Thursday, January 20, 2011
Hw 32
During the course of this unit I got to explore many of the nightmarish social practices surrounding aspects of illness and dying, that I found to be quite eye opening. Before this unit I never really sat down and thought or talked much about death because of its depressing nature, but now I realize that it is worth talking about. We are all part of the dominant social practices surrounding illness and dying and it’s up to us to start approaching them differently. I would want to talk more about death and how I want to die with my family instead of waiting till I’m hooked up to medical equipment in a hospital dying a slow death, alone and feeling isolated from everyone. It’s sort of nightmarish to think that so many people die alone in hospitals when that might not be what they want, but they never expressed their thoughts on end of life care or how they wanted to die. I also took away a more positive approach to the idea of dying because after all, death is inevitable and something we will all experience, but in different ways.
Hw 31
Brandon,
I liked how you decided to write on your memories on the seniors in the nursing home you used to visit as a child and how you realized now that all those feelings of sadness for the elderly and dependent were related to the isolation that residents in nursing homes experience on a daily basis. Being "trapped" as you mentioned in your speech and feeling like "Being on the outside of the nursing home felt like I was really far away". It can be a very depressing place for one to visit. I can definitely relate to your feelings of sadness for the elderly who are just left in nursing homes and are isolated and neglected until death.
Willie,
I liked how you decide to interview your mom and write about how your religion influences your thoughts on death and what happens to you after you die. I think that our families views have an affect on what we believe. As you mentioned you share the same religion as your mom and thoughts on death. I also found it interesting how did research on other religions and the way they look at death and the after life to get a better understanding for yourself and what you believe.
Jessica,
I really enjoyed your speech. I love how you gave me a sense of what it would be like to get heart surgery and deal with the aftermath. I think that the handout and the video really tied it all together for me. You did a fantastic job of really putting everyone in the shoes of an open heart surgery survivor.
Brittani,
I enjoyed listening to your speech. I liked how you took a look at the emotional aspect of what a disease can do to a person. I could tell that it was very personal for you. You really tired to explore the emotional side effects of cancer on your aunts and the people close to them and effectively communicated some of those thoughts and emotions in your speech.
I liked how you decided to write on your memories on the seniors in the nursing home you used to visit as a child and how you realized now that all those feelings of sadness for the elderly and dependent were related to the isolation that residents in nursing homes experience on a daily basis. Being "trapped" as you mentioned in your speech and feeling like "Being on the outside of the nursing home felt like I was really far away". It can be a very depressing place for one to visit. I can definitely relate to your feelings of sadness for the elderly who are just left in nursing homes and are isolated and neglected until death.
Willie,
I liked how you decide to interview your mom and write about how your religion influences your thoughts on death and what happens to you after you die. I think that our families views have an affect on what we believe. As you mentioned you share the same religion as your mom and thoughts on death. I also found it interesting how did research on other religions and the way they look at death and the after life to get a better understanding for yourself and what you believe.
Jessica,
I really enjoyed your speech. I love how you gave me a sense of what it would be like to get heart surgery and deal with the aftermath. I think that the handout and the video really tied it all together for me. You did a fantastic job of really putting everyone in the shoes of an open heart surgery survivor.
Brittani,
I enjoyed listening to your speech. I liked how you took a look at the emotional aspect of what a disease can do to a person. I could tell that it was very personal for you. You really tired to explore the emotional side effects of cancer on your aunts and the people close to them and effectively communicated some of those thoughts and emotions in your speech.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
hw 30
For this project I decided to take a look at the abuse of the elderly in nursing homes. The behind the scenes of what happens to the elderly in 1 in 3 nursing homes, there are reports on the elderly residents experiencing a range of abuse from the very people (care takers/nurses) who the families of the residents have entrusted to provide the necessary care for their loved ones. The abuse experienced by residents have been mental abuse like unjustified isolation or humiliating comments being made to them by staff, physical abuse where the elderly experience physical harm to their bodies by the care takers and neglect from the staff which leads the patients to have untreated medical conditions, poor personal hygiene and malnutrition or dehydration just to name a few.(http://www.nursing-home-abuse-resource.com/nursing_home_abuse/signs.html)
For this project my group members and I decided we would visit local nursing homes. Prior to the visit we made a couple of phone calls to see if we could come in and ask the residents a couple of questions but people we spoke to on the phone were very curt and seemed very hesitant of having people come in to the nursing home speaking to the residents claiming “the residents would not like it” and that no staff members would be like it either. Which prompted us to do research on what happens to some peoples loved ones after they leave them all alone at the nursing home with people they thought would care for them.
