Cosmetic surgery has become increasingly popular over the past few decades, and as the number of people having procedures done has risen, so has the average age of those having such work done. But even the most extensive procedures can only hold the clock back for so long-eventually age will have it's way.
This has created an interesting situation in some nursing homes, as aging adults begin to require higher levels of care than they can get at home. Many of those adults are among the thousands who have had cosmetic procedures done in the past like breast augmentations, facelifts, liposuction and body art, including tattoos and piercings.
But what looked good on a 40 year old body can be somewhat unsettling on an older person. Certified Nursing Assistant Jorge Alvarez describes a first encounter with a new resident at the Southall Retirement Home in Piscataway, NJ. "She was like, 86 years old and had a pair of tits like rockets. Everything else was sagging the way it should, but there were those tits, just sticking way on out. Plus, she had a "Property of Hell's Angels" tattoo on her ass...man, it was really creepy."
Sometimes the extent and quality of the work done is the cause of the problem, as in the case last August of one elderly woman in Bonneville, Utah. She had had numerous facelifts over the years, rendering most major facial muscles immobile. As a result, medical staff was unable to properly assess her condition. The woman lay in her bed for nearly three days before the staff realized she was actually deceased because, as one nurse said afterwards, "She looked pretty good to us." Only a power outage that took out the facilities air-conditioning for several hours revealed the truth.
Many nursing homes have begun in-servicing their employees in order to prepare them for the unique challenges this new generation of residents pose. "Nipple rings are especially tricky." says Southall administrator Norm Cafferty. "If the lady hasn't had implants to keep the breasts perky, those rings can get caught up in the diapers and be torn off during a change, which can be distressing for both the resident and the caregivers."
But despite the efforts to educate staff, some have decided to leave the profession anyway. "An old lady should look like an old lady." says CNA Alvarez. "I mean, that's somebody's grandmother for chrissakes. It just ain't right."
