Elder Care Catastrophe

Jason S. Ulsperger, David J. Knottnerus

“I would recommend this book to any lay person, healthcare provider, nursing facility employee; or anyone from the Boomer generation who may be faced with the decision of one day finding the proper home for a parent. This book should be required reading for anyone working in a nursing home or long-term care facility as a reminder how not to treat those they are caring for.” —Anthropology & Aging Quarterly “This excellent book has important messages for all professionals involved in caring for and looking after vulnerable older people in hospitals and or care homes. The authors describe the situation in the USA, which also has great relevance to those of us working on the other side of the Atlantic.” —Age and Ageing “This moving and beautifully written book should be read by all students interested in aging, by nursing home staff who care for the elderly, by policymakers interested in real reform, and by anyone with a family member who resides in a nursing home. The authors expose the abuse and neglect vulnerable nursing home residents experience on a daily basis. Their book provides a riveting account of how complex rules and regulations resulting from demands for elder care reform have had the unintended consequence of reducing the quality of care.” —Jill Quadagno, Florida State University, and author of One Nation, Uninsured: Why the U.S. Has No National Health Insurance

• Chapter 1 Just Wanting to Die; Chapter 2 Bureaucracy and Rituals in Everyday Life; Chapter 3 A History of Nursing Homes; Chapter 4 Rules over Compassion; Chapter 5 Products Not People; Chapter 6 Tranquilizing the Troublemakers; Chapter 7 I’m No Baby; Chapter 8 Alternatives to Bureaucracy in Nursing Homes; Chapter 9 The Bureaucratic Boom;