This relates to the isolation of the sick and dying discussed during this unit. In this case the residents at nursing homes are being isolated by the people who are supposed to be caring for them. Instead they are mentally abusing them by not showing them any attention during a time in their lives were they desperately need the love, care and attention of others. This type of abuse can also go unrecognized since it’s all mental for the residents. This shows that they are being isolated by staff members who aren’t showing them adequate care. The isolation leads them to being poorly treated in these “homes”.
I found that the federal government is the biggest contributor of nursing home care, mostly through Medicaid, a joint federal-state health care program for the poor, and Medicare, the federal program for elderly and disabled people. Federal health and safety standards are designed to protect nursing home residents from abuse. This seems to contradict with the claim that instances of abuse are on the rise. (http://www.nursing-home-abuse-resource.com/nursing_home_abuse/abcnews_article.html)
I also found cases of abuse like one care taker who walked into a resident’s room and telling them “I'm tired of your ass," and hitting them in the face , breaking their nose. (http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689&page=1) This is a clear incident of physical abuse and the poor treatment of the care taker on the resident. There were many other cases relating to the physical abuse of the elderly at nursing homes by the staff.
I learned that something needs to be done about the treatment of the elderly in nursing homes. That not all nursing homes abuse their residents, but there are some out there and often the abuse is hidden behind closed doors by the staff and the residents because they are afraid. I think that people need to keep in mind that this is how you’re loved one could be treated at a nursing home and research could be done before sending them off to what you think is going to be a “home” for them. This shows that some aspects of illness and dying in our culture are hidden or not spoken about because of its nature , but needs to be.
sources:
-http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689&page=1
-http://www.nursing-home-abuse-resource.com/nursing_home_abuse/abcnews_article.html
-http://www.nursing-home-abuse-resource.com/nursing_home_abuse/signs.html
-http://law.freeadvice.com/estate_planning/elder_law/government_regulation_nursing_homes.htm
For this project my group members and I decided we would visit local nursing homes. Prior to the visit we made a couple of phone calls to see if we could come in and ask the residents a couple of questions but people we spoke to on the phone were very curt and seemed very hesitant of having people come in to the nursing home speaking to the residents claiming “the residents would not like it” and that no staff members would be like it either. Which prompted us to do research on what happens to some peoples loved ones after they leave them all alone at the nursing home with people they thought would care for them.
This relates to the isolation of the sick and dying discussed during this unit. In this case the residents at nursing homes are being isolated by the people who are supposed to be caring for them. Instead they are mentally abusing them by not showing them any attention during a time in their lives were they desperately need the love, care and attention of others. This type of abuse can also go unrecognized since it’s all mental for the residents. This shows that they are being isolated by staff members who aren’t showing them adequate care. The isolation leads them to being poorly treated in these “homes”.
I found that the federal government is the biggest contributor of nursing home care, mostly through Medicaid, a joint federal-state health care program for the poor, and Medicare, the federal program for elderly and disabled people. Federal health and safety standards are designed to protect nursing home residents from abuse. This seems to contradict with the claim that instances of abuse are on the rise. (http://www.nursing-home-abuse-resource.com/nursing_home_abuse/abcnews_article.html)
I also found cases of abuse like one care taker who walked into a resident’s room and telling them “I'm tired of your ass," and hitting them in the face , breaking their nose. (http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689&page=1) This is a clear incident of physical abuse and the poor treatment of the care taker on the resident. There were many other cases relating to the physical abuse of the elderly at nursing homes by the staff.
I learned that something needs to be done about the treatment of the elderly in nursing homes. That not all nursing homes abuse their residents, but there are some out there and often the abuse is hidden behind closed doors by the staff and the residents because they are afraid. I think that people need to keep in mind that this is how you’re loved one could be treated at a nursing home and research could be done before sending them off to what you think is going to be a “home” for them. This shows that some aspects of illness and dying in our culture are hidden or not spoken about because of its nature , but needs to be.
sources:
-http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689&page=1
-http://www.nursing-home-abuse-resource.com/nursing_home_abuse/abcnews_article.html
-http://www.nursing-home-abuse-resource.com/nursing_home_abuse/signs.html
-http://law.freeadvice.com/estate_planning/elder_law/government_regulation_nursing_homes.htm
Saturday, January 8, 2011
HW 29
When it comes to facing a terminal illness people have different experiences and ways of dealing with it. In Tuesday’s with Morrie by Mitch Albom , Morrie who was dying from ALS chose to treat his terminal illness with a positive outlook which helped him cope with the idea of dying. For a family member or friend who is watching a loved one facing an illness according to quest speaker Beth Bernett, it can be overwhelming and “stressful to deal with”. Everyone has a different approach to dealing with the reality of and illness and death. As well as a different way of accepting their mortality and when to talk about it and address it.
