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Would Nursing Home Profiteers Kill Granny To Boost Earnings?

Would Nursing Home Profiteers Kill Granny To Boost Earnings?

There are industries that occasionally do something rotten. And there are industries — like Big Oil, Big Pharma and Big Tobacco — that persistently do rotten things.

Then there is the nursing home industry, where rottenness has become a core business principle. The end-of-life "experience" can be rotten enough on its own, with an assortment of natural indignities bedeviling us, and good nursing homes help gentle this time. In the past couple of decades, though, an entirely unnatural force has come to dominate the delivery of aged care: profiteering corporate chains and Wall Street speculators.

The very fact that this essential and sensitive social function, which ought to be the domain of health professionals and charitable enterprises, is now called an "industry" reflects a total perversion of its purpose. Some 70 percent of nursing homes are now corporate operations run by absentee executives who have no experience in nursing homes and who're guided by the market imperative of maximizing investor profits. They constantly demand "efficiencies" from their facilities, which invariably means reducing the number of nurses, which invariably reduces care, which means more injuries, illness... and deaths. As one nursing expert rightly says, "It's criminal."

But it's not against the law, since the industry's lobbying front — a major donor to congressional campaigns — effectively writes the laws, which allows corporate hustlers to provide only one nurse on duty, no matter how many patients are in the facility. When a humane nurse-staffing requirement was proposed last year, the lobby group furiously opposed it... and Congress dutifully bowed to industry profits over grandma's decent end-time. After all, granny doesn't make campaign donations.

So, as a health policy analyst bluntly puts it, "The only kind of groups that seem to be interested in investing in nursing homes are bad actors." To help push for better, contact TheConsumerVoice.org.


To find out more about Jim Hightower and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

Reprinted with permission from Creators.

Seven Profitable Jobs Worth Pursuing in 2022

Seven Profitable Jobs Worth Pursuing in 2022

The past few years have brought about a huge demand for new people in the workforce. Even after the initial surge of the pandemic, America is still desperate for not only medical professionals, but also those that play a key part in marketing, safety, and support. If you are looking for a new field to pursue, then recent statistics show that certain industries are growing at an unprecedented rate. In this post, we will take a look at some of the most profitable positions you can pursue in 2022.


1. IT Systems Analyst

Without a doubt, 2022 has already brought about a host of new digital threats and cyber attacks upon businesses. Even Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce company, had to recently defend against a DDoS attack with the largest traffic volume recorded. With threats like these constantly on businesses' minds, becoming an IT systems analyst is sure to bring you tons of different opportunities and no shortage of work. In the IT industry, there is also a lot of room for growth depending on your strengths. If problem-solving and computers are your passion, then an IT position could be right up your alley.


2. Web UX Designer

Every company needs a website, and every website needs a designer. Now more than ever, companies are hiring full-time UX designers to keep their websites accurate, secure, and responsive to their target audience. With site-building skills on your resume, you are sure to be a high-demand employee in any industry, or you can even become a dedicated freelance web designer. There is no shortage of work on the Internet, so grow your skills accordingly.


3. Data Scientist

One of the newest roles that business owners are constantly hiring for is a data analyst. Data scientists and analysts do research and find trends to help a business make wise decisions, as well as keep their files safe and secure. If organization is a passion of yours, then a job in data science may be the perfect place for you.


4. Speech-Language Pathologist

If you have a passion for teaching and education, you may have been deterred by the low salaries historically associated with teaching work. While teaching salaries can run anywhere on the spectrum, the role of a speech-language pathologist, or speech therapist, generally has a median salary of around $80,000 a year. In this position, you can help anyone from babies to old folks, and use your gift for helping others in a real and rewarding environment.


5. Registered Nurse

It comes as no surprise that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased demand for healthcare professionals. Registered nurses have worked an insane amount of 12-hour shifts to account for the shortage, and there is still by no means a lack of open positions. If you are passionate about health and helping others, an RN may be the perfect job for you.


6. Logistician

All of the products you see lining the shelves of your local store have most likely been delivered thanks to the help of a logistician. These experts guide the ordering, production, and transportation of products to ensure that there are no shortages. Logisticians are also the first hands on deck when a natural disaster strikes, making sure that communities get the equipment and supplies they need. If you work great behind the scenes, then consider joining the group of logisticians that keep our supply chain running.


