Annotated Bibliography

Bursack, Carol B. "Get Over Feelings That Prevent You From Visiting the Nursing Home." Agingcare.com. AgingCare, LLC. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.agingcare.com/Articles/visiting-elderly-nursing-homes-guilt-stress-emotions-139127.htm>. This article provides an insight of what to expect when you visit a nursing home. It also separates facts from myths, and assures you that nursing homes are not scary. It also lists reasons why you should visit the elderly in nursing homes. This article is useful because it gave me an idea of what nursing homes really are like before I actually volunteered at one. I would use this in my research paper when I talk about the reasons why people should visit old people at nursing homes.

Daily Mail Reporter. "Revealed: Sad Plight of the Thousands of Elderly Left Alone in Homes 'without Letters, Visits or Calls' in Their Final Years." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers Ltd, 11 Nov. 2010. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328425/Thousands-elderly-left-homes-letters-visits-calls-final-years.html>. This article focused on all the elderly in nursing homes who felt isolated and felt as if they are not wanted on Earth. It also provided a study done by a government funded research program. This article also shows how the elderly in nursing homes are living extremely sad lives. This article also provides many facts and numbers, which I can use in my paper to prove how many people are not receiving any calls or letters.

Katz, Sidney, comp. Improving the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes. Washington, D.C.: National Academy, 1986. Print. This book talks about quality of care and quality of life in nursing homes. It mentions different types of techniques needed for staff members to know to take care of the patients. This book also touches upon how patients will feel toward certain situations. I could use this in my paper to prove how the patients will feel in certain conditions, for example how they would feel if visitors came to visit them and if they involved religious services in nursing homes.

Krause, Daniel Robert. Home Bittersweet Home: Old Age Institutions in America. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1982. Print. This book mainly focused on the effects of old age institutions on the elderly. It also included many interviews with patients in nursing homes. The book also did a great job describing how nursing homes affect people. I will definitely be able to use this in my paper to provide evidence that people in nursing homes indeed feel isolated at times.

McManamy, John. "Depression in the Elderly." McMan's Depression and Bipolar Web. Copyright 2010 John McManamy, 15 Dec. 2003. Web. 04 Feb. 2012. <http://www.mcmanweb.com/elderly_depression.html>. This article mainly focuses on depression in the elderly. As a journalist and author, McManamy informs us that although older people have much more to be depresses about, depression is not part of normal aging. He also listed guidelines for elderly people with depression. I could use this in my paper to show that depression in the elderly is not normal, although more likely, and that we should take more action. It also provided a couple studies and facts, which will also be useful in the paper.

Severtson, James. Personal interview. 12 Mar. 2012. During this interview, James Severtson, an older aged high school reprographics teacher, informed me about his mother, a patient in a nursing home. He informed me that his mother was probably one of the most active patients in the nursing home. However, he did agree that many were not like her and many were too tired to even participate in activities. Although he is able to e-mail his mother, not many other patients are able to even use the computer, making it harder for them to communicate with their loved ones, causing more isolation. I would use this interview in my paper to prove that although some can easily communicate, others are not able to.

Span, Paula. "The Nursing Home Exodus, Part 2." The New Old Age Blog. The New York Times Company, 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. <http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/the-nursing-home-exodus-pt-2/?ref=nursinghomes>. This article is mainly about an elderly person who hates nursing homes and would rather live at his home. This patient does not like how he is not permitted to do anything his way at the nursing home he is staying at. He, like many other patients, would rather spend his last days at home where he is happy. I could use this in my paper to prove that although there are many patients who live in nursing homes, they still do not consider it their home and would much rather live at their real home than a nursing home.

Zezima, Katie. "Experiencing Life, Briefly, Inside a Nursing Home." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 23 Aug. 2009. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/health/24nursing.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all>. This article was about a student pretending to be a patient in a nursing home to experience how life was for an actual patient. Although the student does say that there are many activities in nursing homes, she also says that the majority of the people do not get involved in them. She later on finds out that the patients are too tired for these activities and would much rather do something that does not involve much movement. This would be very useful in my paper because it basically gives a reason to why the elderly patients in nursing homes do not participate in the many activities provided by the nursing homes, which will get to my point that we need different activities to help keep them happy.

Research Source Log for Book Source #7

Title of the Book (in italics when typed, underlined when written)	Improving the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes
Author(s) or Editor	Various Authors
Publisher	National Academy Press
Year of Publication	1986
City of Publication	Washington, D.C.
Mode of Access (Print if you read the actual book, Electronic if you found it online, or through your kindle/nook/ereader):	Print
Eddition if indicated:

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

The residents will feel much more loved if they have "close relationships and meaningful interchange with others" (Katz, 52).

