A good nursing home: It's all myth.

A good nursing home. Maybe there’s no such thing. At best, perhaps a mediocre nursing home. The rest are bad. Including some of the most plush and expensive homes. Of course, this is my biased opinion. Based on what I’ve seen. Close up.  Don’t ask me to recommend a good nursing home. I can’t. Everyone I’ve been in. Comes up short of my expectations. That even goes for the expensive nursing home where my Alzheimer-riddled friend Ron spent several months. Until he was rescued by his justly concerned family.  He’s out. And thankfully, recovering from the experience. The family doesn’t know what to do next. Meanwhile, Ron lives with his daughter and son-in-law. Initially, they thought Ron would be all right in the nursing home. After all, they were paying $10,600 a month. Turns out, it was a rip-off. Ron got very little one-on-one care. Except when the family showed up. To administer and oversee it. I showed up, too. To provide supplemental care. And to observe.  To witness the under-staffing. And the ineptness of some, not all, of the professional care-givers. Didn’t shock me. Because I’ve seen it before. But I thought maybe the service would be better. Especially for an outrageous fee. For that, Ron deserved  a personal attendant. And a high degree of mental and physical stimulation. Instead, Ron was made docile. Medicated into a stupor. Now that Ron is out. I’m trying to do something about that sad situation. It's not to be ignored. I'm focusing on this one nursing home in particular. I’ve interviewed employees. From the bottom up. But I’ve been denied access to the nursing home’s on-the-scene executive director. Instead, I’m dealing with the corporate headquarters. In a faraway city.  And meeting with resistance. But I won’t give up. I’ll keep pursuing my investigation. Like  when I was a newspaper reporter. I’ll come out of retirement, if necessary. And expose the nursing home industry for what it is. A miserable failure. When it comes to dealing with the epidemic of Alzheimer’s. –Jim Broede