7. Construction Manager

If you have a knack for building and teamwork, then you would be amiss if you didn't consider being a construction manager. Construction managers are crucial for every step of the building process, and have a say in everything from initial budgeting to physical construction. With an average salary of $97,000, they typically balance many projects at once. If you love seeing a project through from start to finish, then this job may be a great match.

Clearly, 2022 has brought about a huge demand for new members of the workforce. If you keep up with the market trends and plan your education accordingly, you are sure to have several job offers in whichever industry you choose.

My Covid-19 Vaccination, Part I

My Covid-19 Vaccination, Part I

There were many times, I'm sure, when my mother was disappointed in me, but one memory is seared into my brain like rice scorched into the bottom of a forgotten pot on the stove. Imagine it's your mom's favorite pot. The one she inherited from the good grandmother.

I was 16, and for reasons I can't remember, I had to get a blood test at the hospital where Mom worked as a nurse's aide. This was the age when I was diagnosed with severe asthma, so maybe this was a test to see if I was going to die. I may be exaggerating.

Anyway, this blood test was a very big deal to both of us for different reasons.

For Mom, this was a chance to introduce her oldest daughter to dozens of co-workers before I left for college and immediately forgot the names of the parents who raised me (Mom's fear).

For teenage me, it was the daylight version of a slasher film, in which someone you trust coaxes you down the hallway and into the arms of the guy wielding a pickax. You might call it a needle.

Seventeen years earlier, my mother had to give up her dream of becoming a nurse because she became pregnant with me. She never put it like that. I was a gift from God, she always said, who helped her see that she was destined to be a mother.

Still, wouldn't it be nice, she often added, if her oldest daughter decided it would be her dream come true to become a nurse? Purely coincidentally, of course.

I was all in, until the day we went for that blood test. Again, I don't remember the details, but that never mattered as long as Mom was alive, because she remembered it with the accuracy of that witness to multiple crimes who nails the police lineup every time.

Apparently, it took a lot of negotiating to get me into the one-armed chair. After the needle pierced my skin, I started to hyperventilate. "What a performance," Mom said every single time we talked about this, which was often. For decades.

After the blood test was over, I reportedly stood up and said, ever so softly, "Uh-oh." Down I went, taking Mom with me.

Here comes the part I do remember: We're in the car in our driveway, after a silent trip home. Mom cuts the engine, looks at my bandaged forehead and says, "Maybe Leslie will be the nurse."

And God said, "It is done."

My sister Les became the nurse Mom had always wanted to be.

I still hate needles. Two years ago, a friend started describing over dinner how she loves to watch her blood shoot up the line when she donates it. I ended up with my head between my knees to keep from fainting right there in the restaurant. "Just looking for an earring," I said.

"Where is this going?" you may wonder.

Come with me. I'll drive.

We're sitting in my Jeep, made by union workers in Ohio, as we turn into the county fairgrounds. We are joining dozens of other cars slowly streaming in front of us and behind us. Remember that last scene in "Field of Dreams," when that long line of cars is winding its way to the magical baseball field in the cornfield? It's like that.

Friendly people wearing masks and smiling eyes are welcoming us, nodding hello to you, my passenger, as they check my license. One nice woman directs me to veer right because, being my mother's daughter, I have already printed my medical form and filled it out before leaving the house.

The sun is shining (it really was), and something is happening inside me as I slowly pull into what looks like a 4-H barn at the county fair. It's a feeling I've never had before.

I can't wait to get that shot.

I lower my car window, shove up my sleeve and offer it to the masked man with the needle. "Thank you," I tell him as he injects my first dose of the Moderna vaccine. "Thank you, thank you."

A week from today, I will be 28 hours out from my second dose of this vaccine for COVID-19. I may experience some side effects, but I can't wait to get that next shot. I'll let you know how it goes.

If Mom were here, she'd tell you that if her oldest daughter can get this shot, so can you.

Then she'd tell you a story. You know the one.

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional in residence at Kent State University's school of journalism. She is the author of two non-fiction books, including "...and His Lovely Wife," which chronicled the successful race of her husband, Sherrod Brown, for the U.S. Senate. She is also the author of The New York Times bestselling novel, The Daughters of Erietown. To find out more about Connie Schultz (schultz.connie@gmail.com) and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com