Although "opportunities for choice are necessarily somewhat limited," other nursing homes "need not be as limited" (Katz, 52).

There are many choices that can affect the mental and physical health status of the elderly in nursing homes, including, "the interaction between staff and residents, the range of services and amenities available to residents," and even "the quality of medical and nursing care provided" and "the way it is provided" (Katz, 53).

Although many residents will stay there for a long period of time, "their well-being is affected by the environment" (Katz, 50).

Engaging in "religious, political, civic, recreational, or other social activities" make patients in nursing homes feel worthy (Katz, 51).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION): 

 Improving the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes focuses mainly on the quality of care in nursing homes, the quality of life, and the quality assessment criteria. It mentions different types of techniques needed for staff members to know to take care of the patients. This book also touches upon how patients will feel toward certain situations.


Credibility of Source:
Author or Editor: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the editor. 


There are a total of 27 people who helped write and put this book together. They have all studied health and helped with finding the research needed to complete this book.

Attachment: Does the author or editor have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative?


This book is simply informative but is also written to garner a profit.


Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing?

I do not detect a bias in the author's writing because he/she writes both the negative and positive in nursing homes.


References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility? 

The author does cite references in the writing, adding to the credibility.

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project?  

 I plan to use this source as a primary reference to show the different things one can do to make the elderly feel worthy of their life.

Research Source Log for Book Source #6

Title of the Book (in italics when typed, underlined when written)	Home Bittersweet Home: Old Age Institutions in America
Author(s) or Editor	Daniel R. Krause
Publisher	CHARLES C THOMAS
Year of Publication	1982
City of Publication	Springfield, Illinois
Mode of Access (Print if you read the actual book, Electronic if you found it online, or through your kindle/nook/ereader):	Print
Eddition if indicated:

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

The "anxieties of Americans about growing old" grow more and "more intense" each time they hear a "new horror story about nursing home life" (Krause, v).

Most of the "residents" in nursing homes "get accustomed" to the life-style and life in "an old age institution" is definitely not even similar to "life in an individual's own home" (Krause, 67).

When you are a patient in a nursing home, you are not allowed to "get" your "own breakfast," "fix" your "own coffee," nor "go to bed" at the time that you would like to (Krause, 67).

Patients in nursing homes definitely feel isolated at times, but it "is not physical isolation but is social isolation" (Krause, 65).

"Social scientists" have found that people who move into nursing homes "lose contact with their relatives and friends living outside," however, the "isolation is almost accidental" (Krause, 65-66).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION):


This book tells us about life in an old age institution. It mainly talks about what institutions are like, names what high quality institutions do, talks about who should live in a nursing home, and even the life-style and how isolation is present in nursing homes. Not only does it do that, but it also helps the reader decide if a nursing home really is the right choice for them.





Credibility of Source:
Author or Editor: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the editor.


The author is Daniel Robert Krause. He is an associate professor and has a Ph. D. in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. He graduated from Roosevelt University and is from Chicago, Illinois.

Attachment: Does the author or editor have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative?


This book was written to address the issues surrounding nursing homes and to inform people whether nursing homes are right for them or not. The book was also written for profit.


Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing?



I personally think the author is biased toward the fact that nursing homes do cause isolation.


References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility? 

The author does cite references in the writing, adding to the credibility.

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project? 

I plan to use this source as a primary reference that provides factual information about nursing homes.

SENIOR PROJECT INTERVIEW

Person I Interviewed:
James Severtson (my Reprographics teacher)

1. How old are you? Sixty-six.
2. How do you feel about nursing homes? I feel they are unnecessary evil. It is necessary to have someone look after them full time, but it is evil because many people in the home feel abandoned.
3. Do you have any family members in nursing homes? If so, how do you think they feel about being there? My mother is in a nursing home and she does not need nursing, but if she did, it would be provided for her. She probably feels it is a necessary evil. She would like to have her children visit her more often but she knows it is impossible since all of her children are so busy. Without the nursing home, my sister would have to take care of her twenty-four seven.
4. Would you ever want to be put in a nursing home? Why or why not? Eventually, yes. So I could get good care in my waning sunset years.
5. Do you think the pricing is reasonable? No, it is way too expensive. However, they are also in it to make profit and if you take out the profit element then it would be good.
6. How often do you visit your mother? At least five times a year, but not nearly enough.
7. Why do you visit her only five times a year? Scheduling is the biggest difficulty and it is quite a distance.
8. Where is it located at? Why can't you move her to a closer home? San Diego. She's close to my sister. My sister lives in San Diego.
9. Is there any other way you keep in touch with your mother? I call her once a week or about twice a month, and I e-mail her regularly.
10. Do you think many people in nursing homes are like your mother and get involved in all the activities and are able to e-mail their kids and grandchildren? No I do not. I do not even think a sizable amount of them are. I doubt many of them are motivated to be active.

