11:29.39\00:11:31.99
person that may be
in the nursing home...
00:11:32.02\00:11:34.26
And when you're dealing
with those situations...
00:11:34.29\00:11:37.66
where you're dealing
with those family dynamics,
00:11:37.69\00:11:39.74
I know they're all
different, but let's say there's
00:11:39.77\00:11:42.98
someone watching today
that they've been struggling
00:11:43.01\00:11:46.33
with this and their
mom or their dad says,
00:11:46.36\00:11:48.44
"Look, I NEVER,
EVER WANT TO GO...
00:11:48.47\00:11:51.08
I've never wanted to
go to a nursing home. "
00:11:51.11\00:11:53.40
And they have these pictures
in their mind of nursing homes
00:11:53.43\00:11:56.24
being terrible places...
00:11:56.27\00:11:57.37
Is that the reality?
00:11:57.40\00:11:58.67
Are nursing homes
really terrible places?
00:11:58.70\00:12:00.65
You know Don, in
the last 10 years,
00:12:00.66\00:12:05.33
as I've practiced, I've
seen a tremendous change,
00:12:05.36\00:12:09.17
really, in nursing homes,
00:12:09.20\00:12:11.13
and I think that's
true across the country.
00:12:11.16\00:12:14.89
Now there are places
where that may not be the case.
00:12:14.92\00:12:20.46
But by and large, they have
improved, and a lot of that is
00:12:20.49\00:12:25.53
due to the survey
process that takes place.
00:12:25.56\00:12:30.73
So in other words, the idea
is don't just assume that every
00:12:30.76\00:12:35.42
nursing home is bad, or
that you shouldn't look at that.
00:12:35.45\00:12:41.08
Now, let me ask
this other thing...
00:12:41.11\00:12:43.32
We live in the baby
boom generation so-to-speak
00:12:43.35\00:12:48.02
where they're getting older,
00:12:48.03\00:12:49.01
they're starting to
have to use these facilities,
00:12:49.04\00:12:52.25
and I think that's one of
the largest population bubbles
00:12:52.28\00:12:56.61
in recent times...
00:12:56.64\00:12:58.76
Is it really realistic to
think that all of those folks
00:12:58.79\00:13:02.55
will be able to stay at home?
00:13:02.58\00:13:04.42
I heard one time, tell me
if I'm wrong in the statistics,
00:13:04.45\00:13:06.94
that only 5% of people when they
00:13:06.97\00:13:09.97
get older go to a nursing home.
Is that right or wrong? Right
00:13:10.01\00:13:12.72
It's a small percentage
really that have to end up
00:13:12.75\00:13:18.40
going to a nursing home.
00:13:18.43\00:13:20.09
And there is a larger and
larger push for home health care
00:13:20.12\00:13:25.07
...those kind of things, trying
to keep people at their home
00:13:25.10\00:13:30.00
And that has made a tremendous
benefit to the elderly.
00:13:30.03\00:13:36.16
We've been talking
with Dr. Kevin Bryant
00:13:36.19\00:13:39.30
He is a specialist in
family practice focusing on
00:13:39.33\00:13:42.90
the older person,
the geriatric patient,
00:13:42.91\00:13:45.86
and also really
dealing with nursing homes.
00:13:45.89\00:13:49.27
We're talking about how we
can choose a nursing home...
00:13:49.30\00:13:52.66
And when we come back, we're
going to look a little more
00:13:52.69\00:13:54.51
closely and I'm going to
ask Dr. Bryant questions about
00:13:54.54\00:13:58.16
how we can really look a
little closer at a nursing home
00:13:58.19\00:14:02.26
and make the right decision
at what he has told us is
00:14:02.29\00:14:05.32
one of the most important
decisions we could make.
00:14:05.35\00:14:08.04
We hope that you join us.
00:14:08.07\00:14:11.00
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Welcome back, we've been
talking with Dr. Kevin Bryant
00:15:34.67\00:15:38.30
from Wichita, Kansas.
00:15:38.33\00:15:40.45
He is a specialist
in family practice,
00:15:40.48\00:15:44.27
more
specifically, in geriatrics.
00:15:44.30\00:15:46.19
And we're talking about
how to choose a nursing home.
00:15:46.22\00:15:48.62
Dr. Bryant, how important
is it to include the person
00:15:48.65\00:15:53.03
who is going to be
living in that nursing home
00:15:53.06\00:15:54.90
in the process of selecting it?