In our society people sick and dying tend to be isolated from everyone else-the healthy. There’s a stigma that surrounds the unhealthy that disconnects them from people that see them not as people anymore, but as their illness. According to Beth Bernett she didn’t want people “to treat him (her husband) like a disease, but as a person, as a human being.” Those experiencing an illness are not seen or treated as “normal” people in our society and are labeled by their condition. They are made out to seem like less of a person than others without the condition which leads them to feelings of isolation (Stigma).
In hospitals patients experience isolation from the doctors who are treating them. Doctors and nurses have to personally and emotionally disconnect from their patients (Near Death). In hospitals the dying are not wanted “hospitals discharge patients, wants they are labeled dying as not to incur the cost.”( And a Time to Die). Hospitals would rather you be healthy and treatable than dying or terminally ill. In nursing homes the old and sick are also isolated, with them being put all together in a home, to live together away from others. Some don’t even receive visitors they are just left there alone with feelings of abandonment.
There are millions of people living without health insurance and that could be due to the rising medical costs and insurance that makes it hard for people to afford. Paying for medical care and insurance is very costly. “Despite such high spending, millions of us do not receive the care we need.” (Landmark) Even with health insurance which we spend a fortune on, it still doesn’t cover everything. This makes it difficult for people to pay for, because there are still medical bills and medicine you have to pay for out of pocket (Sicko). The government is proposing a plan to take effect in a couple of years to provide somewhat universal and affordable health care for all (Landmark) because why should we have a money sign put on our lives?
citations:
Staff of Washington Post. 'Landmark'. Public Affairs. New York. 2
Cohn, Jonathan. 'Sick'. Harper Collins. Ny. 2007.
Kaufman, Sharon R. 'And A Time to Die: How American Hospitals shape the End of
Life'. Simon & Schuster. New York. 2005
Goffman, Erving.'STIGMA: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity'. Prentice Hall. NJ. 1963.
'Near Death'. (Film)
Michael Moore. 'Sicko'. (Film). 2007.
In our society people sick and dying tend to be isolated from everyone else-the healthy. There’s a stigma that surrounds the unhealthy that disconnects them from people that see them not as people anymore, but as their illness. According to Beth Bernett she didn’t want people “to treat him (her husband) like a disease, but as a person, as a human being.” Those experiencing an illness are not seen or treated as “normal” people in our society and are labeled by their condition. They are made out to seem like less of a person than others without the condition which leads them to feelings of isolation (Stigma).
In hospitals patients experience isolation from the doctors who are treating them. Doctors and nurses have to personally and emotionally disconnect from their patients (Near Death). In hospitals the dying are not wanted “hospitals discharge patients, wants they are labeled dying as not to incur the cost.”( And a Time to Die). Hospitals would rather you be healthy and treatable than dying or terminally ill. In nursing homes the old and sick are also isolated, with them being put all together in a home, to live together away from others. Some don’t even receive visitors they are just left there alone with feelings of abandonment.
There are millions of people living without health insurance and that could be due to the rising medical costs and insurance that makes it hard for people to afford. Paying for medical care and insurance is very costly. “Despite such high spending, millions of us do not receive the care we need.” (Landmark) Even with health insurance which we spend a fortune on, it still doesn’t cover everything. This makes it difficult for people to pay for, because there are still medical bills and medicine you have to pay for out of pocket (Sicko). The government is proposing a plan to take effect in a couple of years to provide somewhat universal and affordable health care for all (Landmark) because why should we have a money sign put on our lives?
citations:
Staff of Washington Post. 'Landmark'. Public Affairs. New York. 2
Cohn, Jonathan. 'Sick'. Harper Collins. Ny. 2007.
Kaufman, Sharon R. 'And A Time to Die: How American Hospitals shape the End of
Life'. Simon & Schuster. New York. 2005
Goffman, Erving.'STIGMA: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity'. Prentice Hall. NJ. 1963.
'Near Death'. (Film)
Michael Moore. 'Sicko'. (Film). 2007.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
hw 28
For Michelle,
I liked how in your post you spoke about the way society views the sick and dying with the line "society separates us into groups in this case, the sick v.s. the healthy". I agree, we also tend to disconnect ourselves from the sick and dying or try to maintain our own health when that isn't always possible or if we're the ones sick and dying tend to cut ourselves off from the world around us. I think your friend experienced this isolation from others because you were the only one to visit her with her fever when no one else had.
