HELP! They need somebody!

The decision to put a loved one in a nursing home is often one of the most difficult choices a person can make in life. It is hard to entrust your family member to the care of strangers. Astrid Hallberg faced this difficult situation when her husband reached the point that she could no longer care for him in her home. She was greatly disappointed in the results.

Help! They Need Somebody! details Hallberg’s struggle to obtain even a decent level of care for her husband. This journal-like books chronicles her experiences in dealing with the staff of the nursing home. It portrays the poor condition she usually found him in: left alone, dressed poorly, and very often desperate for water. Despite repeatedly leaving simple instructions, for things as basic as making sure he drank enough not to become dehydrated, her wishes were generally ignored.

In Help! They Need Somebody!, Hallberg hopes to offer support to other families who are experiencing the same problems and to expose the tragic and all-too-common problems in these institutions.

Keywords: institutionalization, nursing home, nursing care