Posted by Genevieve Gipson, Web host on July 29, 2008, 12:12 pm
205.188.117.198
Nursing Homes Urged to Spare the Wheelchair
Reprinted by permission of THE NEWS & OBSERVER of Raleigh, North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. _ It's a common sight in many long-term care centers _ residents in wheelchairs lining hallways, just sitting or rolling slowly down the hall.
But older people's health, mobility and self-image can suffer from too much time in wheelchairs, say some who study geriatric issues.
More than 24,000 North Carolina nursing home residents _ about two-thirds of the total population _ use wheelchairs as their main means of getting around, according to the most recent federal statistics. And that number has risen steadily in the 2000s, as sicker patients have entered nursing homes.
If older people need wheelchairs to move around or be moved, that's fine, but it's past time to cut back on "parking" older people in wheelchairs, said ..... "In an old-school nursing home, they are sitting around the nurses' station in wheelchairs and they are hollering, saying, `Help me!' because they are uncomfortable," ....... Ways to limit unnecessary wheelchair use are part of a movement that gives priority to the well-being of residents and their caregivers, above the functions of the nursing home or convenience of the staff. ...
for more info Click here: Grow Coalition- In the News
Or contact GROW cofounders
Mary Harroun. mharroun@growcoalition.org
Diana Waugh. dwaugh@growcoalition.org
Or contact the NNCNA office at cnajeni@aol.com
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