edit as of 7/18/13: It has come to my attention that blogger is time-stamping this as being posted on July 11. This is not the case. I started drafting this on July 11, but I didn't post this until July 17. From now on, I'll write a little message in front of these alerting you of what date these articles are for. I'm sorry for any confusion caused.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013
Sifting through the articles on BBC, the articles Dementia patients 'miss key tests' and Dementia care: Hospitals 'must make improvements' both immediately caught my attention with such headlines. Reading through them, the content captured my attention immediately.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013
Sifting through the articles on BBC, the articles Dementia patients 'miss key tests' and Dementia care: Hospitals 'must make improvements' both immediately caught my attention with such headlines. Reading through them, the content captured my attention immediately.
The two articles both share the same topic and illustrate the same problems. Dementia patients are not getting the care they need. Even if the services are safe, they lack proper communication and staffing, causing myriad issues. Although both articles seemed to treat this revelation as shocking, I wasn't. Let me explain why.
Certainly, the statistics are rather extreme. According to the article, fewer than half of the hospitals had a process in place for sharing information with families, and fewer than a third of the staff felt that they had sufficient training.
However, as someone who's unfortunately spent a good amount of time in a nursing home, it seems as if issues with communication and staff training is very common among care for the old. Recently, my grandmother had a stroke and is now partially paralyzed on one side. She currently resides in the Buena Park Nursing Center. Granted, a stroke is very different from dementia, but I see the same staff failures. My mother, who spends a lot more time in the nursing home as I do, complains that the nurses are not dedicated enough. In addition, it seems as if many of them only work short-term.
The truth is, people like my grandmother and dementia patients are, well, "old." And the entire way we view the elderly - and care for the elderly - is wrong. I'm ashamed to say that I was a bit repulsed to see my grandmother so helpless and without makeup. We don't view the elderly - even if they are just as helpless - the way we view puppies or babies. It's actually very sad when we think about it that way.
First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. It is quite depressing to learn that the elderly with dementia, who especially need cautious help and warm caring from others, are receiving such poor service. However, sharing your experiences and connecting them with the article more clearly defined your perspective.
ReplyDeleteIn order to make your comment effective: What solutions do you suggest that could enhance the situation? For example, what could possibly encourage staff to serve more carings to the patients?
I definitely agree with your commentary and stance on this issue, as I have witnessed a similar plight at a hospital. Your personal example enhances your view of the topic, and you give the article your own validity. In addition to your support of the ideas presented in the article, you may want to address some other issues in the article such as a supposition of dementia and its effects reflected in the article. Why are dementia patients explicitly mentioned in the context of this article? All in all, you have a well written commentary that goes beyond what is stated in the article.
ReplyDeleteThe structure of your article is very well written. Your personal statement about your grandmother really strengthened your argument and was very relevant to the rest of the article. To clarify some things in your introduction you could explain how dementia patients are not getting the help they need. Also, judging from your personal statement, you have had some experience with dementia patients and could expand more on what you believe that hospitals need to do in order to care for these patients. Overall, you did a really good job of tying your personal story with the main point.
ReplyDeleteNice topic! I really appreciated that you were able to incorporate personal elements of your life into your commentary. It is "very sad" when we reflect on how we view the elderly. It is ironic that even staff who chose to work there fail to get the proper training and lack interest in their patients. It might be interesting for you to explore why we have come to think/act this way, and to look into what is being done to reform dementia treatment.
ReplyDeleteYour use of a personal example as the the first body paragraph really grabs the reader's attention. It shows how important this subject is to you and it emphasizes the importance of giving proper treatment to those with dementia. Unfortunately hospitals aren't able to provide enough treatment for dementia and your commentary shows that. Your article was clear and concise. Good job
ReplyDelete