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2/18/2010 9:24 AM 

When we think of nursing homes, we think of them occupied by elderly people, usually very frail, often severely disabled physically and/or mentally. It’s easy to forget that nursing homes also house young people, victims of accidents or chronically disabling conditions — residents of nursing homes but young people, nonetheless. Some of these young people spend years, even decades, growing to maturity and beyond living in a nursing home — their most immediate family, the nursing home staff.

Which brings us to the story of 53-year-old Donnie Hersh, who has lived at St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania since he was 23 years old. Because his cerebral palsy has disabled his arms and legs and compromised his respiratory system, he is supported round-the-clock by St. Barnabas staff. Recently St. Barnabas commemorated his 30th anniversary at the home with a Donnie Hersh Day, complete with visits from a board trustee, the chairman of the county board of supervisors, St. Barnabas staff and top management, memorabilia of his favorite football teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, and a T-shirt featuring his favorite actress, Halle Berry. Nurses who had cared for Donnie for years gave brief speeches of appreciation. Administrator Shelly Jenkins recounted how Donnie calls her “Goober” as she walks down the hall, because someone had told him that her husband’s childhood nickname was “Goob” — “but that’s OK,” she said, “I always get you back!” More seriously, Jenkins told Donnie that “after 30 years it would be easy for you to be a demanding person, to get frustrated when someone doesn’t help you instantaneously. But you’re not. You understand the way things work and you have patience, knowing that there are other patients with needs as well. I like to think that your patience comes from knowing that when you are the person whose needs are the most urgent, we have always been there for you.”

Looking back on this after the ceremony, St. Barnabas Chairman/CEO William V. Day said, “Donnie is really quite amazing—it’s been an honor to take care of him.” Recalling three or four similar cases of St. Barnabas caring for residents through decades of their lives, and more routine stories of managing short-term disabled young people, Day said, “It’s a difficult challenge, but exciting. They’re into everything, because they’re young people—into sports, crazy about young girls, going to school every day. This facility has been able to blend in the age groups with great success, gearing up to stay tuned to their needs. Donnie’s 30th anniversary is a tribute to the hundreds of people here who have kept him alive all these years. They are the unsung heroes and I’m very proud of them.”

Donnie’s care is supported financially through annual fundraising St. Barnabas does to cover nearly $5 million a year in free care for needy residents. Day said he doesn’t know the exact amount spent on Donnie’s care - “if you have to start counting, you probably have the wrong motivation.”

Altogether, the stories of Donnie Hersh and others like him highlight the best of nursing home care - the family atmosphere that the best of them strive for daily, even with the sickest of residents. It may not be the old days of “board and care” relationships, but it is not hospital-style care either, not yet. When nursing homes start drifting off in the direction of impersonal clinical care, the best ones try to stop themselves short by talking of “culture change.” Listen for that phrase, it is reassuring to hear.

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Location: Blogs Caregiving by Richard Peck

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