Nursing home Bedsores? I'm so MAD! A yr later... I'm STILL MAD!

It has been a year and a month since my mom went to Heaven. I was so mad over her received treatment in a nursing home back then. I had to put the anger away at that time, and I did. I brought her home and became her full time caregiver again. I thought maybe the anger would disappear but even now, it hasn't. Why all the anger? Why am I mad still? I will share this with you. My mom was not given the treatment she had the right to receive in that nursing home. I guarded over her, I took notes, and I tried my best to make sure she did, but during all of that one and a half month period, my mama was developing stage 4 bedsores right under my watchful eyes and I did NOT KNOW! I was NOT ALLOWED to KNOW even though I was her Health Care Power of Attorney! I was ordered OUT of her room at each changing, each bath, each ANYTHING! How did the nursing home get away with this? They recited the Privacy Act to me! Finally, the bedsores were so bad that the director of nursing decided that I should be informed. I was informed of one bedsore, and told that it seemed to be getting a little worse. I asked to see this sore. My heart was broken when I looked and saw not ONE sore but TWO that were almost the same size and only about a half inch apart. I felt so responsible although I did not know how I could have avoided it happening. In the days to come, I made sure that all that could be done for her was being done. It was a constant battle. Writing down the repositioning times, having someone else come sit with her when I had to leave, and even returning 4 hrs later to find that she had not been repositioned at all since my departure. I would go to the desk, just to be told that the CNA on duty, reported that she had repositioned her, and that was the final word. No action taken. This happened repeatedly. I read physician orders for her that stated that she was never to be positioned on her back, where it would bring pressure to the bedsores. Repeatedly, the CNA staff would ignore the charted sign over her bed and place her on her back regardless. When I would go to the desk, I would be told that our family members must be responsible for her being in that position because the CNA said... you get the idea, right? I could tell you lots more but this blog is on caregiving and I will refrain. When the bedsores were staged at 4's and it had became a must for me to stay present in order for her to receive proper treatment, I decided we would just go home and take her with us. Talk about scared. I was terrified of my own decision. My entire being told me that I was taking on the impossible but I felt that it was not an option to not take her home. We made it thru it all and if you are a caregiver, you will make it too. I've spent quite some time since mom's passing, just trying to decide what to do to help the others left behind in those nursing homes. I want to deal with my anger. I want to change things for the better. This morning I came up with a brainstormer idea that I think might be an answer. Stay tuned for I will be blogging soon to tell you all about it! You can also watch for my blogging on bedsores and alternative treatments, and more!