Survey Response

Red = Emotional (7 out of 15 46.66%)
White = Sexual (3 out of 15 20%)
Blue = Physical (5 out of 15 33.33%)



After I interviewed a number of people (15) I learned that the majority of people who have heard of stereotypes of nursing homes reported that it is of a negative nature. The interviewees had heard of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse occuring in the nursing home, but the most common was emotional. Most people agreed that they didn't think nursing homes were a bad place, they have just heard stereotypes before. The overriding opinion of how these stereotypes come about was because of the few upset family members of nursing home residents and how they overreact to situations. Most people didn't feel that nursing homes were actually abusive in nature, but rather that it is the best situation for senior citizens that can no longer take care of themselves. It is a better situation for both the resident and their family members when they are put in the nursing home is what 11 out of 12 people interviewed said. Overall, my survey results confirmed my opinion that nursing homes are not the bad place many portray them to be and in most cases are a wonderful situation for senior citizens.

Benefits of Nursing Homes

I recently overheard two gentlemen talking about the negative stereotypes that nursing homes have come to be associated with over time. I was amazed to hear these things since I have had four grandparents spend time in nursing homes before their passing away and never realized people had unfavorable feelings towards them. This triggered me to research the topic and find out exactly what goes on in nursing homes and how they are beneficial to people who need assistance in their everyday life. I went into this research experience unbiased and willing to have my opinion be established on the facts I retrieved through my investigation. After much research, I now completely believe nursing homes are not the dreadful places the stereotypes say that they are and it is represented by the professional health care providers, the activities provided for the elderly, and the flexibility of care homes.

One of the most inaccurate stereotypes I found is that nursing homes have no regulations put on the facilities and the providers that are employed are not trained. People believe that the qualifications to work at a nursing home are low and there is no accountability to make sure nursing homes are kept up to par. As Susan Berg reports in her article, Consider the positives of nursing homes, “There are many regulations that must be followed, and at least once a year, the Department of Health inspects the nursing home I work at,” (Berg 1). She also goes on to say that the results from these inspections are available for anyone to see so people can look at these numbers before making a decision to go to that specific nursing home. If I were putting one of my loved ones in a home, the skill and qualification of the care providers would have to be adequate for me to consider the place. As Maria Zain describes in her article, Reasons To Favor Nursing Homes, “Nursing and care homes have trained staff in administrating health care to their clients…with a strict regime logged in at nursing homes, the elderly will be able to receive the appropriate medical attention they need,” (Zain 1). This can comfort someone putting their loved ones in a nursing home because older people have tough times keeping track of their medications so the trained staff is a tremendous help. A huge decision factor in my parents putting my grandparents in a nursing home was the issue of safety. Leaving my grandparents home alone was dangerous with increased crime rates and also falling with no one to help them up. At nursing homes, all activities are done with supervision so my parents felt much safer with the nursing home approach.

I learned through my research that one of the stereotypes about nursing homes is that the residents are not given anything to do and suffer depression because of this. I believe this is the exact opposite because if a senior citizen stays at home with their child, they usually watch a lot of television or sit around until the other members of the household return. “Most nursing homes are equipped with exercise activities that help the elderly keep fit. Keeping fit curbs old age depression and the feelings of unworthiness,” (Zain 2). Another beneficial aspect to the nursing home is the social circles that are provided for the elderly. Instead of sitting alone all day thinking about the lonely memories from the past, senior citizens can socialize and make friends in the nursing home environment. Talking with people in their situation help keep their minds moving forward instead of regretting things from the past or missing a previous spouse. I know from my families experience when my grandpa went to a nursing home, he ended up meeting new people and always talked about the good conversations he would have with his new friends throughout the day. Keeping busy is one of the biggest ways people can keep their minds off previous sad memories, and activities in a nursing home do a sufficient job of making that a priority.

The flexibility of nursing homes in my opinion can be the final factor that pushes a family over the line to commit in putting their loved one in a care home. Most facilities are extremely flexible in the services that they provide. The majority of the homes will allow the residents to stay for the day and return home to their families at night if that is what the family wants. Some families prefer to have their loved one home for the weekend, but spend the week at the nursing home, or vise versa. This is perfectly acceptable and works out good for both the nursing home and the family. The residents can attend religious services in the nursing home for the most part, or request a way of transportation to a church. The nursing home will try to make the residents stay as comfortable as possible and that usually requires a great deal of flexibility. Twenty-four hour a day care is provided if needed as well as three meals a day. In The Nursing Home Placement Handbook, it states “hot, nutritious meals are provided and special diets can be accommodated” (Department 4). The flexibility of the diet caters to what the resident is allowed to have or required to have from their doctor.

