CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 63

Home for the Aged, a frowsy odour hung in
the air and seemed to cling to the residents.
From what I observed, Wright, who has been
at St. Monica’s for over seven months, only
had his clothes changed twice per week within
the month under observation. Throughout this
time, his nails had darkened with dirt.
But he is not the only resident who faced this
ordeal, as the same were the circumstances for
other male residents, such as George Stanbury
and Allan Edge, who both wore the same clothes
for no less than a week.
Residents with physical disabilities, Wright,
Edge and Stanbury need special assistance to
move around. As a result, they depended on
caregivers for baths, food, and to take them to
the bathroom to relieve themselves. Without
this assistance, they remain dirty, as was often
the case.
Challenges to proper care
In an article published last year under the
headline ‘Nurses in Aged Care’, medical doctor
Michael Wynne said, “Businessmen would create
and promote the myth that you do not need
training to wipe bottoms, feed, lift, and hand out
pills to people, and that employing expensive
trained staff was inefficient and wasteful.” These
“businessmen” then hire cheap, underqualified
staff who have no motivation to care for residents
who rely on their expertise.
But not all nurses buy into the neglect of their
patients as Wynne suggested. One nurse at St.
Monica’s said, her work was driven by her love
and passion for the elderly.

Jodine Taylor*, a practical nurse at the facility,
defended herself by insisting that she bathes her
three patients every day and routinely changes
their clothes.
“In my first week, I found filth in my patient’s
room one morning when I came, and it was
there from the night before because the nurse
who worked the night shift didn’t want to clean
it,” Taylor added.
Nurses being unable to properly tend to their
patients is another issue that affects the quality
of care elderly residents receive at nursing
homes in Jamaica.
Wynne reported in his article that studies show
the quality and level of training of staff affect
the standard of care given at nursing homes.
He added that there is a reluctance to pay staff
adequately and, as a result, staff are unwilling
to care for residents sufficiently.
While cheaper, underqualified staff benefit the
business, it is only to the detriment of residents.
But Taylor said money is not her reason for
doing her job as required.
“The money isn’t everything, I love what I do, and
I do it well because I know that sickness is not
something you buy, and everyone needs to be
treated with love and dignity,” Taylor explained.
In addition to unhygienic conditions and
inadequate care, residents at nursing homes
such as St. Monica’s also face improper nutrition.
The residents there receive three meals per
day: breakfast, lunch and supper.

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