Sunday, March 20, 2011

notes on Abolish Nursing Homes

Lack of self determination can cause you your life.
I learn this by watching the residents. And am put in that position as someone who has to impose restraint and deprive people of their self determination, in the name of safety. 
And, because we are short staffed and overworked.
You objectify people when you no longer are able to see them in a human light.
When your working conditions force you to move from one person to another like they are poop-oozing robots, not living human beings.
This is very scary.

Autonomy, or safety?
Everyone who works at a nursing home says: I would rather die than live in one of these death farms when I am old.
Because institutionalization is awful and it can never be really reformed. At least not under capitalist standards, not under the demand for profit and cost-cutting measures.
The state tries to reform nursing homes, when they know that it is impossible to do it. And they try to enforce/make themselves look better by doing sporadic checks. But as my boss says: You (CNAs) better work well in front of the State, cos you know, the shit always rolls down."


3 comments:

  1. Hey I have been thinking about this a lot as I am getting back involved w/adult home residents. there is debate among residents as they are on the cusp of reform to supported housing, while gov cuomo cut ALL funding to supported housing...do we demand institutions when they are cut? what about homeless older people? people in public nursing homes? What do we demand? How is this like the struggle over welfare? These questions, as you point out, are life and death...living and dying...

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  2. yo, trying to think this one thru.
    gonna write up some thoughts on the NY State Homes article. it sucks that workers did what they did in the article but its so maddening that its so anti-worker and management, working conditions etc are never implicated. Healthcare workers are humans too...and as bad as it is, people go nutty sometimes. No way trying to defend the actions, but also understanding its part of the working conditions.
    Right now, I really hate nursing homes and dont think they are really reformable in this society. Not a very materialist response, I know:)

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  3. hey yeah I have seen this a lot..I talk about it w/residents as management dividing workers and residents. at one adult home the management actually fired an employee because he was advocating wresidents and doing his job well....the residents are still upset about it a year later. if people had been more organizd and management less repressive it could have been possible for residents to demand him back...this kind of thing should be cultivated, but righful hatred of management as the target should be too, right? and of the system? Adult homes and group homes are diff than nursing homes I think....you have any ideas on why? and I agree they are not reformable!! but maybe TRANSformable? Like some kind of resident and worker run living facility? it is impossible to get housing in NYC AND a lotta people wanna stay in the homes cause they have a community and cre and stuff...

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