Nobody is looking forward to the day when they are not able to care for themselves enough to be put in a nursing home. That much is true, but what I am arguing for is that people look at both sides of the equation and realize nursing homes are not similar to the negative stereotypes surrounding them. I am not being naïve in the fact that there probably are nursing homes out there that don’t meet all of the qualifications and are not suitable for senior citizens. That is why I feel families should look into nursing homes before hand and compare different ones because there are a lot of nursing homes that provide safe, friendly, and convenient alternatives for family members. The fact that nursing homes are required to be inspected every year and that information is available to potential residents should be taken advantage of by the family. I remember my family did a lot of comparing between nursing homes when deciding where to put my grandparents, so when the time came my whole family felt at ease about the nursing home. That is the best way to do it because the majority of the nursing homes do not follow the negative stereotypes so finding a good nursing home shouldn’t take too much extra time. “Also, since family members no longer have the stress of routine care, they are able to have more energy and time to devote to the emotional needs of their family member. The relationship can be more relaxed and enjoyable” (Department 4). This is a huge benefit of nursing homes that many people don’t think of, but can pay huge dividends to a great relationship with a loved one in their final years.

Works Cited

Berg, Susan. "Consider the positives of nursing homes." 1 July 2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.

Nursing Home Placement Handbook. Social Work Departments, 16 July 2005. Web. .

Zain, Maria. "Reasons To Favour Nursing Homes." 18 Jan. 2008. Web. 11 July 2009.

The Way To Rainy Mountain

In N. Scott Momaday’s essay, The Way To Rainy Mountain, the author describes the mountain in Oklahoma that was a landmark for the Kiowas as well as the place where his grandmother was buried. The Kiowas was the people that the author belongs to and in the present they have been moved to reservations. In the essay, N. Scott Momaday explains to the reader the timeline of his grandmother’s life. The use of imagery and adjectives is what makes the essay so great because the reader can paint a picture in his or her head of what exactly life must have been like for Aho (the grandmother). The author reflects back to the time when his grandmother was a child and the Kiowas were in control of a large amount of land and were living peacefully. Descriptions of the land and different seasons the Kiowas people went through are accurately depicted throughout the essay through the use of Aho’s life. The Rainy Mountain has the toughest weather in the winter which brings a lot snow, but during the summer it is beautiful and brings out the best in the Kiowas people. During Aho’s lifetime the U.S. Cavalry forced the Kiowas people to relocate and endure many tough times. Aho was buried along the Rainy Mountain and the author enjoys going back to the mountain to visit the gravestone and think about the good time of the tribe. I really enjoyed this writing because I could easily daydream and put myself in the exact location the author was trying to describe. Reading this personal essay almost felt similar to a poem in the way it followed so smoothly and how descriptive the scenery was. The author also did a nice job of telling a story through the time table of someone else’s life. He does a wonderful job reeling in the reader to feel as if they are present during the life of Aho the grandmother.

The Boston Photographs

In Nora Ephron’s essay, The Boston Photographs, Ephron talks about three pictures that were taken in Boston outside of an apartment. The first picture is of a fireman, a woman, and her child standing on a fire escape as the building behind them is on fire. The second photo is of the fire escape breaking from the building, and the third picture is of the woman and child falling from the building. Ephron describes in her essay the negative response the editor’s received from the public about publishing these pictures in newspapers across the nation. She feels that these pictures deserve to be printed and are a perfect example of how photojournalism is often more powerful than written journalism. She also argues that the press tends to only print the good news so it would only be realistic for the press to show the unfortunate news as well. In the actual story of the woman and child, the woman died on impact but the child lived because he landed on top of the mother. Ephron also argues that if the both the woman and child would have survived then the public wouldn’t have any complaints about the photos. It is the fact that she died that some say her privacy of death was unfairly taken away from her. Ephron feels that if people are dying in the world everyday then it shouldn’t be that big of a deal for the public to see pictures similar to the ones in this essay. I agree with Ephron because the pictures weren’t grotesque or of corpses, but rather action shots of a real life scene. It is extremely sad and unfortunate that this chain of events occurred for the mother and child, but I feel their privacy wasn’t exposed negatively through these pictures. I understand why some readers would take offense to the pictures and complain, but I don’t think the editors were in the wrong in this situation.

Interview Pictures

This is a common area where the residents have an area to talk with one another and do activities. There is table and chairs and this room with a big screen television.

This is inside one of the rooms of the assisted living wing. Each room looks different in the inside because residents can bring in their own furniture and decorate it any way they want.

This is Mr. Gasser's office in which the interview took place. He didn't want his picture to be taken but allowed a picture of his office to be taken.

This is a picture of the exterior of Woodhaven Retirement Community. The circle drive entrance allows for easy drop-off and pick-up of the residents.

