The context of patient care has
everything to do with patients’ quality of life. Staff shortages play a major
role in that context of care. Whether at home or in institutions, that context
includes policy makers, staff, equipment, race, and location. That context also
includes me, and that’s why I advocate for patients.
In my book Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes, I refer to the ongoing healthcare staff
shortages I experienced in my role as a hospice volunteer in urban nursing homes: “Sometimes a shortage in staff had
harmful consequences for residents. This included being left in unchanged beds,
not being fully clean, and not being assisted when help was required for
eating. Some residents tried to feed themselves using their hands when they
couldn’t see their eating utensils. Residents waiting for help sometimes stared
at their food while it turned cold. Those with depression or dementia often had
little interest in food. They needed someone to motivate them throughout the
meal.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US nursing field will have more than
one million vacancies by 2022. Healthcare providers in various
healthcare environments nowadays are looking ahead to an increased need for
nurses as the population ages. But it's not just new nurses that are needed. Seasoned
nurses will be in short supply as well and in high demand. Even though the nationwide nursing
shortage is increasing, schools across the country are turning away qualified
applicants due to a shortage in nurse educators to teach
nurses. This video shares more information:
Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing
Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America
and other countries at online and offline booksellers.
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