Research Source Log for Online Source #5

“Specific Page Title or Article Title”	"Experiencing Life, Briefly, Inside a Nursing Home"
Primary Contributor to the Website (if given) (author, editor, producer, etc)	Katie Zezima
Title of the Entire Website (not www. )	The New York Times
Publisher or Sponsoring Organization of the website (if given)	The New York Times Company
Date Page was Last Revised	23 August 2009
Date You Read It	14 February 2012
<URL address> (ALL of it)	http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/health/24nursing.html?pagewanted=all

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

Although perfectly healthy, Kristen Murphy decided to live in a nursing home for 10 days; learning "to navigate a wheelchair" (Katie Zezima).

Ms. Murphy had to eat "pureed foods" and even get help being "raised out of bed" (Katie Zezima).

Ms. Murphy stated that, "she knew patients cried because they knew that they would most likely never live anywhere else" and this shows how in need of company people in nursing homes really are (Katie Zezima).

Ms. Murphy felt very "lonely" and even "got depressed" at times, as she was in their shoes (Katie Zezima).

According to Murphy, "bonds in a nursing home are forged quickly and deeply" (Katie Zezima).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION): 

Katie Zezima brings together information about her experience of living in a nursing home for 10 days. She did it for a student study in geriatric since she is a medical student. Zezima then describes how Murphy felt about nursing homes after she stayed there.

Credibility of Source: 
Author or Site: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the site. What is the purpose of the site? Who funds the site? 

The author, Katie Zezima, is a journalist for The New York Times. However, the training they have had is unknown. 

Attachment: Does the author or site have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative? For example, is it a cigarette business posting an article about the benefit of cigarettes, or is it a scientific community unaffiliated with the cigarette business? 

The author has nothing to gain other than keeping a job withe The New York Times.

Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing? 

I do not detect much of a bias because she states both the good and bad and how the people in nursing homes felt about it.

References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility? 

The author cited Dr. Marilyn Gugliucci, Rita Morgan (administrator of the Sarah Neuman Center for Healthcare and Rehabilitation), Dr. Cheryl Phillips, Dr. Silverberg, Mr. Vogt, and medical student Kristen Murphy. These definitely add to the credibility.

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project? 

I plan to use this source to support my opinion of how people staying at nursing homes really feel and how it effects them negatively.

Research Source Log for Online Source #4

“Specific Page Title or Article Title”	"The Nursing Home Exodus, Part 2"
Primary Contributor to the Website (if given) (author, editor, producer, etc)	Paula Span
Title of the Entire Website (not www. )	The New York Times
Publisher or Sponsoring Organization of the website (if given)	The New York Times Company
Date Page was Last Revised	8 December 2011
Date You Read It	14 February 2012
<URL address> (ALL of it)	http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/the-nursing-home-exodus-pt-2/?ref=nursinghomes

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

According to Edwin Murphy, a 91 year old living in a nursing home, he does not want to spend his last days in a nursing home when he has a "a one-bedroom apartment where he had lived for 27 years" (Paula Span).

Murphy states that he "can't enjoy life being institutionalized" and that he would prefer to go home (Paula Span).

Mr. Murphy not only wanted to go home, but he also thought that he was not "getting adequate care in the nursing home" and he even "fell three times" which shows that they are not taking the best care of him (Paula Span).

Murphy feels very "helpless" in a nursing home and feels that he has to "take what's dished out" and "keep my mouth shut" (Paula Span).

Although there are a lot of people who "won't be able to function or live safely on their own," Mr. Murphy was one of the many who felt he would be better off living on his own and forming his own schedule (Paul Span).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION): 

Paula Span brings together information about Edwin Murphy, a 91 year old man, who was trying to go home from a nursing home. He wanted to go home because he felt like he had no control. According to this article, it is actually very hard to try to go home and live by yourself and it takes a long process.


