TresSugar

The Case For "Privacy Rooms" in Nursing Homes

TresSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:00:49 -0700

If you fear growing old, here's one more thing to worry about: it's almost impossible to have sex in a nursing home.

An op-ed in the LA Times this week explains why "privacy rooms" - places where residents can do anything they want - are necessary if the elderly are to retain their right to sex. See, basic privacy is elusive in most residences. It's practically impossible to masturbate in your own room without a nosy nurse or aide walking in! Without a realistic expectation of privacy, no one will even think about getting busy.

Of course there are progressive exceptions to the rule, such as the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in New York. The Hebrew Home was the first nursing home to develop a policy that protects the sexual rights of residents. The staff there is trained to respect a person's right to express their sexuality, while learning how to respond when a person makes sexual advances toward someone with a disability such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

I wonder if the aging baby boomers will bring a full-on sexual revolution to nursing homes?

Source: Flickr User J.C. Rojas

Over 90 Percent of Nursing Homes Violate Safety Standards

LibertySugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

While senior centers spice themselves up for baby boomers, nursing homes often provide dangerous conditions for their residents. About 1.5 million Americans live in the nation’s 15,000 nursing homes, and life can be scary and void of dignity for this vulnerable population. In a report issued Monday, a federal investigator identified violations in over 90 percent of US nursing homes, finding that for-profit institutions are more likely to have problems. Some red flags included:

Violations included infected bedsores, medication mix-ups, poor nutrition, and abuse and neglect.
Seventeen percent of homes had deficiencies that caused actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
Thirty-nine percent of patient complaints were substantiated.
The investigator said the homes “have systematically failed to provide staff in sufficient numbers and with appropriate clinical expertise.”
Some homes billed Medicare and Medicaid for services that “were not provided, or were so wholly deficient that they amounted to no care at all.”

What can be done? To find out, read more.

Homes with more staff to patients, which of course costs money, provide better care on average. Homes that receive Medicare or Medicaid must meet federal standards. In addition, one of the Bush administration's final actions will be to implement a five-star rating for the quality of nursing-home care this December. Sounds like well-off seniors used to staying in four and five star hotels won't have to do too much work to find comparable new digs. I hope investigations like these prevent the elderly from being victims of profit or greed.

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Front Page: Nursing Home Gunman Kills 8, Faces Charges

CitizenSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:01:58 -0700

After a gunman in North Carolina killed eight people in a nursing home yesterday, police are investigating whether his estranged wife's employment there had something to do with it. The man faces eight counts of first-degree murder. - ABC News
The Obama administration pushed out GM's chairman yesterday, and urged Chrysler to form a partnership with Italian car maker Fiat if it wants more government aid. - New York Times
The stimulus package has lobbyists bustling with ample amount of work. - Washington Post
A spy network working mostly from government computers in China has been able to infiltrate over a thousand computers in 103 countries, including those at embassies and foreign ministries. - BBC News

Très Bizarre: Australian Brothels Offer Seniors a Discount

TresSugar — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:00:00 -0700

Next week is National Seniors Week in Australia. In order to get in the spirit, Melbourne brothels and escort services are offering a senior discount! Any brothel or escort aligned with Australian Adult Entertainment will be offering anywhere from $5 off, to a full 50 percent discount on sexual services.

A spokesman for the sex-industry group said:

"Many senior members of the community already use our member’s services, whether visiting a brothel or having an escort visit their place of residence, including aged care residential centers."

It seems seniors are more sexually active than younger generations would think. There's a growing movement for a "privacy room" in nursing homes, places where residents can do anything they want, including having sex. I guess they need somewhere to bring their half-priced escorts!

WTF?! (Scary Clowns In Nursing Homes Edition)

GiggleSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 10:50:00 -0800

I know these clowns are well-intentioned, but if "clowns are scary" is a cliché, why on earth would a gaggle of clowns in front of easily-startled elderly folks with heart conditions be a good idea? And has any phrase struck more terror in your heart than "outnumbered by clowns"?! ACK!

The Old Folks Are Still Getting It On!

DearSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

I bet most of you don't like to think about your parents having sex, but what about your grandparents? Even if the thought makes you cringe, past research shows that men and women up into their '80s are still getting it on! A recent article on MSNBC touches upon this topic.

Nursing home sex has been taboo for quite some time now but experts want to lift that stigma and researchers are finding ways to educate their staff and provide the elderly with privacy so they can satisfy their sexual needs. As more baby boomers are shacking up in nursing homes with their 1950s and '60s attitudes about sex, it's no wonder this is of some concern.

Since the elderly in nursing homes need special care, safety is of course the first priority, but being able to feel intimacy, regardless of age, has proven to be just as important. Do you agree with this new directive to get the staff talking and asking questions about sex in nursing homes?

