I Seek Abundant Health: Warehousing People Nursing Homes In the USA

Hi All my Friends Out There,
I have not been writing my own blog much I have been in a Rehab center after some falls I had. Rehab is just a glorified name for nursing home. However, they have been very good to me here. I feel hope of finally finding out why I fall. I could own my own neurologist, for the copay's, I have paid. But now they have my pain under control at least for a while and they have set up the tests I need to find some answers. I am very grateful to this place.
I have met some interesting people here. One I call Anna, she is originally from Russia, she grew up there on a farm with 15 sisters and brothers. During the wars she migrated to Argentina, and then to the U.S. "They say she has Alzheimer's disease ." Perhaps she does have Alzheimer's I know she has dementia of some kind however, she is in early stage if she does, most days she can tell me her story. I have spent a lot of time since I have been here with her. She is teaching me Spanish. She enjoys being the teacher and I brag her up about how smart she is, She smiles and says Si.. She is a very smart lady she speaks three languages. She is a good looking woman too, but no one even combs her hair. They seldom dress her, She may have on a pretty sweater and her P.J. bottoms. She cannot handle a lot of noise and she sits all day with nothing to do. They do not try and talk to her or get her to color or listen to music. How sad, this woman who was a seamstress for over 20 years. There is a sewing class here but she is not included. When I ask about it they say she is not able to participate.

There is another woman here we will call her Mary and all she does is try to run away all day long. She can talk and I invite her to sit with some of the more cognitive women and even though she has little to say she understands and laughs at appropriate times. She gets more attention than Anna, but she is still not challenged or her mind stimulated.

There is a man who was an art professor, who is 95 and all he needs is some attention too. My heart goes out to these people. Frankly they have saved my life as I was feeling really sorry for myself and visiting and giving to them has made me aware of how lucky I am to still have all my facilities, so they can't put me in a place like this permanently. I am very grateful to God that I do not have to live here all the time, but if that is what was I hope I would reach out to those less fortunate than me

No doubt most people would prefer to avoid living in a nursing home. But the fact is that many elderly Americans get to a point where they need long-term continuous care. Families live far away or are working so much they have not got time to take care of parents. Besides many need care beyond what the children can give them.

About 1.3 million American seniors now live in nursing homes. 70 percent of them rely on Medicaid to pay the bill, which means they are low-income or have otherwise spent down their assets. Medical care is so high in the U.S. that it does not take long to spend down one's assets. The average cost of a nursing home private room tops $83,000 a year. Adult Foster Care is an alternative to large nursing homes but the cost is much less about $40,000. a year. There are usually 4 or 5 people there and they each have a private room. It is more like a family.

With nursing home costs rising about 4 percent a year and 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, it is clear the future costs to Medicaid will rise significantly. The cost of warehousing people is exhorbant and how sad that our seniors who worked all their lives end up in this situation.