Profit and Care

Jean Greenwood shares her personal experiences with nursing home care pre and post-pandemic. Significant problems existed before and continue today. Greenwood emphasizes the importance of elder care since COVID-19. With family and loved ones at risk for COVID, staffing issues have lead to a crisis. Isolation and depression are indicators of neglect and abuse. It is rampant in the industry.

Jean Greenwood’s mother is a good example of the hardships that families endure when their loved one suffers neglect. After being neglected, Jean Greenwood describes her mother’s death as “preventable, premature, and painful.” A tragic situation.

These issues exist despite record profits. National Investment Center for Seniors Housing notes “the senior housing industry reaped 12% profits over a 10-year period.” It is no coincidence that private equity firms increased their investment in the industry from $5 billion to $100 billion in the last decade. Although the industry receives significant capital to attract vulture capitalists, the quality of care does not increase with their profits.

What must be addressed in these situations is how exactly these residents receive proper care for the amount that they are paying, and how can we be able to limit the amount of negligence through proper oversight of these facilities. Raising this standard for elderly care is important to do, as obstacles such as COVID-19 only heighten the risk of these residents.