~The Truth of An Illusion~

Rebecca's grandmother, Mrs. Cynthia, was a healthy 81-year-old woman who after an acute illness was diagnosed with a
neurodegenerative disorder. The disorder remains a terminal illness, with the causes of death ironically being from eternal
factors versus the diseases itself !nown as "l#heimer's disease. Mrs. Cynthia, although of age, was very alert and oriented.
$nfortunately, due to the %sychosis that comes with "l#heimer's disease Rebecca was forced to admit her grandmother into a
nursing home that s%eciali#ed in "l#heimer&s disease. "fter a follow u% with her grandmother's doctor, she was convinced that
she wouldn't be a fit caregiver due to such res%onsibility.
'r. (incent, the best "l#heimer's s%ecialist in town, advice Rebecca to admit Mrs. Cynthia into )*aradise
+ursing ,ome -acility,) for it was is one of the best facilities in the state. ).nstantly -eel "t ,ome at /ur 'oor 0te%1)
was their motto and that it did. The walls were not 2ust white3 they were a bright white, a white that gives you a feeling
of comfort and security. The windows in this nursing home were ama#ing for they had s%ecial window covering that
created an illusion of a bright, sunny day, though the weather had been on its best behavior. 0he noticed all the staff
em%loyed at this nursing home was %rofessional, ethical, wor!ed hard to ma!e you feel li!e family, and rather you
were a visitor, %atient, or tourist, the staff would go out of their way to ensure that you received %ro%er assistance no
matter the trouble.
/ne 0aturday afternoon Rebecca came to visit her grand-mother as she routinely does every 0aturday
afternoon, although this was far the most disturbing visit yet.
). hate this %lace1 Ta!e me home1) Mrs. Cynthia cried.
45hat are you tal!ing about6) Rebecca 7uestioned her grandmother.
)These %eo%le thin! . am cra#y1) Mrs. Cynthia yelled.
)5ho thin!s you&re cra#y granny6) Rebecca furiously 7uestioned.
Mrs. Cynthia screamed, )They stole my food then told me . had ate it1 They must thin! . am cra#y1)
'uring the %revious visits, Rebecca often had curiosities about her grandmother's nutrition and health due
to her ra%id weight loss. Rebecca thought that a healthy diet was im%lemented to ensure strong, healthy %atients, but
in reality, the facility lac!ed a set menu and had set no restrictions on the time of day for ordering meals. The faculty
had reali#ed that most of the %atients that were referred there encountered ma2or com%lications from "dvanced
"l#heimer's disease which often resulted in slow deaths. 0o, in effort to ma!e their %atients last days most
comfortable, they allowed all meals "l-8a-Cart.
Rebecca tried to calm Mrs. Cynthia down, and finally, after hours of com%laining, her grandmother had fell
aslee%.
Rebecca, com%letely heartbro!en, stormed to the nursing station in search of answers as to what was going
on with her grand-mother and why she seemed to thin! %eo%le were stealing her food. +urse 8inda told Rebecca that
Mrs. Cynthia was actually throwing her food away then accusing the staff of stealing her food or sim%ly declaring
she'd rather not received a meal at all. +urse 8inda reminded Rebecca of her grandmother's diagnosis of "l#heimer's
disease and ensured Rebecca that such behaviors were common in %atients of such diagnoses.
"s the nurse cites different behaviors associated with "l#heimer's disease, Rebecca remembered a friend
who, although did not have "l#heimer's disease, after a car accident dis%layed many of the same behaviors dis%layed
by her grandmother.
Rebecca 7uestioned +urse 8inda )5hat doctor diagnosed my grand-mother with "l#heimer&s disease6)
)$m... . thin!... 5ell all the doctors come on Thursdays, you'll 2ust have to come and see.) +urse 8inda
re%lied.
5hen Thursday came Rebecca went to visit her grandmother and sur%risingly the visit was more disturbing
than the last for Mrs. Cynthia was com%laining of %ain to her hind area. Rebecca told her grand-mother to turn over
so she can loo! and see what was causing her so much %ain. 5hen her grand-mother turned over there it was, a hole
the si#e of a gulf ball that smelled li!e death itself. The area was reddened and drained a greenish-brown discharge as
well as blood.
),ow long has this been here granny6) Rebecca as!ed.
Mrs. Cynthia stated, 4" long time honey, the nurse said it was getting better, but . don't see how she !nows
because she never loo!s at it.)
Rebecca stormed to the nurses& station, although this time demanding to see the doctor as well the charge
nurse. Rebecca as!ed who !new about the wound on her grandmother's hind area, and why wasn't she notified. 'r.
(incent and +urse 8inda both acted as if they were unaware of the area in 7uestion. Rebecca went on to as! 'r.
(incent about medications her grandmother was ta!ing and how they came u% with the diagnosis of "l#heimer's
disease. 'r. (incent told Rebecca that she needed to calm down and try to acce%t the fact that her grandmother was a
aged women suffering from age related issues.
Rebecca began flaring her nose u% and s7uee#ing he fist. "ll she was thin!ing was to !ee% her cool. Rebecca
now furious shouted, 45ho are you to tell me that . 2ust need to calm down6) )That's my grandmother1)
'r. (incent&s cell %hone rang, )9cuse me1 This is an emergency Rebecca, .'ll Try to get bac! with you1) he
re%lied while eiting the door.
Rebecca went to the "dministrator&s office to state her concern and due to his nonchalant attitude, it dawned
on Rebecca that the %lace that a%%eared to be filled with such nice %eo%le, was actually filled with la#y, inattentive
wor!ers. 0he had witnessed the terrible truth of the 4*aradise +ursing ,ome -acility&s,) false illusion. The
"dministrator listened to Rebecca, but 2ust as rude as the doctor and charge nurse, for the administrator lac!ed to
fully and res%onsibly handle the situation.
"s Rebecca stormed out of the office, her last words to the administrator was, ) . will not let you %eo%le !ill
my grand-mother due to your negligence and lac! of com%assion1)
The very net day Rebecca too! her grandmother home. 0he hired a nurse to assist with the dressing
changes to her grandmother's wound and consulted the family doctor to review her grandmother's current
%rescri%tions. "ma#ingly, Mrs. Cynthia wound had lac!ed the %ro%er treatment and over half of her medications were
discontinued.
0i months later Mrs. Rebecca's grandmother had her 8:nd birthday in which her grandmother had
organi#ed, decorated, and %re%ared the meals all on her own. Mrs. Cynthia's wound had com%letely healed u%, and
come to find out she had never suffered from "l#heimer's disease, for she was medically restrained. ,er confusion
and %sychosis came from side effects of the e%ired and unsafe medications. Rebecca's grandmother is now better
than ever1