The terrible truth.

Things ain’t going well in assisted living. For my friend Ron. He’s the 85-year-old father of my friend and neighbor Julie. He’s got Alzheimer’s. And lived with Julie and Rick. In their home. For over five years. Until he was placed in assisted living last week. I’ve written a lot about Ron. In this blog. I’ve taken to Ron. And his pet dog Sasha. We go for walks. Almost daily. But less often now. Because the extraordinary senior care campus is 20-some miles away. Out in the country. On 183 acres. It’s swank. Idyllic. And expensive. But looks to me like Ron’s not getting proper/adequate care. Maybe it’s that he needs more than assisted living. In a nursing home. Where he’d receive round-the-clock care. When left to his own devices, he gets into trouble. Could come to harm. Julie is thinking about bringing Ron home again. She’s pissed. With the staff in assisted living. They aren’t doing the job. Especially on weekends. They are understaffed.  Also, most of the nurses’ aides are poorly trained. They have no or little clue over how to deal with Ron and others with dementia. It’s a disgrace. A shame. I fear for Ron’s well-being. Even if he’s checked into a full-fledged nursing home.  I know. Because my dear sweet Jeanne had Alzheimer’s. And she spent the last 38 months of her life in a nursing home. I was there for her. For 8-10 hours a day. Didn’t miss a single day, thank gawd. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have received proper/adequate care. She needed the supplemental care that I provided.  Ron will need that, too. And most likely, he won’t get it. Unless Julie and others show up almost daily. To supplement the care. That’s reality. A must. Sadly, all too often, it doesn’t happen. That’s the nature of the care-giving business. Leaves so much to be desired. It’s expensive. Terribly expensive. And terribly inadequate, too. –Jim Broede