Academic Article Summary-Whistle-blowing

I read three articles regarding the topic of whistle-blowing as it pertains in the business world. Two of the articles are regarding whistle-blowing in the profession of accounting which is my major in the business school. The articles do a great job of informing readers with little knowledge of whistle-blowing exactly what it is and how it affects a business and also the employees of that business. The articles not only inform the reader, but also argue the author’s views on whistle-blowing and try to disprove some of the negative stereotypes that go along with it. Each author of their essay ultimately feels that whistle-blowing is crucial in today’s business world, but some of their reasoning and ways of portraying their views to the audience is different.
In Tim V. Eaton and Michael D. Akers essay “Whistleblowing and Good Governance” from The CPA Journal (2007), these men argue the importance of whistle blowing in a company, and how a company should go about implementing a whistleblower policy. Eaton and Akers support their argument first by explaining to the reader what whistle blowing is by definition; second, by explaining why enforcing a whistleblower policy is crucial for a company; and ultimately, providing the guidelines for developing a whistleblower policy. The author’s purpose is to convince the critics that companies lose a lot of money each year because of fraudulent activity, and it is important for not only corporate companies but also nonprofit companies to establish a policy to prevent that. Eaton and Akers develop a persuasive relationship with the critics and interested accountants who are familiar with the term whistle-blowing, but do not feel it is necessary for their company.
In her essay “Whistle-blowing: myth and reality” from Journal of Management (2006), Janet P. Near asserts to clear the air by addressing two myths regarding whistle-blowing: that all whistle-blowers are in the wrong and that all whistle-blowers suffer terrible retaliation. Near reinforces her position initially by explaining the controversial definition of whistle-blowing; second, by explaining the importance of observers agreeing on what constitutes wrongdoing before they can agree that the whistle-blowing is valid; and thirdly, that the majority of whistle-blowers are not looked down upon for their actions, but instead are usually praised. Her purpose in writing this article is to inform people that whistle-blowing isn’t a negative action even though it is sometimes portrayed that way by the media or businesses. Her writing establishes a relationship with an extremely broad audience because the reader does not have to have any experience in the workplace to understand and learn what whistle-blowing is and interpret her views on the positives it has in the business world.
In his essay “Whistleblowing: courage or treachery?” from City Ethics (1992), Simon Longstaff invites the reader to question the ethical issue of whistle-blowing, and let the reader decide if someone who whistle blows is courageous or disloyal. He provides information throughout the essay that first regards loyalty and courage from an employee to a company; secondly, he explains the dilemma a whistleblower faces in determining whether to draw attention to unethical matters; and lastly, he argues that a person with enough integrity to whistle blow corrupt issues should be rewarded with something other than a ruined life. His purpose is to sympathize with the loyal employee and inform the business world that negatively punishing whistleblowers discourages ethical and principled behavior within a company. Although at times Longstaff’s writing seems to want his broad business audience to question whistle-blowing as courageous or treachery, it is clear that his tone is encouraging employees to do the ethical thing and whistle blow if necessary.
In conclusion, all three author’s had their own ways of relating the information to their audiences, but the main ideas lined up relatively closely. The idea that whistle-blowing is the ethical thing for employees in a company to do was the underlining thesis is all three of the articles. Before I read these articles I felt it was more negative than positive for an employee to whistle blow on their company, but now I feel whistle-blowing is the ethical thing to do when corrupt activities are occurring in a company. In today’s society with the unethical behaviors of big companies such as Enron and others, I think these articles are a great read for anybody because they are extremely informative and easy to follow. Although I chose to read about whistle-blowing in the accounting section of a company, it can happen in any field which is why the topic is so important for everybody to understand.

First Shot

In John Edgar Wideman’s essay, First Shot, Wideman reflects on his childhood and uses the day he took his first basketball shot as a way to describe the way he tested the limits as a young boy. Growing up in Pittsburg, Wideman was restricted to a certain area outside where he could play and still be in the sight of his grandma. The day that Wideman describes throughout the writing is when he left that specific area to try new things and see what he could get away with. The essay is much more than just the first basketball shot Wideman took, it is about his relationship and understanding of rules.
Wideman knew the rules that were in place for him growing up, but he learned how to bend them at a young age. Young children learn how to break or bend rules by not abiding by them to see what they can get away with. As an adult, Wideman feels this is how kids learn and grow up to have the characters they possess. If people did exactly what they were told all the time, then people would never figure out what they are truly capable of achieving. This proved true for Wideman because he grew up with the negative stereotypes that surrounded African Americans at the time, and he was able to still go to the University of Pittsburg and play on the basketball team. If he would of listened to everyone that told him he couldn’t do it then he never would have reached his potential. Not only did he play on the team but his teammates voted him as a captain as well. Wideman never wrote this essay to only describe his first shot, but also to explain how bending the rules in the right way can lead to millions of possibilites.