Warehousing Of The Elderly

It could be said that the state of union of this society can be summed up as a reflection of how well we take care of our elderly. The miracles of modern medicine can be expounded everyday as evidenced by the longevity of our citizens. In just a few short decades the life span of people has increased dramatically. Today a visit to any one of the nations nursing homes will attest to that fact, and to the hidden tragedy that is unfolding behind closed doors. Our citizens are living longer but not healthier. The magic pills which control everything from diabetes to hypertension do a wonderful job of helping to keep the motor running long after the body has fallen away. The question that has to asked is - is existence until death good enough, or should quality of life matter.

The problem as I see it is that in order to ensure that we don’t become a nation of throw away old people we need to institute a more rigorous program of wellness beyond the destructive diets that we feed ourselves out of habit. It is also important to assess that very old people are no different functionally from very young people.  A quick perusal of any nursing home menu will find such fine cuisine as hot dogs being served to people who can’t digest food, or who can barely force a bowel movement.

It is apparent that the main job of the nursing home industry is the warehousing of as many of the elder within as minimal confines as afforded by the law. The nursing home industry is not a industry of wellness and health for the elderly, but of numbers and bottom lines. 

There should be a complete revamping of health care system for the elderly in the US. The idea of a nursing home warehousing our elderly citizens because families don’t have time to care for them should once again become unacceptable. And, as well constructed as the health care industry for the elderly is it is far from adequate. What each of us needs to ask of himself is that do I want the elderly to be remember or forgotten.

Hamzatu