Sunday 26 November 2017

Choosing Long-Term Care: Advice From a Social Gerontology Expert



Choosing Long-Term Care: Advice From a Social Gerontology Expert                                      SOUMYA NAIR

A paradigm shift in the outlook of elders and their families is the new order as more elderly Indians are willing to live in care facilities. For a large majority, nothing is more perplexing or consequential than choosing between the many available permutations of long-term care, selecting the most appropriate for our families and figuring out how to pay for it. SOUMYA NAIR unfolds the nuances of institutionalization of your parent. It’s hard – and it’s complicated. Being a social gerontology practitioner, she share her experiences. Here’s what to consider when evaluating a long-term care facility.


Ranganath Ray, a former professor at the Department of English Literature of Jadhavpur University, chose to spend his twilight years in a nursing home after retirement. Ever since he lost his wife to cancer, he made up his mind that he wants to be in a care home rather a burden to his children, who live elsewhere. Though some people questioned the intelligence of the decision by Ranganath, a famous essayist, thinks it is better to be in the company of others rather than be isolated with increasing disabilities. An increasing number of India's senior citizens now choose to live in retirement or care   homes rather than spend their remaining years with their children at home. Fortunately for them, modern telecommunications technologies, particularly social networking, has made them feel closer to their children.

Jayalakshmi, 75, an arthritic patient, though bed bound for several years lives her life in full without the feeling of loneliness and fear, although her daughters live abroad. One year ago, she moved to a Senior Citizens Care Center, a private nursing home in Bangalore. Her single room was filled with books, mostly religious and daily necessities. Jayalakshmi has many things to do. As she said, "being an arthritic patient, it pains a lot but I have no time thinking about the pain because all the careworkers  in the facility treat me like a queen and pamper me with love and care." She received a knee surgery last year. But after that, she did not hire a nurse to look after her at home. "I cannot bear facing just one person all day long. Also, I am unable to manage my big house. I need a hassle-free life." she said. Thus she moved to the care center, where she found the company of many others. It was she who convinced her daughters who live in US about this decision.

Janardhan Pai used to worry about the impatience and lack of professionalism of the staff at the nursing home. Initially he was skeptical of the negative portraying of such care facilities but everything changed as he get used to.   "The nursing home provides me a quiet and reliable place to do what I like and to meet more peers," Pai said. He believes that hobbies and friends are extremely important for old people, especially in their remaining years. Pai's optimism and engagement in life are not commonly seen among elderly Indians.

"Like the kid’s first day in the play school, most of them usually feel panic and loneliness when they are first taken here by their sons or daughters," said Swetha Janardhanan, Care Manager of a well run Senior Citizens Care Center. Some of them can adjust to the new environment quickly, while others take along time and few cannot.

India’s older population will increase phenomenally over the next four decades. According to the United Nations Population Division (UN 2011), the share of India’s population ages 60 and older is projected to climb from 8 percent in 2010 to 19 percent in 2050. By mid-century, India’s 60 and older population is expected to encompass a monumental 323 million people, a number greater than the total U.S. population in 2012.

The more worrisome is not again the numbers alone but certain other underlying social factors. This profound shift in the share of older Indians—taking place in the context of changing family relationships and severely limited old-age income support—brings with it a variety of social, economic, and health care policy challenges. More and more old people would have to live alone, without the companionship of their children. "At that stage, the nursing home will be a greater necessity, compared with previous years," Swetha said.

‘In our experience, very few come on their own, as they fear the social stigma. Many of them get institutionalized after much persuasion and cajoling by the immediate family. Few of them come after they mess-up the condition and the quality of health worsens.  When condition turns out to be absolutely irreparable, this is when one frantically look for a care facility,’ Swetha continues to share her experience.

Last minute search and planning will end up in a mess. In the Last minute approach, one will be under tremendous pressure to find a care facility and our vision gets hazy in such situations to differentiate between a good and a bad care facility. So always be prepared to do a bit research of a good facility if you have infirm elderly parents. It is better to broach this subject beforehand with the siblings, as there should not be any conflict later and thus the parent suffers. Having reaching consensus is important as the decision involves emotional, physical and economical aspects. 

There are facilities that operate more like resorts; a fancy lobby doesn’t necessarily mean that care is high-quality! It’s important to evaluate your loved one’s needs and then look for the best match, with a view towards future needs as well.
Now, let’s talk about the parameters of a ‘Good Care Facility”. In simple terms how to choose the right one. No matter what type of long-term care facility you're looking for, there are few basic steps that apply. Use these few steps as your guide as you narrow down your options.