Credibility of Source: 

Author or Site: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the site. What is the purpose of the site? Who funds the site? 

The author, Paula Span, is a journalist for The New York Times. The training they have had is unknown.

 
Attachment: Does the author or site have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative? For example, is it a cigarette business posting an article about the benefit of cigarettes, or is it a scientific community unaffiliated with the cigarette business? 

The author has nothing to gain. She is just spreading information about nursing homes.


Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing? 

There is a slight bias in the fact that it only stated the bad things in nursing homes and did not say much good things.

References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility? 

The author uses Edwin Murphy and Edwin Murphy's transition specialist. These definitely add to the credibility as Murphy explains how he feels in a nursing home.


Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project? 

I will use this source to support my opinion that there are many people like Edwin Murphy who feel alone and controlled in a nursing home and if we visit them, then maybe things will change.

Research Source Log for Online Source #3

“Specific Page Title or Article Title”	"Depression in the Elderly"
Primary Contributor to the Website (if given) (author, editor, producer, etc)	John McManamy
Title of the Entire Website (not www. )	mcmanweb
Publisher or Sponsoring Organization of the website (if given)	Copyright 2010 John McManamy
Date Page was Last Revised	15 February 2008
Date You Read It	4 February 2012
<URL address> (ALL of it)	http://www.mcmanweb.com/elderly_depression.html

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

Although we might think that it's completely normal for old people to be depressed as they age, "depression is not part of the normal aging process" (John McManamy).

"Isolation and hopelessness" can lead to depression, which can lead to suicide; and elderly people who talk about suicide are "far more likely than the rest of the population to follow through" (John McManamy).

The article also mentions that "depression is twice as rampant in nursing homes as elsewhere" (John McManamy).

A 1997 study showed that one-hundred percent of 141 physicians agreed that "treating depression in elderly patients was important," but twenty nine percent admitted that "depressed elderly patients frustrated them" (John McManamy).

A 1998 study showed that in a time period of just one year, "medical illness triples the risk of depression in older adults"(John McManamy).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION): 

John McManamy brings together information about depression in the elderly and proves to us that depression should not be something the elderly endure. Many of the sources cited talked about different studies and the different types of depression. It also briefly stated how depression was more likely in people at nursing homes.

Credibility of Source:
Author or Site: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the site. What is the purpose of the site? Who funds the site? 

The author is John McManamy, an award-winning mental health journalist and author. He started this website to help cure his depression.

Attachment: Does the author or site have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative? For example, is it a cigarette business posting an article about the benefit of cigarettes, or is it a scientific community unaffiliated with the cigarette business? 

John McManamy has absolutely nothing to gain with this site other than the pride for providing free information to people. He believes that "Knowledge is necessity" and that's why he writes articles.

Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing? 

This article was mainly about depression and what can cause it. So I suppose it is biased but I'm not sure since there is nothing good about depression.


References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility? 





The author uses Dr. Reynolds, long-time educator and advocate, to make his explanation more powerful. These add to the credibility because Dr. Reynolds also provided two studies done on depression which proved their points.
 

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project?

I plan to use this source to support my opinion that people in nursing homes can develop depression from loneliness. And with that, I can explain to them all the effects of depression on the patient and the patients family, which is provided in this article.

Research Source Log for Online Source #2

“Specific Page Title or Article Title”	"Revealed: Sad plight of the thousands of elderly left alone in homes 'without letters, visits or calls' in their final years"
Primary Contributor to the Website (if given) (author, editor, producer, etc)	Daily Mail Reporter
Title of the Entire Website (not www. )	Mail Online
Publisher or Sponsoring Organization of the website (if given)	Associated Newspapers Ltd
Date Page was Last Revised	11 November 2010
Date You Read It	2 February 2012
<URL address> (ALL of it)	http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328425/Thousands-elderly-left-homes-letters-visits-calls-final-years.html

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

According to the Relatives and Residents Association (R&RA), there are about "40,000 elderly people" in nursing homes in England who live their lives in "social isolation" (Daily Mail Reporter).

There are up to 13,000 who do not receive letters, phone calls, and visits; leaving them without "kith and kin" (Daily Mail Reporter).

Although only seven percent of nursing homes responded to the survey, they claimed that "the estimated 13,000 living in complete isolation was 'conservative'" (Daily Mail Reporter).

Not only are they in "complete isolation," but they are also being financially abused and neglected; to the point where the manager bought a room for his son, which according to the article is "unethical" (Daily Mail Reporter).

