My Cultural Plunge Project

In society the elderly is most respected because they have paved the way for so many of the younger generations. I decided that I wanted to do my cultural plunge project at a nursing home because I wanted to truly understand how it may feel to be confined to one place without any family or friends, let along some may have disabilities and mental problems. For my cultural plunge project I attended A.G Rhodes Nursing Facility in Atlanta, GA for 4 hours on February 10, 2012. There are many stereotypes that are placed upon the elderly and what goes on in nursing homes. I wanted to really see what went on behind closed doors.

Stereotypes that I have heard about nursing homes range from small tales to outrageous lies. “Nursing homes are depressing dens where old people are left to die and rot”. Often, people claim that nursing homes "smell like death." While it's not death they smell, nursing homes can smell like hospitals. Most people think of nursing homes as sad, depressing places to live, and sending a beloved family member to one seems cruel. However, not everyone who lives in a nursing home is sad. As with any business, there can be cases of incompetence and cruelty. Although you may hear of elderly people in nursing homes being abused or taken advantage of, many nursing home workers enjoy working with older people. Many people might complain of the "bad food" inside nursing homes. While the meals might not taste like food from a four-star restaurant, they are probably better health-wise for the elderly living in the homes. These are just few of some of the stereotypes I hear about the elderly in nursing home.

My mother works in a nursing home and my grandmother was once in a nursing home. Every time I would go to visit and sit with the patients they would say how their families had left them but that was a part of them feeling down. Sometimes I would smell different smells that were unusual to me and sometimes unbearable to the stomach, but it was because someone had probably had an accident but not all nursing homes smell.

Even when my mom wanted me to come to her job for children’s day I never liked to go because I would always get so emotional when talking to the residents. When arriving at the nursing home previously for my cultural plunge project I found it hard to swallow walking in the rooms to engage in conversations with the guests. Ms. Alice and Mr. Willis were two of the patients I visited. While Mr. Willis was very glad to be alive and just loving in spirit, I enjoyed his company. Ms. Alice had a stuttering problem. I felt really bad because I could not understand a word she was saying. I felt her pain because it is hard enough trying to say something but when the person you are talking to cant even