Revolving Door Cycle

The graying of the American population has brought upon increased life expectancy, and a growing amount of elderly people. Unfortunately, the American healthcare system has not effectively accommodated to the needs of the elderly, and the need for reforms in healthcare becoming increasingly urgent. My grandmother is currently 92 years old, and has been part of what could be called “the revolving door cycle for the elderly,” for many years. Constantly prone to losing her balance, my grandmother has taken more than a few tumbles, and has been rushed to the hospital many times. She is taken into the emergency room, where her injuries and medical needs are assessed. After a few days stay at the hospital, and the usual myriad array of tests associated with an emergency room visit (chest x-ray, numerous blood tests, EKG, etc.), my grandmother is eventually sent to a rehabilitation center to aid in her recuperation and therapy. After a few weeks of rehabilitation to strengthen her leg muscles, which consists of therapy, three hours a day from Monday to Friday, she is moved to a secondary, less evasive therapy center until her Medicare insurance decides to stop paying, and then she is sent home. Finally, she returns to her apartment after rehab, only to be visited by a nurse a couple of days a week, and a therapist, three times a week for some in home therapy. After a few weeks, all the services my grandmother received at home are removed and she is left alone once more. Unfortunately, the short term care and assistance provided after a fall is unable to solve the underlying cause of my grandmother’s issues; my grandmother usually gets out of bed at night, when no one is around to help her. Unable to go to the bathroom without the possibility of losing her balance when standing up, my grandmother is constantly fearful of repeating the tedious revolving door cycle …show more content…
When he was first diagnosed, my grandmother was able to take care of him by herself. But as his condition worsened, and his trips to the hospital for illnesses such as pneumonia became more frequent due to his increasingly stagnant lifestyle, my grandmother needed more help taking care of my grandfather. Married to my grandfather for 50 years, my grandmother was forced to break their bond and put my grandfather in a nursing home, where there was a 24-7 staff capable attending to my grandfather’s …show more content…
The people that choose to live home alone are suffering and unable to live a productive, safe lifestyle. In contrast, the elderly who have enough money to live in an assisted living environment just as my grandfather did, do not have to face these issues, but they do face the issue of losing the comforts and relationships found in their own houses. There is no middle ground for the elderly; either way, they must sacrifice. The question arises- is there a way to allow senior citizens to live in the comforts of their own home, and stay safe doing so? There are rarely healthcare aids willing to live with a geriatric patient. After all, aids have families of their own. But what if good-willed, under-employed or unemployed people were given a place to live and work, with the elderly in their houses, in essence, a geriatric au-pair service? A background check could be done on to these people, and these new caregivers would be trained to take care of the elderly, and given a stipend by the