00:15:54.91\00:15:57.01
Let's assume that they
don't have Alzheimer's,
00:15:57.04\00:16:00.29
or they don't have
organic brain syndrome,
00:16:00.32\00:16:02.70
or they don't have some
of these different things
00:16:02.73\00:16:04.06
that we've mentioned in
the first part of the program.
00:16:04.09\00:16:06.27
Well given that, then
having that person involved in
00:16:06.28\00:16:11.29
that decision is paramount.
00:16:11.32\00:16:14.10
I've seen many cases,
unfortunately, where the person
00:16:14.13\00:16:18.47
was left out of that decision,
and it was devastating to them,
00:16:18.50\00:16:24.61
and led to, I think, sometimes
an early demise on that person
00:16:24.65\00:16:30.73
as they give up hope,
and they don't see this
00:16:30.74\00:16:34.16
as an opportunity to possibly
even grow in that setting.
00:16:34.19\00:16:38.48
What are some ways that
we could get them involved
00:16:38.51\00:16:40.33
in the process?
00:16:40.36\00:16:41.46
Obviously having them
look at the facility with you;
00:16:41.49\00:16:48.69
going there, visiting,
maybe talking to the staff,
00:16:48.72\00:16:52.06
talking to other people.
00:16:52.09\00:16:54.87
You know, one thing, if I
could just share a little bit of
00:16:54.88\00:16:58.92
my own personal
thing, experience...
00:16:58.93\00:17:00.88
I know I have an aunt that
her family lived not too close
00:17:00.91\00:17:04.83
to her, she's a diabetic.
00:17:04.86\00:17:07.77
She's actually a great aunt.
00:17:07.80\00:17:09.04
And, she had a large house;
00:17:09.07\00:17:11.41
she had a lot of
things to take care of...
00:17:11.44\00:17:12.98
These things were
getting overwhelming for her...
00:17:13.01\00:17:15.26
She couldn't mow the
lawn, keep up with the garden,
00:17:15.29\00:17:17.33
do all the laundry...
00:17:17.36\00:17:18.46
Plus it was a bi-level house,
so she was going up and down
00:17:18.49\00:17:21.18
the stairs... a
lot of hazards there.
00:17:21.21\00:17:23.41
And no one really to help
her if she got into problems.
00:17:23.42\00:17:27.00
But she really didn't
want to go anywhere else!
00:17:27.03\00:17:30.12
She is sound of mind,
and many different things...
00:17:30.15\00:17:32.52
all these things are positive.
00:17:32.55\00:17:33.91
So her family did like you said,
00:17:33.94\00:17:36.51
they took her to
different places.
00:17:36.54\00:17:37.73
She really didn't respond
until someone said to her,
00:17:37.76\00:17:40.56
"Well, why don't you try living
in this extended living center"
00:17:40.59\00:17:44.72
...well, it wasn't a nursing
home; assisted living, and then
00:17:44.75\00:17:48.00
there was a
nursing home next to it...
00:17:48.03\00:17:49.22
"Try that for 6
months, keep your house,
00:17:49.25\00:17:51.52
keep all those different
things, keep involved in that.
00:17:51.55\00:17:55.38
And so they arranged
that, and she did that,
00:17:55.41\00:17:58.52
and, you know, just a
couple of months ago now,
00:17:58.55\00:18:01.38
I was talking with her
on the phone, and she says,
00:18:01.41\00:18:04.07
"You know this
is a GREAT place!"
00:18:04.10\00:18:05.43
"They have a piano for
me to play; they have this,
00:18:05.46\00:18:07.90
they have that, and I think
I don't want to worry about
00:18:07.93\00:18:11.99
my house anymore. "
00:18:12.02\00:18:13.68
And so she made the decision!
00:18:13.71\00:18:15.12
Yeah, for some people as they
grow old, they become isolated,
00:18:15.15\00:18:19.85
and this becomes an opportunity
for them to get reconnected
00:18:19.88\00:18:24.51
to their society in
some of these facilities.
00:18:24.54\00:18:27.45
You know, before we
leave that subject...
00:18:27.48\00:18:30.12
Some nursing homes, I know for
years I've visited nursing homes
00:18:30.15\00:18:36.06
on weekends; we would go there,
we'd sing songs to the people,
00:18:36.09\00:18:39.84
and we'd have a
little worship with them.
