Like a Jar of Peanut Butter

There’s a commercial which has been running on television relating to elderly care.

The narrator makes the statement,

“You don’t put an old person in a nursing home… like a jar of peanut butter.”

Well now, it’s an understatement to say this is not my favorite commercial; (not that I have any favorite commercials. I hate all of them).

But “Right off the bat” I feel this kind of advertising generates guilt among those who have “placed,” (not “put”) their aged loved ones in a nursing facility, and doesn’t characterize the efforts of the vast majority of family members contending with such a tenuous issue as this.

Granted, the focus of the ad is about bringing the patient into the decision-making process; when and where they will be residentialized. And I can understand this, as far as it goes.

However, I think the “wild card” is the general decline in the physical and mental capabilities of the individual being placed, and their inability to make a sound choice, or any choice at all; leaving it to caring family members to choose for them.

My own mother has lived in a nursing home for over a year, and the hoops I have had to jump through simply to get her approved for Medicaid has been nothing short of amazing. And though my mom wasn’t keen on sacrificing her independence and privacy, her family’s diligent efforts has contributed to her placement in a safe and caring environment.

Though I hate commercials, I, for one, will be glad when this particular advertisement expires, and is replaced by a different product.

 

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 5