For Leah,
I liked the line "Looking back i feel bad that i don't visit her as much as should because one day something can happen to her and i can't tell her what i wanted." because it showed me that you didn't want to have any regrets about the relationship you have with your grandmother. That you didn't want to disconnect yourself from her as she's with Alzheimer's. That you want to cherish every moment you have left with her which is important to you because life is not guaranteed to anyone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Larche,
The line I thought was beautifully written was "As I pushed her into her room she asked me to place her near the window where she likes to look out into the garden and read her bible which she says gives her strength." because of the imagery you used. That while reading it I could automatically image it in my head. How this simple act for this person was so important and strengthening was so sad. A line I thought was short and sweet, "It seemed like she had come to terms with her situation." Was short like I said it told something many of us I believe we must come to do when we began to die to come to terms with our illness or close death to not so distraught during this time.
- Michelle
Larche,
I thought that your post showed the connection you felt with this woman after you spoke to her for a while with the lines "I thanked her for talking to me and gave her a hug. It surprised me that I was hugging her, but it just felt like the natural response. I noticed she was hugging me tightly, which made me sad to pull away because I knew I’d been her only visitor outside of the nursing home." It also gave insight to how lonely some people in nursing homes can be because they don't get any visitors. That the old and sick in nursing homes are excluded from everyone else.
- Young mentor
I liked how in your post you spoke about the way society views the sick and dying with the line "society separates us into groups in this case, the sick v.s. the healthy". I agree, we also tend to disconnect ourselves from the sick and dying or try to maintain our own health when that isn't always possible or if we're the ones sick and dying tend to cut ourselves off from the world around us. I think your friend experienced this isolation from others because you were the only one to visit her with her fever when no one else had.
For Leah,
I liked the line "Looking back i feel bad that i don't visit her as much as should because one day something can happen to her and i can't tell her what i wanted." because it showed me that you didn't want to have any regrets about the relationship you have with your grandmother. That you didn't want to disconnect yourself from her as she's with Alzheimer's. That you want to cherish every moment you have left with her which is important to you because life is not guaranteed to anyone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Larche,
The line I thought was beautifully written was "As I pushed her into her room she asked me to place her near the window where she likes to look out into the garden and read her bible which she says gives her strength." because of the imagery you used. That while reading it I could automatically image it in my head. How this simple act for this person was so important and strengthening was so sad. A line I thought was short and sweet, "It seemed like she had come to terms with her situation." Was short like I said it told something many of us I believe we must come to do when we began to die to come to terms with our illness or close death to not so distraught during this time.
- Michelle
Larche,
I thought that your post showed the connection you felt with this woman after you spoke to her for a while with the lines "I thanked her for talking to me and gave her a hug. It surprised me that I was hugging her, but it just felt like the natural response. I noticed she was hugging me tightly, which made me sad to pull away because I knew I’d been her only visitor outside of the nursing home." It also gave insight to how lonely some people in nursing homes can be because they don't get any visitors. That the old and sick in nursing homes are excluded from everyone else.
- Young mentor
Sunday, January 2, 2011
HW 27
Once a month a few members from my church get together to for a little fellowship at the local nursing home in Riverdale. I decided to attend. I hadn’t been to the nursing home in a while, so I felt sort of staring going back. The nurse aids have gathered quite a few senior citizens in the nursing homes cafeteria before we arrive. As we walk in we greet the old ladies and gentlemen. We come with baskets of muffins for them. They seem delighted to see our faces. I notice they are a very diverse group. Some are in wheelchairs others have walkers. Throughout the service nurse aids continue to quietly rolling more of the elderly in. Many of them are smiling and singing along to the songs being played for them on the guitar while others, mostly the men have dosed off.
After the service I greeted and handed out muffins to everyone. They all thanked us for coming and how they look forward to seeing us every month. It made me glad that I went. I also offered to push an elderly woman back to her room before I left. She was elated at the offer. I couldn’t help but smile with her as she directed me to her room. She thanked me for the muffins and said she would enjoy them later.On the way to her room I initiated a little conversation with her. I asked how she came to end up at the nursing home, she said after her knee replacement surgery (which she still takes medication for) that confined her to the wheelchair, there was no one to care for her so the nursing home was the only choice. I asked if she ever received visitors, she replied no. She told me that she and her husband never had any children and after he died, she was the only one left. I felt sad for her. She was all alone. She did however, say that her friends at the nursing home and her aid have become family to her and she’s very grateful for them. It made me think that she longs for human connections and finds it in the people around her to alleviate her feelings of loneliness. She found comfort in these people,after the loss of her husband.