00:18:39.87\00:18:42.53
And my parents liked to
do that; we did that together
00:18:42.56\00:18:45.69
with other people in our
faith community in our church...
00:18:45.72\00:18:48.27
And I noticed that some places
had a lot of programs for people
00:18:48.30\00:18:52.12
They had a lot of
things, and whatnot.
00:18:52.15\00:18:54.36
What kind of
questions should you ask?
00:18:54.39\00:18:57.24
Maybe that's the unannounced
visits and looking at things,
00:18:57.27\00:19:00.55
but how can you TELL
this is a good place?
00:19:00.58\00:19:03.68
Well, you're going to
actually visit when they have
00:19:03.71\00:19:07.52
an activity going on, and
most facilities have a calendar
00:19:07.55\00:19:11.31
where they actually list
all the activities that are
00:19:11.34\00:19:13.67
going to be taking place.
00:19:13.68\00:19:15.16
So you can see, are these
activities that your spouse,
00:19:15.19\00:19:20.07
or your aging
parent would enjoy...
00:19:20.10\00:19:26.88
Each facility is to have an
activities director that is to
00:19:26.91\00:19:30.48
even personalize for
that person, activities
00:19:30.51\00:19:33.72
they enjoy doing.
00:19:33.75\00:19:37.14
Let's look a little closer,
okay, you've gone to the place;
00:19:37.17\00:19:40.01
maybe you feel comfortable
with the nursing home;
00:19:40.04\00:19:42.94
maybe your family
member feels comfortable;
00:19:42.97\00:19:46.76
maybe they're ready
to make that decision,
00:19:46.79\00:19:48.88
and you want to look
through someone else's glasses,
00:19:48.91\00:19:53.45
and you want to look
at what other people are
00:19:53.48\00:19:56.00
saying about them...
What's the next step?
00:19:56.03\00:19:57.32
Well, there is one other way to
look at a facility's performance
00:19:57.35\00:20:03.33
and that is through what
are called "state surveys. "
00:20:03.36\00:20:06.51
And, each state is required
by the federal government
00:20:06.54\00:20:13.15
to do a survey
of the facilities.
00:20:13.26\00:20:15.66
And they look specifically to
see what deficiencies they have
00:20:15.69\00:20:22.41
in federal regulations that are
00:20:22.42\00:20:26.33
involved with
the care of patients.
00:20:26.36\00:20:28.70
Now, each facility is required
by law to have available
00:20:28.71\00:20:33.76
for anyone, the results
of their most recent survey.
00:20:33.79\00:20:37.73
Those are sometimes difficult
for lay people to look through
00:20:37.76\00:20:44.15
and read, but probably the
most important thing to remember
00:20:44.18\00:20:48.84
out of state surveys is
that they're categorized.
00:20:48.87\00:20:52.40
The deficiencies are
categorized into various levels,
00:20:52.43\00:20:58.12
and if it is a level
"G" or higher deficiency,
00:20:58.15\00:21:02.88
this would be a red
flag because that means that
00:21:02.91\00:21:06.85
actual harm has
been done to a resident.
00:21:06.88\00:21:09.52
So a "G" rating may
be good for the movies,
00:21:09.55\00:21:12.21
but it's not for
the nursing home.
00:21:12.24\00:21:13.52
For the nursing
homes, "G" rating is not.
00:21:13.55\00:21:16.20
Will people be forthright
with that kind of information?
00:21:16.23\00:21:19.40
If you asked them, "Hey,
is your survey a "G" rating"
00:21:19.43\00:21:22.28
Are nursing home administrators
and staff, do they HAVE to tell
00:21:22.31\00:21:26.24
you what it is, or do they try
and get around that sometimes?
00:21:26.27\00:21:31.08
Different homes may
have different levels of
00:21:31.11\00:21:33.66
transparency as to their
state survey, that's true.
00:21:33.69\00:21:37.65
Do they have to let you see it?
It's there for anyone to look at
00:21:37.68\00:21:40.86
and they usually do try and let
you know what's been going on.
00:21:40.89\00:21:46.07
Now having worked in a
hospital for a while myself,
00:21:46.10\00:21:47.89
I know that we had
Joint Commission that came
00:21:47.92\00:21:50.62
to our hospital and
they would review it,
00:21:50.65\00:21:52.44
and it was kind of
dependent on the team that came.
