This past Labor Day weekend I was a vendor at the Kane County Fair grounds. In addition to my wares I was passing out these bumper stickers and the conversations that ensued were remarkable and heart breaking, and all of the stories were about Alden facilities in either DuPage or Cook county.
The pain I heard in their voices was palpable, the utter defeat, that despite the families best efforts, their loved ones still suffered at the hands of an Alden facility. When asked if they brought a suit against the nursing home, only one said yes. That person recounted his agony and frustration of being suspended in limbo for four years before it ended in a settlement. His pain, his frustration, I'm most familiar with. The others stated that they just did not want to prolong the pain. One person told me that a lawsuit "was just another way the nursing home can continue to exact pain on a family with help from the law." A pretty sad statement, wouldn't you agree?
However, it did get me thinking that perhaps after this was over, I should look into petitioning our state lawmakers for a law that would shorten the time when a lawsuit is filed against a nursing home to its conclusion to a max. of two years. And that any nursing home that has a suit filed against it would loose state and federal funding for a period of five years. Perhaps then some of these houses of horrors would have to shut it doors.
But what brought me to tears is the guilt I heard, that somehow they should have been able to care for their loved ones on their own. A nursing home should be a blessed resource not one to be feared.
If you haven't read Jacks Story, please do and thank you.