#9 Nursing Home

#9 Nursing Home

After the children shelter we went to a nursing home.  Prior to visiting the nursing home we were cautioned to watch our facial expressions and what we say.  Professor had mentioned this because the director of the nursing home knows that they are not what it’s like in the U.S.  He does not want us to compare them to what we know.  So I went into this visit expecting the worst.  It was nothing like I had expected.  The building was pretty large and it smelled like bleach.  The nurses were all dressed in white uniforms.  I had to go to the bathroom so I was escorted by one of the nurses.  Her name was Andrea and she was really nice.  We got to chat for a little while.  While walking through the halls I felt like I was in an old mental asylum.  The halls were long and had padded doors.  The building seemed to be old.  I was expecting horrible conditions and this is not what I found at all.  The only thing was that they were crowded.  There was about 5-8 elderly people per room.  They mentioned that there are not enough of these institutions for care.  

This nursing home is the only public facility in Cluj.  They serve anyone from different backgrounds, religion, culture and education.  They ask the patients to pay $200 a month but if they cannot afford it they let it slide.  All other facilities in Cluj are private.  Currently, there are 100 residents, 2 doctors, 1 social worker, a few nurses, 110 beds and 17 rooms.  There is a wait list with about 150-250 people on it.  They offer everything that the residents need.  Such as social, food, psychology, and medical needs.  The one thing that they cannot provide is, “No family love or intimacy.”  Many of the clients have no outside contact and 30 of them need permanent care.  Patients with severe psychosis are not accepted at the home. 

After speaking the nurse Andrea.  She seemed to love her job.  She has been there for over 8 years.  She said there are not many of us but they do what they can.  The director said, “we are a small army working for them.”  The feeling I got from the director is that he seemed sad, angry and frustrated that they do not receive the money or attention they need.  Everyone really seemed to truly care about the residents.  And it was definitely not as modern as the U.S. but the level of care seemed to be different.  I really got the feeling that these people enjoyed working there.  As I wrote before, I was not allowed to take pictures.  Outside I did take a picture with the nurse Andrea.  Finally, we had a tour of some of the rooms and were able to meet with some of the residents.  They did not speak any English and it was kind of sad to see so many of them.