00:21:52.47\00:21:56.30
If somebody was just
having a bad day and they just
00:21:56.33\00:21:58.50
wanted to get through their
day, they didn't look so closely
00:21:58.53\00:22:00.91
...where I happened to work,
it was an emergency department.
00:22:00.92\00:22:03.94
But other times, they
were very, very meticulous.
00:22:03.97\00:22:08.05
Can you really
trust a state survey?
00:22:08.08\00:22:10.28
I believe, by and large, you can
00:22:10.31\00:22:14.48
It does depend, as any
survey process, is dependent on
00:22:14.51\00:22:19.66
the human being
doing the survey.
00:22:19.69\00:22:22.51
But it has really dramatically
improved, I think, the care
00:22:22.54\00:22:27.93
overall in long-term care
in the last 10 to 20 years
00:22:27.96\00:22:31.78
that these
surveys have been done.
00:22:31.81\00:22:33.71
So it's something
you should look at.
00:22:33.74\00:22:36.27
Is there anybody that can HELP
you with looking at that survey?
00:22:36.30\00:22:40.20
You said it's kind of
hard... I mean, simply you said
00:22:40.23\00:22:42.95
"Look at the "G" rating"
00:22:42.98\00:22:44.05
But let's say you want to
get a little more specific,
00:22:44.08\00:22:45.86
is there anybody that
can help you, look over your
00:22:45.87\00:22:48.33
shoulder and help you with that?
00:22:48.36\00:22:49.55
There are what are
people called "ombudsmen"
00:22:49.58\00:22:53.26
that are assigned to
each nursing facility,
00:22:53.27\00:22:57.77
and the phone number to
reach them should be available
00:22:57.80\00:23:02.52
in each nursing home.
00:23:02.55\00:23:04.05
They can help you
understand some...
00:23:04.08\00:23:06.13
I don't know if I can
say "ombudsmen" too often,
00:23:06.14\00:23:08.45
but if you say, "Hey, I
want bud's phone number,"
00:23:08.48\00:23:11.94
they may be able to help you and
they WILL be able to help you.
00:23:11.97\00:23:16.95
Well, that's going
to be very helpful.
00:23:16.98\00:23:20.40
What else can we do to really
00:23:20.43\00:23:25.35
assess the care that's
being given in a nursing home?
00:23:25.38\00:23:30.09
Probably your own eyes,
your own ears, your own nose
00:23:30.10\00:23:38.62
in some cases in a
facility is going to give you...
00:23:38.65\00:23:43.52
And going with your
instincts as you see,
00:23:43.55\00:23:47.75
trying to talk to residents that
00:23:47.78\00:23:51.09
are able to give
you answers is helpful.
00:23:51.12\00:23:54.50
But once a person has
chosen the home that they're
00:23:54.53\00:23:59.09
going to go into, NOW
really the work begins
00:23:59.12\00:24:02.40
in being able to ensure
that the good care is given.
00:24:02.43\00:24:05.72
In our next illustration,
in the last remaining minutes,
00:24:05.75\00:24:08.87
we want to look at what I
think is the most important part
00:24:08.90\00:24:13.04
and that is... how to ensure
that the care you're looking for
00:24:13.05\00:24:19.74
can be given, and it starts
right with, even to the point of
00:24:19.77\00:24:25.53
acquainting yourself with
the staff members by name.
00:24:25.56\00:24:29.29
Getting to know those staff
members by name let's them know
00:24:29.32\00:24:32.77
you value them as a
person, and are wanting
00:24:32.78\00:24:37.13
to know them personally, and
that reflects then in that care.
00:24:37.16\00:24:42.71
Being willing to help
where you're able to help.
00:24:42.74\00:24:47.69
Hands-on care.
00:24:47.72\00:24:49.19
Don't just assume they're
going to do everything...
00:24:49.20\00:24:51.09
Hand them the water, do this,
don't demand that they do this,
00:24:51.12\00:24:54.39
or that, but more
of a family approach.
00:24:54.42\00:24:56.20
Right... a
family, a team approach.
00:24:56.23\00:24:58.07
You're part of the team.
00:24:58.10\00:24:59.18
You're wanting to help
where possible let's that staff
00:24:59.21\00:25:02.11
know that you're pulling with
them in the care of that person.
00:25:02.12\00:25:06.42
And then I think one of
the most important things is
00:25:06.45\00:25:09.54
the issue of praising; trying
to find everything and anything
00:25:09.57\00:25:14.13
that you can to praise in the
staff as they give that care.
