Imagine having a voice, being someone full of life and experience, with ideas and  purpose, to then feeling like that is stripped away.  In my senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to have an internship at a local  hospital. I was able to observe the different areas of hospital settings as I was about to embark on  my own journey into the medical field. Through this, I was able to gain my own understanding and knowledge of the healthcare field. One particular experience that stood out to me was when an elderly woman came into the emergency department. When being checked out by the tech and nurse, it was clear after looking at her catheter that she wasn’t being properly cleaned. For me,  this was a little shocking, as she was coming directly from a nursing home, where the staff  should be on top of this.  “You need to tell whoever is taking care of  you to do a better job,” the tech told the patient. “They won’t listen to me,” she replied.  I felt disappointed in the system of  care that this woman was receiving. Especially since, based on her response, she had probably  tried to advocate for herself before.  Jenna Duffy No one particularly wants to end up in a nursing  home, but if you do end up there, it shouldn’t be a place where you lose your voice or purpose.  The impact of treatment in  nursing homes and residential care facilities is one we let slip through the cracks all too many  times. Staff can be quick to forget that these people are just that. People. They are somebody with someone. Elder abuse and mistreatment in the nursing home setting is all too common, as this  group of people is more vulnerable than others. Many patients have limited physical and mental  functions that allow for this type of treatment to slide. Research suggests that 2.5  million individuals in care facilities are at risk for abuse and neglect due to their vulnerability. The NIH defines neglect as “… failure to provide goods and services necessary  to avoid physical harm, mental anguish, or mental illness.”. While defining abuse  as “…the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinements, intimidation, or  punishment with resulting physical harm, pain, or mental anguish.” Mistreatment of patients in nursing homes isn’t something new to us, and there needs to be a change in the system.   Nursing homes are often poorly staffed, with emotional abuse being their biggest form of  improper treatment. According to WHO, 2 in 3 nursing home staff members said they had abused residents in the past year. Neglect and abuse are so prominent  in nursing homes, and it needs to end. Staff members need to realize that these are PEOPLE. They are someone’s parent, sibling, and friend. There needs to be a change, with more protocols and supervision in place. Residents deserve the best and most effective quality of care, and staff need to be able to provide that to them. These  facilities should be what they are marketed as a true and welcoming home.   I am calling for a better system to be in place regarding staff within nursing homes.  Having a more transparent system allows providers and patients to have a better relationship and understanding of what needs to be accomplished for the best outcome for residents. The staffing at care facilities is low as it is, making these jobs a lot more stressful for nurses, techs, doctors, etc. Implementing positions such as public health workers who can better advocate and relay the concerns of patients to these providers can make all the difference in the care for patients. According to a study from 2023, community health workers “can improve the management of chronic conditions, increase access to preventive care, improve patients’ experience of care, and reduce health care costs.” Along with the addition of community health workers, more extensive and effective training measures should be put in place. These training would be regarding proper patient interactions and overall better care efforts and communication between staff to staff interactions and staff to patients. With the implementation of these things, residents, families and staff can look forward to a greater and better experience than before. Getting older isn’t easy, and it is inevitable for everyone. However, many are quick to  forget that these aren’t just patients or residents. They are someone’s parent, sibling, or  friend. They are somebody with a story, with experiences. They are a reflection of your tomorrow and what’s to come, and that’s why this is so important. Take a look in the mirror  because one day, that resident or patient could easily be you.  Jenna Duffy is a junior at Sacred Heart University majoring in Health Science with a concentration in public health.