1. Shrug off that guilt
Many children hesitantly admit their parent into a care home. Feel guilty because they feel bad as if they are doing a crime. Firstly, you must understand that you no longer capable of providing care, as he/she needs more professional care and team approach. What if your parent’s condition warrants advanced care needs. You may be dealing with chronic or progressive conditions such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, diabetes or congestive heart failure, or a sudden crisis like a stroke. Care may be needed 24/7, and it might not be feasible for you to provide all the required care at home. It is always better to have a pragmatic approach. Instead of giving inferior care or neglecting, why not overcome stigma and guilt and think that your decision to institutionalize is the best option for your parent. Remember it is in the best interest of your parent’s care and emotions are secondary. Next step is to search and find an appropriate facility.

2. Search begins
In today’s world search means, internet. Most of the facilities are listed there and many have their websites. There are several online guides to assisted living facilities to help find a unit in your geographic area, but the guides are not necessarily comprehensive. A closer look at the web sites provides information about many aspects. Additionally, little investigative work, along with personal recommendations, can help to find a facility that fits your family’s needs. From here we shortlist few and make contact. Recommendations from friends and relatives are the best.

3.  Ask questions about the facility and the care extended.
By asking questions, you are finding out the details of life within the facility. Don’t be afraid to ask detailed questions – in person, over the phone, or via email. You’ll want to know what kinds of care are available and common. How often will your parents see a nurse, or a doctor? Can they continue to see their family doctors? What other staff work in the facility and what are their qualifications? How are meals handled? How does the daily routine work – how much choice will your loved one have about when to get up, snack, and so on. What activities are available? How are personal possessions handled? What about extras such as hairdressing or trips to local stores? You may ask more questions about care standards, hygiene, the background of the people who runs and their passion, staff ratio, their training etc,.

4. Visit the Long-term Care Facility in Person.
Personal visit to the facility is important to satisfy yourself. Taking a tour of the facility will give you a great deal of information. Take stock of all your impressions, first and otherwise. Does the facility seem safe, friendly, and clean? Do there seem to be adequate staff, and is their attitude and demeanor professional? How does it smell and sound? Is it too hot or too cold? Do the residents seem generally happy and, where they seem able, engaged with their surroundings?  Is the facility in a good location? Is the neighborhood safe? Is it in a location that is convenient for family members and loved ones to visit? Are there any unpleasant odors lingering? Is the layout conducive to getting around if mobility is an issue? Trust your instincts.

5. Talk to Current Residents and Their Family Members.
Most of the inmates have adjustment issues and old age is synonymous with irritability and peevishness. Few of them have impaired mental faculties where answers can be distorted. So many answers must be taken with considerable degree of wariness.  No one knows what it's like to live at a long-term care facility better than current residents and their family members. Ask them if they're happy there. Is there anything they would change? Do they have any complaints or problems that have not been resolved, or any problems with staff members? If you can, try to ask these questions away from staff members so that the residents and their families feel free to give candid answers. But sometimes the answers can be quite tricky depending the inmates mood.

6. Meet with Staff Members.
Do staff members seem to get along with one another? Do they seem to have a good camaraderie with the current residents? Is it evident that they enjoy working there? Or do they seem stressed, rushed, unfriendly or ignorant? If any of the latter is true, try to determine why this is. Communicate any concerns to the long-term care facility administrator so he or she can address them. If the facility is chronically understaffed or has a high rate of turnover, then your loved one's care could suffer as a result. It's worth having a conversation before taking the plunge and moving in or writing the facility off your list.

7. What are the religious affiliations?
Religions factions run many care facilities and you need to find out whether you subscribe to it. Many a time your parent will not fit into a different religion and may find it difficult to gel. Practices differ and it can be matter of concern later. If you’re looking around, you should certainly ask how much the faith affiliation influences the activities of the facility, but I think most people will find that the faith-based orientation is restricted to the chapel (X’ians) and may be bhajans when it comes to Hindus. Basic tenets of caring remains the same. One important thing for people to find out is the number of other residents who share the same faith and whether or not there are services and pastoral support to help you stay connected with your faith tradition.

8. The costing factor
Regardless of what happens to long-term care financing in the future in this country, there are more and more families stuck in the middle of this right now, beset by huge expenses with no idea of how long they will last and thus no way to budget for them. How can families make wise decisions given the available options and the unpredictable trajectory at the end of life? Primarily, countries like India where no long-term care insurance, out of pocket spending is the norm.  The middle class in India has the affordability but not willing to spend for a smooth sailing of the twilight zone. Basically, it’s the mental make-up.

