My 51 year old sister has lost her job of 23 years. The Nursing Home sold out. NEw company elimina

[greenbriar]

her job.


She was a Social Services employee. She did shopping for the residents and scheduled and transported residents to doctors appointments and hospital stays ect...

She also worked with the families on personal needs ect.


The new company says the need for that "personalization" can be assimilated into other positions in an effort to provide better care at a lower over head cost.


She gets 5 weeks pay That includes her vacation time and sick leave time



This economy is getting worse by the minute

[greenbriar]

1. additionally, just last year she won the Social Services employee for the year in nursing homes

she got to go to a huge reception and her award was handed to her by our Great Gov. Sebelius

[elehhhhna]

38. Can she write to the Gov and ask her for help? A state job, maybe?

A Nursing home investigator...?

[billyoc]

2. ...that "personalization" can be assimilated...

:wtf:

[Cant trust em]

4. Affirmative. Employee no. 34258 will assume the workload.

[Ilsa]

21. They'll push it off on nurses and others that they are required to

keep on minimal staffing levels. If it gets done at all. For these duties to get done, nurses will have to rush through personal care and medication administration. It means more mistakes and accidents are likely.

I'm very sorry about your sister's situation. I hope she can find a better deal without too much disruption to her personal life.

[DCKit]

3. That's not the economy, that's "The Corporation".

As much as I feel for you sister, I shudder to imagine what's going to happen to those poor people in the home.

[napi21]

5. I feel so bad for your sister. I know how devastated I was when I

was let go after only 14 years because of new management. Your sister is in a good position to get another job though. If she likes working for a nursing home, there are many who are always looking for experienced help. She might also consider private duty. Depending on where you live, she could do very well with that.

[greenbriar]

7. They live in a rinky dinky town with one small hospital and the one nursing home

she is 30 miles any direction from other nursing homes or hospitals...


she is "screwn" I do not know what she is going to do.


She called me an hour ago in tears to tell me this.


She is worried about her bills and what she is going to do.


and I can't fix it...

[napi21]

11. How close is the nearest affluent area? I dont mean Rich, but

there are thousands of not millions of people who's parents or themselves have gotten older and want to stay in their home, but need nursing help to do so. They don't have millions, but they have saved eough to pay for a nursing home but prefer to stay at home. I'm not sure how to find them, but perhaps that hospital could help. A cousin of mine got totally fed up with the corporate abuse of their workers in the medical field and she opted for private duty. She did very well, and since you are working for yourself, you always have the option of qquiting one job that doesn't work out because there's always a demand.

[Jane Austin]

14. My mother had private caregivers for nine years in her own home.

She died a year ago in her own bed with her remaining family and her wonderful caregivers with her.

They were so good. She never, ever had a single bed sore, and they kept her clean, dry and usually happy until the end.

Those women were angels to her.

[elehhhhna]

37. g-ddammit greenbriar! the hits just keep on coming.

she must look up home h/c/assistance providers. There is usually a demand in underserved areas for people to go to the homes of the elderly. Don't know if it pays well.

[greenbriar]

39. My other sister does in home health care and maybe my 51 year old can do that too

but my little sis has to drive a LOT to do her job

[elehhhhna]

40. I know. Have a friend & one relative who do it. It's a growth industry.

but how does it pay?

[Clark2008]

47. Are there any at-home nursing services?

Could she start one?

That would not only give her an income, but would directly compete with the bastards who fired her.

You didn't mention if your sister has a nursing degree or if her role was more administrative. But, starting an at-home nursing service wouldn't require that she have a nursing degree - only that her staff did. She could administrate it from home.

My mother did at-home nursing for a number of years. It was more gratifying to her to work with people who opted to stay in their own homes than be institutionalized in a nursing home.

[Donnachaidh]

6. Companies don't want employees with any length of time

It costs THEM more, in terms of raises, retirement benefits and medical benefits. The people who are getting tossed to the curb are the older workers, who know that companies should be offering LIVING wages.

This won't stop till we take to the streets of Washington.

[greyghost]

20. Exactly, the hotel industry is famous for this maneuver. Older...

employees can be replaced by youngsters who will work for next to nothing. It's an industry wide move in non-union properties.

[Occulus]

27. The USPS is doing this.

Yes, the Postal Service.