As I pushed her into her room she asked me to place her near the window where she likes to look out into the garden and read her bible which she says gives her strength. I thanked her for talking to me and gave her a hug. It surprised me that I was hugging her, but it just felt like the natural response. I noticed she was hugging me tightly, which made me sad to pull away because I knew I’d been her only visitor outside of the nursing home.
This woman reminded me of Morrie's outlook on life in "Tuesdays with Morrie" in the sense that even though I felt sad for her she didn't seem sad at all. It seemed like she had come to terms with her situation. She had a smile on her face the entire time I was with her and didn't complain about anything and spoke well of the relationships she's made in the nursing home which seemed important to her. Just like in "Tuesday's with Morrie" where the relationships he had with people and the love he received and gave out mattered to him. He also never complained about his condition or allowed himself to drown in sadness.
After the service I greeted and handed out muffins to everyone. They all thanked us for coming and how they look forward to seeing us every month. It made me glad that I went. I also offered to push an elderly woman back to her room before I left. She was elated at the offer. I couldn’t help but smile with her as she directed me to her room. She thanked me for the muffins and said she would enjoy them later.On the way to her room I initiated a little conversation with her. I asked how she came to end up at the nursing home, she said after her knee replacement surgery (which she still takes medication for) that confined her to the wheelchair, there was no one to care for her so the nursing home was the only choice. I asked if she ever received visitors, she replied no. She told me that she and her husband never had any children and after he died, she was the only one left. I felt sad for her. She was all alone. She did however, say that her friends at the nursing home and her aid have become family to her and she’s very grateful for them. It made me think that she longs for human connections and finds it in the people around her to alleviate her feelings of loneliness. She found comfort in these people,after the loss of her husband.
As I pushed her into her room she asked me to place her near the window where she likes to look out into the garden and read her bible which she says gives her strength. I thanked her for talking to me and gave her a hug. It surprised me that I was hugging her, but it just felt like the natural response. I noticed she was hugging me tightly, which made me sad to pull away because I knew I’d been her only visitor outside of the nursing home.
This woman reminded me of Morrie's outlook on life in "Tuesdays with Morrie" in the sense that even though I felt sad for her she didn't seem sad at all. It seemed like she had come to terms with her situation. She had a smile on her face the entire time I was with her and didn't complain about anything and spoke well of the relationships she's made in the nursing home which seemed important to her. Just like in "Tuesday's with Morrie" where the relationships he had with people and the love he received and gave out mattered to him. He also never complained about his condition or allowed himself to drown in sadness.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Hw 26
Insights from this unit:
- Try to live a meaningful and fulfilling life before it's too late,
without any regrets. (Tuesdays with Morrie)
- The issue of consent can become confusing when it comes to sick/dying patients in hospitals. (Near-Death)
- There is unequal access to health care and insurance.(Sicko)
- In times of illness and dying people remain hopeful.(Guest speaker)
During this unit I found that there movies we have been watching in class provided me with some insights on illness and dying. For example, Michael Moore's film "Sicko" got me thinking about our health care and health insurance and the role the government plays in our well being. That many people could be alive today if they were just provided with health care and insurance. From the quest speaker I got to hear a first hand account on illness and dying, hearing about another person's experience opened my eyes to how not everyone deals with it in the same way and that spending time with loved ones is important because you never know when it's gonna be your last. The book that I read during this unit was quite inspiring and shared some pretty interesting insights on life and experiencing death and illness.
To wrap up this unit I think we could take a look at different perspectives on illness and dying. We could look into why the sick and dying are often isolated from people in our society.Or we could take a closer look at our health care system and the health care system in other countries.
- Try to live a meaningful and fulfilling life before it's too late,
without any regrets. (Tuesdays with Morrie)
- The issue of consent can become confusing when it comes to sick/dying patients in hospitals. (Near-Death)
- There is unequal access to health care and insurance.(Sicko)
- In times of illness and dying people remain hopeful.(Guest speaker)
During this unit I found that there movies we have been watching in class provided me with some insights on illness and dying. For example, Michael Moore's film "Sicko" got me thinking about our health care and health insurance and the role the government plays in our well being. That many people could be alive today if they were just provided with health care and insurance. From the quest speaker I got to hear a first hand account on illness and dying, hearing about another person's experience opened my eyes to how not everyone deals with it in the same way and that spending time with loved ones is important because you never know when it's gonna be your last. The book that I read during this unit was quite inspiring and shared some pretty interesting insights on life and experiencing death and illness.
To wrap up this unit I think we could take a look at different perspectives on illness and dying. We could look into why the sick and dying are often isolated from people in our society.Or we could take a closer look at our health care system and the health care system in other countries.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)