Elderly have rights
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To the editor:
“Nursing Home Residents Have Rights” – our Elderly should have rights too!
Long ago, as part of a Federal Nursing Home Reform Law, enacted in 1987, in the Social Security Act, were silver residents rights, it requires Nursing Homes to “promote and protect the rights of each resident and places a strong emphasis on individual dignity and self determination.”
Do our Elderly Residents in Ringgold County not deserve those same rights! I would hope so! But many Elders in Ringgold County are feeling upset that they have no rights in regards to who provides their personal care!
Specific rights of the Elderly that seemed to be mentioned most frequently on a recent night were: “the right to receive personal care that accommodates physical, medical, emotional and social needs, the right to exercise self determination, (Oxford dictionary defines as “the process by which a person controls their own life), the right to be fully informed in advance (emphasis mine) of any changes!!!”, also the right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal.”
Many Elderly admitted – they didn’t think they had any say in who gives them their bath or shower! (That’s about as personal as it gets.) One voiced, “a new girl showed up, I didn’t even know, to give me a bath! I liked my other girl!”
“We can’t say anything or we won’t have anyone to take care of us”! What a real fear!
By the time you are “Elderly”, you’ve given up many things in life. I realize this is “growing pains” effected by Ringgold County Public Health no longer providing Nursing and Personal Care, surely I hope, in the midst of change, we can ensure our Elderly have “Rights” and a say in who cares for them!
Jodi Angus
Mount Ayr