00:25:14.16\00:25:19.15
This is some of the hardest
work I think, done in America...
00:25:19.18\00:25:23.88
is caring for our
elderly, aging population.
00:25:23.91\00:25:27.98
We need to appreciate and
affirm people to do that well.
00:25:28.01\00:25:30.46
That's right, and praise
will go a long way towards them
00:25:30.49\00:25:35.74
being willing to go that
extra mile with your loved one.
00:25:35.77\00:25:39.82
And being able to
show it, even with gifts,
00:25:39.85\00:25:46.98
not contrived or anything, but
00:25:47.01\00:25:49.47
anything from
baked goods, whatever...
00:25:49.50\00:25:51.86
Letting the staff know
you appreciate the care
00:25:51.87\00:25:54.18
that they've given to them.
00:25:54.19\00:25:57.16
And then not
wanting to nag the staff.
00:25:57.19\00:26:04.65
I've seen this before
where they almost get into a
00:26:04.68\00:26:08.74
confrontation with the staff
and that leads to disaster.
00:26:08.77\00:26:14.01
It doesn't help
because the staff pulls away.
00:26:14.04\00:26:16.82
I notice here you say that
it looks like you need to follow
00:26:16.85\00:26:20.21
the chain of command
here if you do have a problem.
00:26:20.24\00:26:22.67
Right... the chain of
command going to the person that
00:26:22.70\00:26:26.65
you have a
problem with initially.
00:26:26.68\00:26:28.46
If that doesn't resolve
it, then moving up to their
00:26:28.49\00:26:31.70
supervisor, and then
finally ending up with the
00:26:31.73\00:26:34.33
director of nursing or the
00:26:34.36\00:26:35.97
administrator can
help resolve issues.
00:26:36.00\00:26:40.78
And it's showing respect to
level of that probably, isn't it
00:26:40.81\00:26:43.44
...saying,
"what's going on here. "
00:26:43.47\00:26:45.63
You know, my mother
works in a nursing home,
00:26:45.66\00:26:47.63
and she says that all the time.
00:26:47.66\00:26:49.12
People will come
and will bypass here;
00:26:49.15\00:26:50.99
they'll go talk to someone else
00:26:51.02\00:26:52.62
and then it just
doesn't work well.
00:26:52.65\00:26:55.66
And she says, "Why
didn't you talk to me?"
00:26:55.69\00:26:57.35
My mom has been a nurse
in a nursing home for...
00:26:57.38\00:26:59.83
I don't know, 20 years
now, and she loves these people.
00:26:59.84\00:27:03.79
She'll just be
crying if someone dies,
00:27:03.82\00:27:06.22
and she gives her life for that,
00:27:06.25\00:27:08.07
and I think
that's very good counsel.
00:27:08.10\00:27:11.07
Tell us about the storybook...
00:27:11.10\00:27:12.80
We've got about 30
seconds. What's that about?
00:27:12.84\00:27:14.65
Well, in helping the staff
come to recognize this person
00:27:14.68\00:27:19.63
as a very valued
member of your family,
00:27:19.66\00:27:23.57
sometimes
developing picture storybooks,
00:27:23.60\00:27:26.26
pictures that explain different
phases of that person's life.
00:27:26.29\00:27:29.84
When they were a
child. What they did for work.
00:27:29.87\00:27:31.71
All those
different kinds of things.
00:27:31.74\00:27:33.07
It can be very helpful
for the staff to recognize
00:27:33.10\00:27:36.36
who this person is...
what they've contributed.
00:27:36.39\00:27:38.87
And they're not
just in that little gown.
00:27:38.90\00:27:40.18
And they're not
in this situation,
00:27:40.21\00:27:41.88
they are a REAL person.
00:27:41.91\00:27:43.38
Thank you so much for
being with us today, Dr. Bryant.
00:27:44.38\00:27:45.76
I KNOW this will be
helpful information...
00:27:45.80\00:27:47.84
And thank YOU for joining us.
00:27:47.87\00:27:49.26
We hope that what
you've learned today
00:27:49.29\00:27:51.87
will help you
help your relatives,
00:27:51.90\00:27:54.53
help others have health
that lasts for a lifetime,
00:27:54.56\00:27:57.08
and is MEANINGFUL
right up to the last moment.
00:27:57.12\00:27:59.64