Whatever the case, the most important thing people can do is to acknowledge when they are in their 50’s and healthy that they are likely to need care at some point in their lives. In fact, if a person lives to be 65, there is a 69 percent chance he or she will need some kind of long-term care. Elder care is no longer cheap and it is going to be same or escalate in the years to come. So, be prepared to spend. So, if you admit you or your parent might need care, you can think clearly about what’s most important to you and research the best options that are available in your community. A good care home, with an average cost 7.5 Lakhs per year, are often the most expensive but best desirable setting to receive care, and are essential for those with the most complicated health needs. But if the health declines beyond the basic package of services, you might be looking at a different option or extensive out-of-pocket costs to fill in the service gaps.

9. Your involvement makes a difference
As the primary caregiver, you’ll still have a fundamental role if your parent moves into residential care. While you’ll no longer be responsible for the hands-on tasks, you’ll serve as frequent visitor, liaison, and, especially, monitor. You’ll likely be involved with paying bills, arranging medical appointments, talking to health care practitioners, and ensuring appropriate follow-up care. You’ll get to know the staff, check that proper diet and medications are provided, that your parent is participating in social activities as much as possible, and that he or she gets attention when needed. And, because your parent may not be able to, you’ll be his or her voice to express gratitude or request changes in care. It’s an important — even indispensable — role to play. Your involvement makes lots of difference.

















Wednesday 15 November 2017

Why Certain Care Homes Are The Worst Places For Our Elderly.



Why Certain Care Homes Are The Worst Places For Our Elderly.                                                             Soumya Nair  

An investigation by Soumya Nair, has shown that the knowledge, skills and availability of care workers in care homes (nursing homes) are ill-matched to the care needs of residents. She was appalled at the “shocking evidence” of understaffing, bad practice and poor care. This article is an eye-opener to the policy makers as well as to the public about the  woefully inadequate care standards and practices in many so-called “Care Homes”.

Soumya as part of her study has underlined the inadequate quality of care in examples of Indian care homes that failed their standards. She found a “systematic failure in all areas of assessment and monitoring of people’s care, resulting in risks to people’s health and wellbeing”.


Care-Homes, rightly as the name suggests, it should be a Home with Compassionate Care, no matter what it takes. Elderly care home business is the upcoming next big business to corporate hospitals. and other allied  health care sectors. Past decade, what was known to us as simple old age homes have converted into fancy elderly care homes. Many failed real estate businesses has refurbished and sold as elderly care facilities, with fancy resort like features, sans care. Increasing demand is certainly an influencing aspect. Many factors attribute to this new phenomenon like increase in number of older adults who needs care, shrinking urban filial support system, space constraints, complex medical conditions that demands institutionalized care, challenges to provide professional care at home or simply because the older adult seek independent community living after retirement. Whatever be the compulsion, once chose to live in an institutional set up, your health and well-being is directly proportional to the professional care standards followed by the respective institution.

I was visiting old age homes in the city as part of my study on care settings and standards for elderly. I happened to visit an old age home, which operates out of an enormous three-storied building with a signboard, said Ashirvad old age home.  On my arrival I was shocked to my wits to see the entire building is locked up, including the gates, doors and the windows, building had balconies in every room but found them tightly shut making it impossible for fresh air or light enter the building!

Let me introduce Ganapathy, a hapless inmate who caught in the vortex of an unfortunate situation called ‘messed up old age’.  I found this frail old man holding to the gate railing with a broken walker in front of him. Shabbily dressed with ruffled hair not combed for days, his sharp sweat stinking body odor was a clear indication that he had not had his bath for days. I advanced a conversation to make an inquiry if I can meet someone at the premises to get information of the old age home, the first thing he said without bothering to lend an ear to what I asked him “can I have something to eat”? It terribly shocked me. Though I was hurt for that moment, held back my saddened face made a special effort to sound everything was normal, hurried to the car to fetch him my lunch box with an encouraging smile.

After he ate the food in one breath, I tried speaking to him to understand the realities. He is a stroke survivor with minimal dependency but needs assistance for bathing, eating and toileting, he says he is not been given bath since one week and not fed since days. He walked me through his family dynamics and about his dispassionate children. He broke down into tears before he completed what he was saying. Ganapathy is a retiree from the Armed forces served the country from the extreme difficult border areas. A widower survived by a son and a daughter. Mr. Ganapathy is a pensioner and both his children are well provided for. Son is a videography professional and an entrepreneur, daughter an acclaimed teacher in a famous school in the city. Though Ganapathy toiled all his life at the boarders fighting for the country to make sure his children will get a good living and education. He ensured both the children are educated and well settled, he believed his children would become a solace when he really needs help but his children failed his old age plans. Being confident about the children, he never had a plan B.

