Dealing With Crap – View from a Former Nursing Home Administrator

A few months ago my husband and I hired someone to clean out our septic tank, a long overdue task. This was on the heels of a recent discussion I’d had with the nursing home residents about the fascinating subject of debris. I’m not kidding. It is a fascinating subject.

Anyway, after the sanitation specialist finished the job, he knocked on my door with an invoice. As he waited for me to retrieve my checkbook, I suddenly realized I had been somewhat “itting” him by viewing him as a commodity, rather than a human being. So I started up a conversation.

“What on earth made you decide to make a living dealing with peoples’ crap?” I inquired, sharing about my work with elders and our recent discussion which noted the various occupations that deal with debris.

“Well, I used to be a nursing home administrator.”

“Are you serious?” I responded, marveling at the mutual commonality we shared that I would have missed had I not inquired about his current occupation.

“Yeah, I got tired of taking peoples’ crap, so I decided to push it out instead.”

Note: According to research, nursing home administrators of skilled nursing facilities confront difficult challenges including small support staff, limited reimbursements for overhead expenses, difficulties in recruiting direct care workers, a challenging regulatory environment, along with a perception that nursing homes are institutions that should be avoided by anyone with the exception of the most incapacitated individuals. (Source: Stoil, Michael. Documenting the Disappearing Administrator. 2002. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3830/is_1_51/ai_83152186/)

Fortunately, Culture Change, with its emphasis on person-centered care, is making progress in changing the perception of skilled nursing facilities and improving the quality of life of residents and job satisfaction in nursing home settings.

For more on The Golden Experience – Keynotes, Concerts, & Workshops to Enrich Lives in Long-Term Care, visit http://www.thegoldenexperience.com/. Email Kareen King at kking@thegoldenexperience.com.