Ask your local full-time NALC member about "casuals" sometime. That would be your own letter carrier.

Postal management is trying as hard as it can to turn the USPS into an all-temp, all-the-time, everywhere workforce. This is why your mail service is getting worse every year.

I am NOT criticizing the USPS here. I am criticizing postal managers, and THEY are not the USPS. Postal managers actually do jack fucking shit. Seriously.

They are worthless and actually, BY CONTRACT, do absolutely nothing at all to truly move the mail, day in and day out.

[lonestarnot]

8. Who bought them (only if you want to share) if you know?

[greenbriar]

10. I don't know the name of the company

I will ask her when I call her back

[Joanne98]

43. Is it called Manor Care?

A national caravan of caregivers and advocates for seniors arrived in D.C. to hold a demonstration on Monday outside the headquarters of private equity giant The Carlyle Group, which is taking over nursing home chain Manor Care Inc. for $6.3 billion.

A large health care workers union, SEIU Healthcare, is organizing the demonstration. The union, which held a similar demonstration outside Carlyle's headquarters about a month ago, is concerned about the buyout's effect on seniors, taxpayers and nursing-home workers.

At Monday's demonstration, nursing-home workers, family members of patients and seniors advocates spoke about the need for safe staffing levels and improved care. On Tuesday, they plan to visit Capitol Hill and lobby Congress to hold hearings on private equity ownership of nursing homes.

Toledo, Ohio-based Manor Care (NYSE: HCR) runs about a dozen nursing homes in the Washington area and hundreds more nationwide. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of November, Carlyle said in a statement.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2007/10/22/daily7.html

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Your sister would have a perpetual job in Florida.

[jillan]

12. What's so sad is that they people she helped needed her as much as she needed her job.

It so f-ing unfair!

[ismnotwasm]

13. They most certainly will not assimilate that position

I worked in Long term care for years. What they've done, besides screw your sister over, is reduce the quality of patient care the minute they decided on this type of job reduction. I can guarantee it, I've seen it happen. I can't begin to express how disgusted I am by this, and please give your sister my best wishes. That's one of those "It takes a special person" jobs that is just as much a calling.

What's the name of the company, if you don't mind me asking? (My first nursing love will always be LTC, and I try to follow the trends of care)

[greenbriar]

15. It was Medicalodges but I don't know the name of the new company

That is so true about the patient care

[ismnotwasm]

22. Some for profit company

They have some of the most short sighted business practices in the health care industry, typical I suppose when it's all about the bottom line, but the cost in human suffering in nursing homes is incredible. I would like to say unbelievable, but it's all too common.

[Chulanowa]

16. I work at a nursing home

And the people who bought this one out are utter idiots. My place is fully unionized, awesome benefits, great pay, wonderful community going on... And we still struggle to keep people in the kitchen and nurse's station. It's exhaustive, and often frustrating work, especially for the CNA's.

You can't just shave off a bunch of people and expect the remaining staff to cover what needs to be done. Furthermore, you can't just leave the home's residents hanging like that. This company sees heads that get paychecks, but the people living at this care center see friends, and oftentimes family in the people who work there. Yanking away employees damages the entire institution, and I guarantee, it will actually result in a cost spike due to overtime pay, resident needs growing more demanding as staff falls behind and the residents refuse to deal with "the new guy", and higher employee turnover as the people who remain on staff burn out and have to leave the facility for their own mental well-being.

[KT2000]

17. You sister is NEEDED!!!

I just went through about 4 years of doing these things for an elderly friend in the nursing home. If I did not do it they were willing to send her - wheelchair ridden, unable to stand on her own, confused most of the time and problems with anxiety and shaking (Parkinsons)- to appointments where she would have to wait 3 hours for the bus to take her home - after a stressful dental exam.
One appointment they sent her to the doctor in sub-freezing weather with no coat on.

Her son was a pain for them to work with so when her glasses were lost/stolen they would not let her get new ones. All she could do was lay in bed and look out the window but they were going to get back at the son this way. If I had not raised hell on her behalf she would have been left in that condition till she died.

Bless your sister's heart - I know there are people in that home that will suffer without her care. Your sister's position should be required by law.

