Journalist Reviews Her Experiences Working at Memory Care Center for 691 Hours

Journalist Cleo Krejci has written a series of articles for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel documenting her experiences working at a memory care center between August 2022 and early 2023.

Krejci says she saw many things that she hoped she would not see, such as residents slowly dying by themselves, unexplained injuries and high turnover among staff members. She also saw resilience in residents and family members. Krejci learned a lot about caring for residents and picked up an incredible amount of wisdom from the elderly.

As the months passed, Krejci got burned out from witnessing so much neglect and poor management. While she saw some positive things, those things did not outweigh the negative.

This led her to quit and eventually get a job at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel through Report for America.

Job Training

Krejci started training for her position at the memory care center on August 22, 2022. In her first week, she spent nine hours in a conference room watching a series of training videos. She learned about an incredibly long list of dangerous situations, such as seizures, norovirus and poison.

The trainer told the new employees that falls were costly and staff members needed to take steps to prevent them.

Trainers also warned staff members about not showing up if they decide they no longer want to work at the facility, as employees are scheduled two weeks in advance.

Despite the fact Krejci was working at a memory care facility, her training did not cover dementia. She was told to watch a three-and-a-half-hour video about dementia at home.

One of her main takeaways from the videos she watched was that one of her main responsibilities was to prevent residents from escaping.

Krejci shadowed a co-worker and just 15 days later, a new employee was shadowing her.

Starting to Work

Her days started at 6 a.m. helping several residents put on clean clothing before going to breakfast. Sometimes they would have a chance to help residents brush their teeth.

Just two hours later they were serving cranberry juice and watery oatmeal to residents. They tried to watch residents with diabetes while assisting residents who could not hold their forks or sip water on their own.

Once Krejci and the other employees cleaned up, they had a couple hours to try to help anyone they could not get to before breakfast.

Most of the time they had to deal with emergencies, like residents falling, forgetting who they are or opening an emergency exit door.

Krejci wrote about one resident who said there was nothing to do and nobody to talk to.

Unexplained Bruises

Krejci and her coworkers often discovered unexplained bruises on residents. Residents with dementia often could not explain or even remember how they go these bruises.

The source of the bruises seemed to be how staff members handled residents when helping them transfer. Although she had limited training, she often had to move residents out of bed or get them into clean clothes. The residents often had skin that would easily bruise, especially when staffers were in a rush.

Krejci once dropped someone because she and another coworker could not support his weight while transferring him into a wheelchair.

When Krejci asked coworkers about telling supervisors about the issue, one coworker said that raising concerns would only cause a problem.

Being Exposed to Death

In her first month, four residents died.

Krejci fed soup to one resident while flipping through a photo album with pictures of his grandchildren – he passed away just a few days later. Two of her coworkers cried after it happened.

Burn Out Among Dedicated Staff Members

Many coworkers found meaning in caring for residents, and not just for their physical health. For example, some cooks made Thanksgiving meals for residents whose families did not come to visit. A maintenance worker bought slippers for a resident whose feet often got cold.

Unfortunately, these workers encountered numerous indignities. Some managers wanted an obituary to prove employees needed time off to go to a funeral. Some staff members simply scrolled on their phones instead of helping residents. Family members often yelled orders without making eye contact and black coworkers dealt with racist harassment from residents.

Krejci noted in her journal that she would need higher pay and better benefits to continue to do the job as a career.

Anger and Stress From the Job

Krejci slowly became angrier as she developed relationships with staff members and residents. She found joy in working with people but was increasingly frustrated by the situation at the memory care center.

Krejci noted that one resident left the facility for eight hours and nobody noticed. Another resident lost 12 pounds in just a month. Hearing about medication errors or staff leaving to smoke weed became routine.

Krejci hit her breaking point in 2023. She went to part-time at the memory care center. She quit for good in April 2023, and by that point just about everyone she had worked with when she started was gone.

Krejci realized most people have no idea of the day-to-day reality at nursing homes, as they operate behind closed doors.

Krejci finished her time at the memory care center with many questions.

Is Your Loved One a Nursing Home Abuse Victim? Call PKSD

Unfortunately, abuse and neglect are all too common at memory care facilities and other nursing homes in Wisconsin and throughout the nation.

If your loved one was mistreated, our Wisconsin nursing home abuse lawyers may be able to help you seek justice and compensation. Call us today to schedule a free legal consultation.

No upfront fees. Call today to learn more: 414-333-3333.