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Handle This: He Has a Secret Fetish

DearSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0700

Your boyfriend feels like your sex life needs a pick me up, but he doesn’t seem too thrilled when you suggest different positions. Instead, he says that he has his own idea, but he wants it to be a surprise.

The next night when you get home, he’s in the bedroom waiting for you. Laid out across the bed is a naughty nurse uniform. He has a stethoscope around his neck and he’s ready to play make-believe. How would you handle this?

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Sick? US Hospitals Deport Patients, Israelis Interrogate Them

LibertySugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:00:54 -0700

Security and financial concerns are preventing some patients' ability to receive medical care both in the US and Palestine.

American hospitals are independently deporting seriously ill or injured undocumented immigrants because of the financial burden, according to an extensive report in the New York Times. Without any intervention of federal or state officials, hospitals privately employ ambulances, air ambulances, or commercial plans to send home immigrants that can't find US nursing homes that will accept them without insurance. Often a death sentence, the only other option to deportation is keeping the immigrants indefinitely in high-cost acute-care treatment.

Across the world in Gaza, Israeli officials are allegedly denying urgent medical care to Palestinians because Gaza residents refuse to spy on their community. To see what those seeking care have to say, read more.

Would-be patients say that, Israeli police interrogate those trying to leave and pressure Palestinians to provide information about their community, if they want the emergency medical care only available in Israel. Those who refuse to collaborate must face the rundown hospitals available in the besieged Gaza strip. Israel admits no wrongdoing, saying that it denies entry for medical treatment for security reasons.

Should saving lives trump concerns like national security and economic survival?

Source

Hillary Clinton Suspends Campaign and Endorses Obama

CitizenSugar — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:04:27 -0700

Hillary Clinton has just ended her bid for the White House within walking distance of the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue residence she's fought the past 17 months to call home again.

Previewing the contents of the speech to supporters this week, Clinton said, "I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee and I intend to deliver on that promise."

The promise was just delivered on in a speech at the National Building Museum in DC. Supported by Bill, Chelsea, legions of fans, and those parents who watched her campaign saying to their kids, "see? You can be anything you want to be." Clinton detailed the fruits of her remarkable campaign, and then extended her support to her former rival, saying:

Today as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him. I ask all of you to work as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me. . . ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January, 20, 2009!

Following up that strong endorsement saying:

We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much. . . today I am standing with Senator Obama to say, 'yes, we can!'

It's been a long fight, one that ends today not without emotion. Clinton may not be the only person nursing bruises from ending her quest - supporters will have to decide if they can now endorse Obama as wholeheartedly as Clinton did this morning. To see how hard this might be, and what's next for everyone, read more.

The psychiatry correspondent for FOX News said this individual healing process can't be rushed, and supporters will have to warm up to Obama slowly. "Pretending Clinton support translates in a wholesale way to Obama needlessly inserts falsehood into a movement that all of us, regardless of our politics, would have to admit is fueled by passion."

Passion and bucks. Now that the end is here, Hillary and Obama are apparently in deep negotiation as to how to retire the $30 million campaign debt Hillary's dug - with the bonus to Obama that she'll in turn fund raise for his campaign. Advisers think she could bring in $100 million for his general fight.

When Hillary and Obama had their secret meeting Thursday evening at Senator Feinstein's home, they spoke for an hour and seemed to salve some of the campaign wounds. How long will it take for supporters and the party to follow? Will the Democrats find a way to unite, Unity Ticket or not?

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You Asked: I'm Homesick All the Time

DearSugar — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 12:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar--

I just migrated from the Philippines and I'm homesick all the time. I just graduated from college last March, finishing a Bachelors Degree in Nursing. As the days go by, I feel that I'm kinda lost in some ways, knowing that my friends back home are enjoying a more laid back life (that's how Filipinos are, sometimes).

Right now, I am enrolled at a review center near my apartment and because of that I need to spend most of my time studying. I know that I have to try to like it here but I just have so many ups and downs. I just want to fit in more but I don't know how. Help!

--Missing Home Marielle

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more

Dear Missing Home Marielle--

Well I have to say that I commend you for following your dream to be a nurse and sticking to it. I'm sure it was really difficult for you to leave you friends and your home, but like you said, you've got to make the most of your time here.

I know you are working hard studying, but you'll never succeed if you are constantly feeling sad and lonely. I wonder if there are any girls or guys that are your age at the review center that you could get to know. If not, I suggest you join a gym, take an art or dance class, get a part-time job, or hang out at the local cafe. Getting involved with some non-school activities will help you meet people. Once you make some friends, they can show you around, introduce you to their friends and teach you all about American culture.

The reason you are so homesick is because you feel like an outsider. If you can immerse yourself socially, you'll feel more connected to your new home, and hopefully it will help take your mind off missing the Philippines. I hope this helps. You should be very proud of how much you are accomplishing!

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