NO NURSING HOME

I was asked many times why I never ran a nursing home. Once I got started in the business I had thought about it. The only problem I had was the people. How could I give the personal care if I opened a large facility? To my way of thinking if you had more than ten people you started to lose the personal touch. This is what the folks wanted and so I kept the numbers small. In my house we had five bedrooms and five bathrooms. On the far end were my private rooms. The people happiness was my mail concern.
It was about 15 years ago I had a doctor ask me an interesting question. He wanted to know if I was interested in going into a partnership with him. It was to purchase a nursing home about 20 miles away. I could run the place and he would be the main doctor. I asked him about having so many people and he said this is how you make the money. We purchase the business and cut the cost to the bone. Redo the menu and use the cheapest meals you can. Then cut the staff down and you’re on your way to make some serious money!! I think I thought about this for five minutes and told him to forget it. I wasn’t in the business to make money but to care for people. He really had a hard time understanding this. To me it was very simple; keep the residents down and you have plenty of time for personal care.
Then there was the attorney I met who was very interested in having me bring the elderly to him. He offered me a fee for anyone I could send his way. You know, gentle reader, I never called on him again. It was interesting to read a few years later he was disbarred for stealing funds from an elderly gentleman.
I had a lady one time that was really funny. She had arrived about nine o’clock in the evening. It seems she had a dislocated should and was in a brace. The family didn’t want her to stay alone so they brought her to my home. I finally got her settled in and she went to sleep about 11:30. I woke her for breakfast about 8:30 and she wasn’t hungry. I waited about fifteen minutes and tried again. She said she was not going to eat because she was going to die in a few hours. I told her to hang on and left the room. I returned in a few minutes with a long pad and pencil. She said “What in the world are you doing”? “Well, I explained, since you are going to die I need a favor: I am going to make out a list for you because you must be talking to God so you can show him the list”! She actually started laughing and of course she proceeded to get up.
You had to be able to respond with a good line just to get their mind off their problems.
When we had meals ready, if a couple of people weren’t at the table I would go in the living room and say, with a laugh, “Lunch is being served in the main dining room, on the first floor level” Everyone would just laugh about that. Sometimes I think, dear reader, Harold would lag behind just to hear me say it.
I had a lady named Selma who was Jewish. I tried to serve her only the foods she wanted. She never complained and was always so nice. One evening, when she had been with us for a couple of weeks I served pork chops. I had fixed her something else and when she saw the pork chops she said “I would like pork chops also”! I said “You may certainly have one. I thought you didn’t eat pork. She said “I cheat all the time, “and just smiled the nicest smile. It just goes to show you never knew what they would come up with.
Until the next time dear reader, you have a nice day and remember this:


You don't stop laughing because you grow old,

You grow old because you stop laughing

Love, Red