Above The Median: Episode 13 - Betsy Reynolds & Rodney Whittington

Tell us about the second book that you're writing.

Yeah, so this one, the second one, again, almost done.

It's about once you take the step and you live in a nursing home, you know, there are different mechanisms inside the facility that take place, different meetings that happen, the assessments, the evaluations.

What is the... respiratory therapist doing? What is the physical therapist doing? What is that dietary manager evaluating? What's the process that your mom's room is too cold? Who do you talk to in the maintenance department to get that done? And then the, you know, the There are meetings that happen with the staff weekly.

Then there are meetings that families are invited to.

Then there are monthly QA meetings that your family's information along with the other residents are evaluated and decisions made.

And so I try to give a background behind the curtain blueprint of where you fit into that, when you should be raising what color flag or, you know, ringing the alarm.

And there's different times, of course, for each level of urgency.

And also I say that, you know, different things matter the most to different people.

You know, what you were focused on for your mother may not be what I would focus on for my mother or that Betsy would for hers.

And all of those things are equal and okay and valid sometimes.

but it's picking the right place to communicate your wants and needs.

You know, over the years, I've had people only care about the food.

As long as mom was eating good, really didn't care, you know, what the room looked like or what her view was.

Others cared less about the food because mom, you know, ate like a mouse, but man, they sure wanted her to have the best view of the elm tree because that's what she did is watch squirrels her whole life.

And so, you know, um, and others are there, like in your case, we, we want to rehab and get out of here.

So we want to make sure the, the, the rehab gym is, is the best that the physical therapist and occupational therapists know what they're doing.

And we want mom out of here in 14 days.

We don't care about the Elm trees or the food.

Let let's, you know, let's get to the gym.

So, you know, and all those things are very valid.

You know, they're, they're very, they're right for, for the customer.

There's no, there's no being wrong about that.

And then I, I also have a theory, and I haven't had years enough research, but I have had in and out of practical research to know that I can go into what would be considered the statistically worst nursing home in any state or country.

or the one overall, this is just the worst nursing home in the United States.