Back to my hobby horse. When are caregivers (and that includes Managers & RN's) going to get the fact that a residential facility is the residents home!!

At a recent workshop one of the participants talked about a potential resident who had come in for short stay care where they met all her requirements like breakfast in bed and meals in her room. The lady was really happy so she decided to come in permanently. At this point, the rules changed. She could no longer have breakfast in bed and other meals as she had when she was in for a short stay.

What a let down for the lady? It is a big enough decision to come into care in the first place, to suddenly the rules have changed must have really thrown the lady.

My question was, why did the rules have to be different for a permanent resident to a short stay? Was it to get a bed full? If so, how unethical!

I was told "she needed to socialise". Well, who says she needs to socialise? She had probably lived on her own for some years and didn't socialise at home. Why suddenly does she have to now? She would socialise when, and if, she was ready.

Think about how you are treating your residents. They are, after all, paying your wages. What does it matter if they have their meals in their room. We have to stop running these places like institutions and really think about the people who live there full time - and it isn't management.