Jeanne was the exception...not the rule.

It’s sad that some of us have bad nursing home experiences. Despite our best efforts. Even great efforts. To try to make it work. I feel the pain of those who fail. I understand why they are bitter. And why they castigate nursing homes. Because their experience has been bad, bad, bad. Horrific, in some instances. But I made Birchwood work. For me. For Jeanne. And so my experience wasn’t bad. Oh, I’m not happy with nursing homes in general. But I tried to make Birchwood a positive experience. I worked to make it work. And I’m proud of that. If I had entered with a defeatist attitude it might have been different. I might have failed. But I wouldn’t accept failure when it came to dear Jeanne. I learned how to deal with the system. To make the best of it. I made friends with the staff. With other care-givers. With Birchwood residents. They all became my extended family. Turned out to be a very positive experience. It didn’t start out good. I had run-ins with some staff members. But we resolved our differences. And Jeanne got better in meaningful ways. Because she got good care. The care she needed. Through a team effort. I was the team leader. Yes, it’s possible for an individual, someone like me, to make a difference in a nursing home. A big, big difference. I’m proud of how we worked with and helped each other – for Jeanne’s sake. I think we set a fine example. If everyone got the same care as Jeanne, we’d have a first rate nursing home. We’d have a nursing home that the dementia patients deserve. Unfortunately, Jeanne was the exception…not the rule. --Jim Broede