He complained to his son about the poor care and dirty living conditions at the old age home and expressed his desire to leave the place but there was no hope. Ganapathy’s only son finds this place economical and the incurred expenses are covered well within his father’s pension, so that he doesn't have to chip-in. However, Ganapathy proudly says his son is a  successful a business man who employs around 200 people in his office, mismatch to his present plight.

Seeing an old man at the gate in such a devastating situation, I fairly got an idea about the happenings inside. Barged-in, looking around to find none but a strong foul smell of urine welcomed me. I quickly opened a room and peeped in and found an old lady lying in the pool of urine with no clothes on her. “She keep passing urine and her clothes get dirty often” the old women who is the facility manager justifies the unbearable stench. One does not really need any professional expertise to understand that it was a clear violation of human right of an infirm elderly person.

More unpleasant surprises awaited me when I was escorted to different rooms in the building. Shabbily kept rooms, dust bins over flowing with soiled diapers, fallen hair strands in black and pepper hanging from the stair ways, water filled flower pots were mosquito breeding sectors, at the corners of the hall ways found garbage pile and red spat of pan masalas, seems to be the exaggeration but that was the reality. With zero housekeeping, what else you can expect! Most inmates were just bundle of bone and skin due to undernourishment and dehydration. The medication management and timely health care was surely an alien thing as I found most were not even seen by a doctor in ages.  No qualified nursing staff and professionally trained carers were appointed by the facility.

This care facility has around 20 inmates and had just three staffs who juggles between many chores like cooking food, washing clothes of the inmate, housekeeping, bathing each patient, changing their diapers, ambulating them, feeding them, and what not!  To cut the long story, the three available staffs were playing the roles varying from cook to a physician. To make the matters worse, the home’s owner lives in Chennai and he visit the place once in three months.

Mr. Ganapathy was one ill-fated man ended up in such a horrific place. There are other thousands like him, may be lived a better life than him but one thing common for all of them was they all had families who atrociously care about them. Ganapathy's story is not any strange, when one fails to plan his or her old age the next to kin plans it for them. Many a time children want their parents to get excellent care at their fag end of their parent’s life. But, in few cases “Price” is preferred over quality. However many do not know what it means to be a qualitative care home? What to ask for? What to look for when we admit our parents in a place? How to ensure zero abuse and neglect? Over and above, remember, most of these care homeowner’s are novice into the business of caring and zero passion other than making profit.

My journey continued and never stopped at ‘Ashirvad’ and in many places the story is no better. Residents were monitored too little given their health needs, and nurses did not always act promptly when an inmate developed abnormal clinical symptoms. Staff did not give people their medication on time, manage their wounds properly or always help them eat and drink. People were at risk of infections as the home was not clean. People’s rooms, bedding and flooring were visibly dirty.

Staffs were not always kind and remember this prime quality when somebody chooses to be in the geriatric realm. Again staffs are woefully illiterate about the nuances of elder care. People did not always have the ability to call for assistance and staff had little time to talk or support people with activities or socializing.

The examples of poor care and a culture of inappropriate, institutionalized practice highlighted by my study are wholly unacceptable.  With the lack of appropriate care standards, the care extended will be inferior. Most of the places lack emergency protocols, lack of preventive care plans or inadequate inmate-care staffing ratio can be a contributing factor for diminishing quality of life of the older adults.

Choosing a right care home is one of the crucial decision that ensures quality to rest of your beloved one’s life. Of course, many excellent nursing homes provide outstanding care for seniors, but some don't. Just as with anything else in life, if you or a loved one need a living place that provides you with care, you'll want to do your due diligence to make sure you find a location that provides quality elder care. 






Sunday 22 October 2017

HELPING THE DOCTOR HELP YOU

HELPING THE DOCTOR HELP YOU 

Roshan Jacob

A simple omission can be disastrous is what I learned when Sateesh Reddy explained me how his brother in-in law got into coma stage. Past eight months, Prabhakar is lying in a coma stage in a hospital. Prior to his unconsciousness, he consulted three doctors complaining about neck pain radiating to shoulders. All the doctors prescribed him analgesics and some pain balms and could not find anything suspicious.  Prabhakar overlooked his fall from bike few months ago and never mentioned it to the doctors who he consulted.  Untreated cervical hairline fracture due to the fall resulted in the coma. The information (history of fall) was crucial for the doctors for further investigations, and this omission is in one way resulted in the mishap.   It is widely taught that diagnosis is revealed in the patient's history. Above mentioned scenario involving inadequate history taking leads to serious consequences illustrate the importance of medical histories in diagnosis and here Prabhakar’s case is the classic example of the value of history. 

