HAYWARD, Calif., June 4, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- The U.S. healthcare system is in a state of crisis. Many will agree that the nation's elders are not being treated right. Every other day in America's nursing homes, old men and women face sexual assault, beatings, racial abuse, inadequate care and maltreatment. They die of malnutrition and dehydration, among other avoidable complaints. The irony is that all this is happening in the corridors of the world's most developed country!
"The Crisis In America's Nursing Homes -- What Are We Doing Wrong?" a book by Guy Seaton, reveals the pathetic situation in America's nursing homes and provides a pragmatic insight into improving the present healthcare system.
Third world conditions prevail in many nursing homes all over the country. Nurses have one of the highest rates of work-related illness in the land and one of the lowest rates of remuneration. It is hardly surprising that fewer and fewer young people are choosing to go into the caring profession -- and that more and more nursing homes are prepared to cast a blind eye on the criminal records of potentially dangerous male and female nurses and nurses' aides.
The issue of quality healthcare for the elderly affects almost every American. The population of America is aging and those that are going to retire in the next 15-20 years have to prepare to face a bleak future unless the government and the people resolve to take steps to avert a major catastrophe. Guy Seaton's timely book is a wake-up call for the American healthcare system to get its act together.
Charlene Harrington, Professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco opines, "An important contribution to the debate about healthcare today. This book should be of interest to many advocates and members of the public who are trying to understand the nursing home industry. It demonstrates that the problems of poor quality care can be tackled by a combination of efforts by owners, managers, family members and friends, advocates, regulators, and policy makers."
Susan C Eaton, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University, states, "A very interesting and useful addition to the literature ... especially the sections on the shortcomings of government regulations, both the lack of effective sanctions for quality and staffing issues, and the problems with the punitive approach. Family members should read this book in detail to learn more about the challenges -- and the possibilities -- in providing quality care for their loved ones."
Author Guy Seaton has been in the nursing business since he was a young man in the 1960s, working his way up from being a primary caregiver to reach the position of nursing home owner. He has witnessed the birth of Medicare and Medicaid -- healthcare payment systems that were supposed to revolutionize the way the most vulnerable members of our society are cared for. He has worked in the healthcare profession for his entire adult life, as a caregiver, an inspector, an administrator, and a manager. Now, giving us the benefit of his three decades of experience, Guy's book gives meaning to the statistics and a human face to the problems that will affect everyone's personal lives at some stage of their life.
"The Crisis in America's Nursing Homes -- What are we Doing Wrong?" published by Adverbage, Ltd. is available in print and ebook versions.
For a review copy or set up an interview with the author, please contact:
Guy Seaton 27253 Greenhaven Road Hayward, California 94542 Email: auto123451@earthlink.net http://www.nursinghomescrisis.com http://www.pressreleasenetwork.com