Many Americans are opting to house their elderly relatives, especially those who can no longer take care of themselves, in nursing homes. However, nursing homes are now seeing incoming seniors, especially those obese and overweight, as a stain in the nursing system.
Seniors at a nursing home, if you ever been in one, have a typical schedule of physical activity, group work, daily medication for maintenance doses and hygiene care.
For Wanda Chism, that's true on all accounts except that she can't leave her bed unless a group of nurses physically lift her off the bed or opt to use a mechanical lift instead. Chism, who has not walked in years, is confined mostly in her own room.
Obesity is not only occuring in younger children, young adults and adults. It is now an illness affecting the elderly. Chism is suffering from diabetes, a physical disability and other senior-related illnesses. And since it literally takes a village to help dear Wanda, it has become an overwhelming work load for the nursing home caring for her. Physical and time consuming strain has been lately the cause of the strain in the system considering they also have other senior patients to attend to.
She is not alone. More and more heavy patients are being admitted to these nursing homes and they are increasingly unprepared everytime.
Cheryl Phillips, the senior vice president at Leading age (a non profit association for servicing the elderly) explains:
The population is shifting faster than the ability of nursing homes to deal with them. We don't have adequate staff. We don't have adequate equipment. We don't have adequate knowledge.
A 25% increase in 2010 from incoming obese American seniors entering these nursing homes have suggested that this is an upward trend. These heavy elderlies have a body mass index of 35 or higher. Though everyone in the nursing home profession has a heart and always willing to assist, the demand is great but the resources are low, as reported online.