Recently I interacted with three retired consultants, two physicians and a surgeon on the sidelines of a conference and when I broached the subject of the value of history taking, with no dissent, all of them expressed their dismay at their denigration of the importance of proper history taking in clinical practice. Modern day doctors, mostly nudged by managements give preference to ‘investigations’, and happy to go with figures rather facts. As champions of evidence based medicine can they produce evidence that taking a proper history is "unhelpful"?

Extracting a proper history means listening carefully to what the patient has to say, followed by relevant systematic and constructive questions. As examples of clinical situations in which this discipline yields rich rewards we would cite the elucidation of chest pain or the recognition of da Costa's syndrome, where a proper history could save expensive and anxiety-producing investigations.

The foundation of a true history is nothing but a smooth communication between doctor and patient. Here patient should not show any inhibitions and the doctor is a good listener. Listening is at the heart of good history taking. The patient may not be looking for a diagnosis when giving their history and may even have irrelevant aspects and the doctor's search for one under such circumstances is likely to be fruitless. The patient's problem, whether it has a medical diagnosis attached or not, needs to be identified. Without the patient's perspective, the history is likely to be much less revealing and less useful to the doctor who is attempting to help the patient.

There was a time not long ago; often the history alone does reveal a diagnosis. Sometimes it is all that is required to make the diagnosis. A classic example is with the complaint of headache where the diagnosis can be made from the narration of the headache and perhaps some further questions. For example, in cluster headache the history is very characteristic and reveals the diagnosis without the need for examination or investigations for an experienced consultant.

To acquire a plausible, representative account of what is troubling a patient and how it has evolved over time, is definitely not an easy task. It takes practice, patience, understanding and concentration. The history as told in the beginning is a sharing of experience between patient and doctor and certainly time consuming. A consultation can allow a patient to pour out his agony. They may be upset about their condition or with the frustrations of many other aspects of life other than the present affliction and it is important to allow patients to give vent to these feelings. Ultimately how it may be transformed from the grumbles of a heartsink patient, to a useful diagnostic and therapeutic tool is what matters.

The traditional method of detailed history taking and physical examination and thinking about what tests to be ordered, (if any) are needed may take somewhat longer time with the patient, but must remain the cornerstone of clinical practice. The content of the history involved in primary care consultations is very variable and will depend on the presenting symptoms, patient concerns and the past medical, psychological and social history.

However the general framework for history taking is as follows:
    First is the presenting complaint.
    History of presenting complaint, including investigations, treatment and referrals already done and provided.
    Significant past diseases/illnesses, surgery, including complications, trauma.
    Medications now and past, prescribed and over-the-counter, allergies.
    Family history must be enquired to especially parents, siblings and children.
    Social history also matters. Here we find many habits and his addictions like  smoking, alcohol, drugs, accommodation and living arrangements, marital status, baseline functioning, occupation, pets and hobbies.
                Finally, the systems review: cardiovascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, nervous system, musculoskeletal system, genitourinary system.

Let’s go back to the coma patient Prabhakar. Prabhakar, who went and consulted three doctors but never mentioned his fall from the bike, thinking that it is insignificant. He thought the presenting complaint; neck pain is not even remotely connected with the fall, which happened three months back. None of the doctors have any leading questions to this effect like, ‘did you have any fall in the past?’ sometimes you may have to ask some wild questions when you as a doctor have no other suspecting reasons. The doctors set no agenda in this case and they missed the vital clue, which finally ended in a tragedy. 

After taking the history, it's useful to give the patient a run-down of what they've told.  For example: 'So, Prabhakar, from what I understand you've been getting this pain since one month and you are sure no incident worth mentioning like any fall in the recent past. Is that right?'. This summarizing or leading question could have helped Prabhakar mentioning the history fall, which he felt trivial.


It is vital to remember that a good elicitation of the patient’s history, in his own words coupled with few leading questions from the doctor can help the latter to arrive into ‘provisional diagnosis’. This does no suggest the patient doesn’t need any detailed evaluation.   History alone cannot lead into a definitive diagnosis unless until validated by other pertinent tests. Having said that, history taking has an integral and irreplaceable role in the appropriate diagnosis.  'Listen to your patient; they are telling you the diagnosis' is oft quoted aphorism. In olden days, it is widely taught that diagnosis is revealed in the patient's history.  It is true even today, provided the doctor is willing to listen.