The LuLac Edition #4, 559, July 21st, 2021

 WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our “Write On Wednesday” logo.

This week we look at the pay disparities in nursing homes through the eyes of the care givers. Their cause was articulated by a local resident in a Letter to the Editor in the Citizens’ Voice.

BETTER NURSING HOME PAY SHOULD MEAN BETTER CARE

Editor: I truly support the effort workers at some local nursing homes are going through to get their message across (“Nursing home workers plan to strike,” July 20). But when we visited my mom in a local nursing home, the lights and buzzers were going off and not a person was in sight. When we went looking for someone, three people were on break in a side room.

They said they were on break and would take care of it. We helped my mom but the other residents had to wait. Another time we went, a male resident was wearing my mother’s sweater. From that time on, I took pictures of the clothes we bought her. One night a male resident was walking the halls until we complained.

For Easter her friend across the hall received a basket of goodies from a local bakery. By the time she got back to her room someone had eaten everything in the basket. When it was time for my mom to go to the hospital for tests the temperature was only in the 30s. She arrived covered in a sheet.

I demanded an explanation for this. They blamed the ambulance driver. The people responsible for the care of these residents should have gotten her ready.  We went as far as getting a legal representative twice to look into the situation.

Now this is not an easy job therefore people should be trained in every possible situation that arises. I agree the workers should get better pay and in turn the residents should receive better care. A new worker should be on probation to make sure they can handle this demanding job.

I stand behind the workers who are striking to get more pay, better staffing and better care for our residents.

Kathy Stager

Edwardsville