Sunday, July 23, 2006

The Meaning of Toilets

I went into a nursing home the other day to see a client. She has not been there long, she was admitted when she could no longer live on her own in the assisted living facility where she had been. What makes this situation interesting is that she used to be on the Board of Directors of this nursing home where she now lives.
The home prides itself on the quality of care that it provides, and in fact, does have a very good reputation in the community.

Yes, but what about the toilets, you are wondering...

Okay, well I noticed that this home has washrooms reserved for staff, and other ones for residents. The former are marked staff only, or are locked, so that the only way you can use it is if you have a key, which the residents do not.

I thought to myself, I wonder what it is like for my lady to be here, and now be a resident when once she was on the Board? And what is it like for her now that she is not welcome to use the washroom which just a few years ago she did use?

What does it say when places strive to make themselves homelike, resident focussed, consumer driven, or whatever buzz words we use these days, and then they tell residents that they are not allowed to use certain washrooms? The staff can use their washrooms. It is just one other subtle way that we make homes into institutions, and create people who are second in line.

Who would have thought that toilets could speak?