Many people see the elderly as a burden or a waste to society and are unconcerned with their safety in nursing homes. However, it is important to remember that these people are someone’s mom, dad, brother or friend and their safety is a must. I currently have a grandmother (70) and great-grandmother (94) in nursing homes and upon many visits, I have picked up on some ways to improve their everyday safety.
One of the first issues I have noticed is their doors. On countless occasions, I have seen my great-grandma struggle with pushing the weight of the door open while also trying to stabilize herself on her walker. I think coming up with a convenient way to make access with a wheelchair or walker would help improve their independence and overall safety. Some suggestions for this would be to do away with heavy doors or even try to install sliding doors so they are not trying to push a door open while also pushing their walker forward as well.
Another safety feature I think would help the safety in nursing homes is Amazon’s Alexa. A partnership with Amazon and nursing homes could help both parties involved. Installing an Amazon Alexa in each room would allow residents to call out to Alexa in case of an emergency. Aside from emergencies, it would also be helpful in case they had questions about medications or symptoms. They could just ask Alexa and avoid the hassle of looking it up online. This would also broaden Amazon’s age demographic and allow them to be more inclusive to their older audience. For instance, my great grandma fell a couple of months ago and could not get up to reach her phone. Thankfully someone noticed and got her help, but It is scary to think of how long she could have been laying there. No one wants to think of the worst but it’s always good to plan for it. An Amazon Alexa in every room would allow them to call out for help in case of an emergency.
One safety concern I have is transportation. Only speaking from my own experience, transportation is hit or miss in nursing homes. Doctor appointments, groceries, and clothes are necessities that are often seen on as the resident’s responsibility. Nursing home transportation often will only drive a certain amount of miles and if it surpasses their limit they will not take you. This is the case for my grandma. Our family has to find and schedule people to pick her up. I feel like this problem could also be a great business for big transporters like Uber or Lyft. Buses are part of the cost of living for most nursing homes if that money went to partner with one of the companies listed it would allow for individual transportation to doctor’s appointments and other needs of people there. This also takes the stress off families and ensures that the elderly person is having their needs met.
A major issue many have with nursing homes is the fear of neglect or abuse. Although I have never seen or experienced this, I have heard awful stories of neglect where they just stopped care completely. I think cameras are a must in nursing homes to ensure nurses and employees are treating the patients/residents with the utmost respect and care.
Another way to improve the safety of the elderly in nursing homes is to educate them about basic safety procedures. Knowing signs and symptoms or even basic safety procedures can be the deciding factor between life and death. Some of the most basic classes nursing homes should offer are CPR, Heimlich maneuver, and FAST (the ways to tell if someone is having a stroke). These basic classes give basic knowledge of how to assist in an emergency and it also gives them something fun and different to do.
My family means so much to me and it would kill me to hear that their safety was not at the level it could be. These are simple tasks that could be the thing that saves someone’s mother, father, sister or friend.
Cogan & Power Academic Scholarship 2019 