According to the article, ":the Government is determined to strengthen community action," providing more core for the elderly in nursing homes (Daily Mail Reporter).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION):



Daily Mail Reporter brings together information about nursing homes in England and tells us how most of the elderly living in them feel isolated and lonely. It talked about the negative effect of nursing homes and how it effects the people living in them by making them even more depresses than they already are. The writer tells us that we need to pay more attention to them because it IS an issue.

Credibility of Source:

Author or Site: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the site. What is the purpose of the site? Who funds the site?

Daily Mail Reporter writes a variety of articles, mainly focusing on news, right minds, and TV&Showbiz. Daily Mail Reporter mainly writes articles about U. K.

Attachment: Does the author or site have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative? For example, is it a cigarette business posting an article about the benefit of cigarettes, or is it a scientific community unaffiliated with the cigarette business?

The author or site does not have much to gain from writing this other than being happy to inform people about the issues in nursing homes and how nursing homes affect most of the elderly in negative ways.

Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing?

I do detect a bias in the author's writing because the author mainly focuses on the cons of nursing homes and says nothing positive about them.

References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility?

The author uses people such as Judy Downey of the R&R and Care Services Minister Paul Burstow to make the argument stronger. This adds to the credibility because it shows that Daily Mail Reporter is not the only one that thinks this is an issue.

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project?

I plan to use this source to support my opinion that the elderly in nursing homes need more attention and visitors because most of them are getting neither.

Research Source Log for Online Source #1

“Specific Page Title or Article Title”	"Get Over Feelings That Prevent You From Visiting the Nursing Home"
Primary Contributor to the Website (if given) (author, editor, producer, etc)	Author: Carol Bradley Bursack
Title of the Entire Website (not www. )	AgingCare.com Connecting people caring for elderly parents.
Publisher or Sponsoring Organization of the website (if given)	AgingCare, LLC
Date Page was Last Revised	Does not say.
Date You Read It	30 January 2012
<URL address> (ALL of it)	http://www.agingcare.com/Articles/visiting-elderly-nursing-homes-guilt-stress-emotions-139127.htm

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

Carol Bradley Bursack, elder care author, columnist, and speaker, writes about how "to determine if the residents seem to be treated with respect," giving multiple ways to study the staff at nursing homes and see how they treat the patients (Bursack).

The article also states that many of the elders"who have not lost their ability to remember" like to "talk about their lives growing up"(Bursack).

Some people might like to communicate less and would appreciate it more if you "order some old CDs" and make sure you play the right songs and if they "seem agitated," it is best if you play more "soothing" music (Bursack).

This article also stated that it is important to "watch the person's body language"and sometimes holding their hands or "gently stroking their arm" will make them feel safe and relaxed (Bursack).

Another way we can entertain them is by reading "an old Bible story or a chapter from a beloved novel." This will be a "powerful way to connect" (Bursack).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION): 

 Carol Bradley Bursack brings together tips on visiting elderly people in nursing homes, giving the reader ideas on what do with the elders to make them happy and feel less lonely. Bursack starts off by stating why many people do not like to visit their parents or the people in nursing rooms, thinking that it will smell bad. Bursack gives advice on how to overcome our fears of going to nursing homes and tells us that we need to get over it if we want to be there for our elderly friends and family.

Credibility of Source:
Author or Site: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the site. What is the purpose of the site? Who funds the site? 

The author is Carol Bradley Bursack, an author, columnist, and speaker. Bursack is also a consultant who writes for several elder care websites. She as well is the forum moderator and a regular contributor to agingcare.com. Bursack has not only cared for a neighbor but six elderly family members as well, making her experienced in the topic she writes.


Attachment: Does the author or site have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative? For example, is it a cigarette business posting an article about the benefit of cigarettes, or is it a scientific community unaffiliated with the cigarette business?

The author or site does not have much to gain from writing this other than being happy to inform and give advice to people on how to approach and spend time with the elderly in nursing homes.

Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing?

I think that there is a slight bias because it lists more positive things than negative. It does not talk about the bad things in nursing homes, and when it is mentioned (for example, the bad smell in nursing homes) it tells the reader to get over it. However, it focuses mainly on the people in nursing homes and not the conditions of the nursing homes.

References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility? 

The author does not cite references in the writing, however, if she did, I think that it would have made her argument stronger.

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project? 

I plan to use this source to support my opinion that if I visit the elderly in nursing homes, I can keep a smile on their faces and I could give Bursack credit for giving me advice on what to talk about with the elderly.