Nadene Mitcham Remarks

May 9, 2002

My mother lived in a nursing home two and a half years until her death in July 1999. During that time, I witnessed neglect due to understaffing. It was extremely rare for personnel to respond to call lights. In fact, they were ignored.

One day, as I was on my way to the nurses' station, I heard someone calling for help. I looked in the dining room and found a woman on the floor on her back. She could not get up. Though a staff member is supposed to be in the dining room when residents are there, no one was there to help her. I went looking and found someone to take care of her.

While my mother was in the the nursing home, my daughter took her two children to see her every Saturday morning. One Saturday, I decided to take a break since she would have visitors anyway. When my daughter arrived, Mom told her that she could not breathe. When Denise found the nurse, the nurse blamed my mother for the breathing problem. She said that she had taken the oxygen off and went wheeling herself around the halls and through the dining room.

Mom explained that she took the oxygen tube off because she could not breathe and she could not find anyone to help her. Denise called me and told me that I needed to go to the nursing home because the nurse did not intend to do anything. When she asked the nurse her name, she got her attention. By the time I arrived, respiratory had been called. They confirmed that the oxygen tank had malfunctioned. We know what would have happened if no one had come to visit.

Though I could tell you many more experiences, I can also tell you about a worker's experiences.

Twenty or so years ago, one of my daughters worked in nursing homes - three different ones; first as a housekeeper, later as an Aide. She always came home exhausted and frustrated. I listened to lots of horror stories. One time, after hearing one of these stories, I tried to report the nursing home. But, at that time, in order to report abuse, you had to give your name. Since she needed her job, I was afraid to give a name for fear that she would lose her job. While she was an Aide, she hurt her back while lifting residents when there was not enough help. Years later, after giving birth to her children, there were times that she could not lift the baby because of her recurring back problems.

Much more recently, my niece worked in a Home. After she learned that I was coming here today, she emailed the following message: "I am sooo glad that you are going to talk about the understaffing of nursing homes. I saw it first hand while working in one a while back. It was horrible. And now that my other grandma is in one, I can again see how understaffed they are. She hardly gets the attention she needs. When she went to the hospital the last time, her buttocks was full of sores, her feeding tube was infected and her catheter, etc. It was horrible."

Though it has been about twenty years since my daughter worked in a nursing home, the nursing homes have not improved - nothing has changed. The Michigan Campaign for Quality Care has worked hard for better staffing requirements in these homes. As Chair of the Campaign, I testify before hearings when there is an opportunity, telling Legislators about the great need for better staffing.

As past Chair of the Family Council in my mother's nursing home, I remain in contact with other family members. I continue to hear horror stories due to the type of care (or lack of it) that these helpless people receive.

PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING AND DYING NEEDLESSLY IN NURSING HOMES THROUGH NEGLECT AND ABUSE. WHILE BETTER STAFFING WOULD NOT SOLVE ALL THE PROBLEMS, IT WOULD SOLVE A MAJORITY OF THEM AND IT WOULD SAVE LIVES!

--- Nadene Mitcham