Kathleen Mears is a long-time blogger who has been a nursing home resident for 21 years. She is an incomplete quadriplegic and uses a power wheelchair to get around. Her computer is her "window on the world." This blog shares her thoughts and view of life as a nursing home resident as well as ideas of how it might be improved in the future.
Kathleen Mears |
June 12, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears shares how having her antidepressant adjusted has impacted her quality of life for the worse.
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Kathleen Mears |
June 5, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears reflects on nearly 18 years of friendship with a fellow resident.
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Kathleen Mears |
May 30, 2017
Having someone help you eat is one thing but having a separate feeding room makes resident blogger Kathleen Mears anxious.
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Kathleen Mears |
May 22, 2017
Hoyer lifts may help staff feel more secure about resident transfers, but blogger Kathleen Mears feels more uncomfortable and less independent when she can’t stand on her own two feet.
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Kathleen Mears |
May 15, 2017
Lighting can have a big impact on a resident’s day-to-day routine, comforts and well-being, resident blogger Kathleen Mears explains.
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Kathleen Mears |
May 8, 2017
Roommates can make for awkward and uncomfortable quarters as resident blogger Kathleen Mears is experiencing.
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Kathleen Mears |
May 1, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears speaks about what it’s like to get laryngitis and why it’s especially scary and difficult as a quadriplegic.
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Kathleen Mears |
April 24, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears knows aides must share information to provide the best possible care. She wonders if sometimes they ask for, or share, too much private information in a public setting.
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Kathleen Mears |
April 17, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears shares her thoughts on sweet snacks and why nibbles between meals might not be a good idea.
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Kathleen Mears |
April 10, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears knows it’s important for nails to be trimmed, which is why she’s sought assistance from caregivers since Medicaid coverage isn’t often enough to her liking.
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Kathleen Mears |
April 3, 2017
Blogger Kathleen Mears wishes salon services could visit her nursing home to give residents a trim and boost their spirits, too.
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Kathleen Mears |
March 27, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears tracks one resident’s health, a process that pains her to watch.
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Kathleen Mears |
March 20, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears describes how she’s built her wardrobe and had to adapt living in a nursing home, from what styles and fabrics she wears to what she can fit in her 29-inch-wide closet.
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Kathleen Mears |
March 13, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears manages to keep track of time and wonders whether other benefits might benefit from clocks in their room, too.
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Kathleen Mears |
March 6, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears manages her money with a close eye to keep track of her own spending and to make sure someone isn’t spending her money.
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Kathleen Mears |
February 27, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears had an eye infection that required multiple doctor visits and medications, which can be a frustrating and trying for anyone but especially an incomplete quadriplegic.
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Kathleen Mears |
February 20, 2017
It wasn’t a bump in the night, but resident blogger Kathleen Mears explains how scary it was waiting for her aides to come in one morning.
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Kathleen Mears |
February 13, 2017
As Valentine’s Day approaches, resident blogger Kathleen Mears offers a glimpse of romance in the nursing home.
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Kathleen Mears |
February 6, 2017
Resident blogger Kathy Mears dishes on proper etiquette for extra food portions.
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Kathleen Mears |
January 30, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears was told for years she was unable to get new leg braces. When hers finally broke, she was pleasantly surprised to learn she was eligible for new custom ones.
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Kathleen Mears |
January 23, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears is working to be more agreeable and less argumentative with an aide.
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Kathleen Mears |
January 17, 2017
Blogger Kathleen Mears wants you to leap into the new year and suggests ways to set yourself up for success in 2017.
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Kathleen Mears |
January 9, 2017
Navigating nursing homes and Medicaid is never easy, but resident blogger Kathy Mears has had trouble getting around, literally. It took several visits and months to get her joystick adjusted and working properly—and caused an injury in the process.
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Kathleen Mears |
January 3, 2017
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears details her lengthy—and frustrating—journey of setting up a Qualified Income Trust (QIT/Miller trust) to meet Ohio’s changing Medicaid eligibility requirements.
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Kathleen Mears |
December 27, 2016
SNF resident blogger Kathleen Mears loves hummus. Rules prevent residents from keeping refrigerated food, so she’s advocated for activities to serve it for three years. Victory has never tasted so good.
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Kathleen Mears |
December 21, 2016
Blogger Kathleen Mears fondly remembers Christmases of years gone by and is learning to make new traditions in the nursing home.
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Kathleen Mears |
December 12, 2016
SNF resident blogger Kathleen Mears reflects on the change of seasons and why she prefers them despite the dark, bitter cold mornings that make her want to go back to sleep.
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Kathleen Mears |
December 5, 2016
Resident blogger Kathleen Mears reflects on the challenge of not being able to run to the store spur of the moment—and the added difficulty of asking someone to shop for you.
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Kathleen Mears |
November 15, 2016
Residents who cry out for help can be wearing on caregivers. But what if they really do need something?
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Kathleen Mears |
November 7, 2016
It’s the presidential nominees’ jobs to rally us, but blogger Kathleen Mears reminds us that regardless of the winner, we must rally behind him or her to ensure a smooth transition of power and to sustain our democracy.
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