[JDPriestly]

18. She should talk to a discrimination lawyer who does age discrimination cases.

[sandnsea]

19. Our nursing home is bad like that

She might want to go to some assistec care facilities for work. They have social service directors here, anyway. The nursing homes are just awful. Isn't it interesting that we always complain about terrible nursing homes, but nobody ever puts together that they aren't likely to provide proper service as long as they're run for greed.

[greenbriar]

23. she is limited as she lives in a rinky dinky town

with not a lot of choice

[sandnsea]

30. I saw that after I posted

I am 51 too and you just never think being aged out of work will happen to you. I thought I might get a regular job, and was shocked to realize all my job references are DEAD. I feel for her. My sister is 56 and lost her job at Alltel when they sold. Almost everybody did. She has a lot of benefits to fall back on and was warned a year in advance, so that's much better than what your sister is facing. But it was sure a shock to her too.

[Lithos]

24. I'm sorry, that has nothing to do with the economy

But more to do with a firm which manages their company by spreadsheet rather than the quality of the service they provide. They will also start pushing down on the staff to stop a lot of what they will call frivolous things. The quality of the home will slip of course the food will get worse, the residents will not get outings or other attention, and of course the ratings the State makes will fall. Their money saving scheme will backfire of course as they will ultimately loose more money in the long run but they can't see it now. The really sad part is that the residents who are there now and in the future are the ones who will pay with their health.

L-

[greenbriar]

25. my other sister has worked there 31 years she is currently the bookeeper

she started out in the kitchen and then housekeeping and then the bookkeeper. She is currently worried about her job now.

[Lithos]

28. I would be too

They will likely take this outside. If they own other businesses, especially other homes, then they will combine this role with their other facilities or with their corporate center.

[1]

26. not always bad. how about where your sister always wanted to live?

with all of that experience and the critical shortage of nurses in this country? and others?

i am old. and just because i am old it does not mean i wouldn't jump at a heartbeat to live and work at many places...

me?

san francisco

hawaii

alaska

chile

london

paris



this could be the greatest thing that ever happened to your sister. you never know. be adventurous about the situation.

you never know...

[greenbriar]

31. Oh if it were that positive. but not reality

her hubby is disabled, they have bills out the yen yang


they are in trouble!!! This is not good at all

[1]

32. oh. ok. my bad. nevermind... n/t.

[w8liftinglady]

29. as a nurse,let me say...

I'm sorry,and I feel her pain!

[otherlander]

33. I'm sorry.

:cry:

:hug:

[eilen]

34. Maybe she can

get some LPN training and certification and get rehired. I think it is an 18 month commitment.

[madokie]

35. And it takes a very special person to take care of our elderly and disabled

:grouphug: for her and you.

This is all so sad and I don't know what I'd do in that case after giving 23 years of my life and working in that field it is giving with lots and lots of caring.

[seafan]

36. Would that be a nursing home taken over by The Carlyle Group?

Shhhh. Carlyle Group just bought 29 nursing homes in Florida., January 12, 2008

[Joanne98]

44. That's what I was thinking. But google doesn't show the sale...

[YvonneCa]

41. She needs ...

...support. I am a teacher. This happened to me, and I didn't understand it at the time. I do now.

It IS age discrimination...but sanctioned by government. It is very difficult to fight. The purpose is $$$, and getting rid of workers higher up on salary schedules with defined benefits out. It is painful. I was teacher of the year...twice. It didn't matter.

Your sister should research 'mobbing', which is like bullying, except it is done by people in a workplace to force a person out. There are several good books out there on the subject. UCSD is also doing research. I spent 6 months in counseling, and my counselor taught me about what is happening in the workplace...not just in nursing, not just in teaching.

Help your sister understand that she is not at fault. She did nothing wrong. Listen to her (as you obviously are) and BELIEVE her. Good luck!

[greenbriar]

45. you make good points that I hadn't even thought of

I will discuss this with her

I bet her salary is more and then can just get a teeny-bopper aide to do the shopping for half the salary!!!

[YvonneCa]

46. Yes...

...but the sad thing (at our age) is that sometimes they use an excuse...or disrespectful treatment...in the hope that you will quit. How ever they handle it, it feels awful.

I am very sorry for what your sister is going through. She is lucky to have your support. :)

[applegrove]

42. With 23 years of senority her salary was probably very high. It is sad

that they would let her go and replace her with likely a health care aid who gets paid half of what your sister got.

Sorry for her.