Zine Review: What It Was Like to Work In a Nursing Home
What It Was Like to Work In a Nursing Home
by Melissa
half letter / 44 pages
As
someone who works in a health care environment very similar to those
that Melissa writes about, I was initially discouraged by her attitude
taken in this zine. She basically worked in nursing homes to make money.
Granted, these nursing homes are in Australia, but in the United States
of Amerika, no one except top administrators make a lot of money caring
for the elderly. “The elderly” is a class that we will all join, if we are lucky.We should care for elders in the way that we would hope to be taken care of if and when we have serious health issues and can no longer care for ourselves.
Melissa’s
zine takes the reader through the variety of places she worked as a
per-diem Personal Care Attendant for a staffing agency. She talks about
the drudgery of toileting, bathing, changing and feeding dementia
patients and other nursing home patients. She paints a fairly realistic
portrait of the sadness, depression, and sense of futility that
overshadows many care facilities. She shares her insights into what
qualities make for good co-workers, and what constitutes quality
caregiving. At the end though, I was still disappointed and felt that
something was missing from this zine. I had to remind myself – this is one
person’s experience and perspective. Overall this zine is a well
written but somewhat myopic introduction to what working in a nursing
home is really like.
where can i get one?
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