“When the time comes, we all want the same things: care, comfort, and connection" - Hadley Vlahos

Elder abuse interests me because not only have I lost members of my own family, both old and young, but I have also experienced loss within my volunteer work at the nursing home. Thankfully, I have not been there when someone has died, but I have returned to two or three fewer people than when I left. Sometimes people die, sometimes they go home, sometimes they get moved. No matter what happens, the standard of care at our local nursing home has been fantastic and passed all the tests with flying colors. However, it occurred to me that not all nursing homes are like this and that some people can’t afford to be in the nursing home. They are instead cared for by family members. Within my own family I have seen the lack of respect people can have for  the elderly. It is important to me that as many people as possible get the best quality of life they can, especially near the end of their lives. I hope people can learn about what elder abuse is so that they can see, report, and prevent it. I want them to realize that everyone deserves the best quality of life possible, no matter how old they might be. Elder abuse is not something that a lot of people are aware of or very educated on and that needs to change. The quote I have chosen to represent my project is by Hadley Vlahos. She is a hospice nurse who wrote a book on her experiences working in hospice. I have followed her on social media for a long time, and she is very well spoken. She interested me because I first encountered a hospice nurse when my great grandmother was passing, and she was able to give me more perspective. Even though she has many good quotes, I chose the one I did because we all want and deserve care, comfort, and connection. I feel such love and joy spending time with elderly people and it makes me unbelievably sad to know that some of them are not getting the treatment that they deserve.