TOWNSHEND — Every year, thousands of Americans disappear. Their homes are seized, all their possessions auctioned off. They are condemned to spend the rest of their lives locked away from all they know and love.
Their only crime is being old, sick, or disabled. They are victims of a system that has effectively criminalized disability.
Many of the people in nursing homes are profoundly disabled and need institutional care. But in many instances, this is not the case. A lot of people are railroaded into nursing homes by a system that is driven by fear of liability.
Doctors and social workers are terrified of the threat of lawsuits. They would rather commit someone than take the risk of being sued in the event of a freak accident.
“You gotta remember that when someone comes in, we don't know them,” one social worker said. “So you're only willing to stick your neck out so far to take a chance for them.”
* * *
In Massachusetts, it is surprisingly easy to force someone into a nursing home. The process is fast and brutal. An attorney is hired to process the paperwork. A judge rubber-stamps it. All their property is taken by the state.
Many nursing homes are little more than prisons for elderly people. Care is minimal, and many of the staff members are short tempered. In some cases, they vent their frustrations on the residents.
In one instance, I saw a nurse refuse to allow residents out into a secure courtyard on a beautiful, sunny day. One elderly woman in a wheelchair begged to be allowed to sit in the sun for a few minutes. “No, you're not going out there, my little escapee,” the nurse said.
Some residents complain of theft or attempted sexual assault.
A few of the staff members working in nursing homes are excellent; some of them are probably eligible for sainthood.
* * *
The saddest thing is that it doesn't have to be that way. There are better, cheaper ways to care for people.
“Believe it or not, it costs $100,000 a year to keep someone in one of those places. More in Boston,” a lawyer told me.
The fact is that nursing homes are big business. Every year, thousands of family homes are sold to pay Medicaid liens, and the money goes to big companies that own nursing homes.
The poor are hit hardest by this. Wealthy people hire lawyers to protect their assets in trusts.
The bottom line is that someone is making a lot of money off this.
The people languishing in nursing homes built this country. They saved the world from tyranny. They deserve better.
A bright light needs to be shone into this dark corner. Nobody wants to think of the possibility of being put into a nursing home. But if it can happen to one of us, than none of us are safe.