“A crisis doesn’t build character; it reveals character,” says director of nursing Ann Stansberry of the staff of her nursing home in The Big Uneasy: Katrina’s Unsung Heroes. “We’re watching on TV and they’re seeing their entire city flooded to the rooftops, not knowing if their husbands are okay, if their children are okay. But they hung in there and they cared for these individuals.”
DONs, nursing assistants, administrators and other staff of several New Orleans nursing homes tell their stories in the film, describing how they cared for and protected residents during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina. “People who work in nursing homes are often invisible – or even worse, they’re viewed negatively,” says co-producer and narrator Cathie Brady in her voiceover. “This film bears witness to their caring and seeks to make visible their selfless acts of courage.”
Available for viewing on the website of B&F Consulting, a long-term care consulting company run by co-producers Brady and Barbara Frank, The Big Uneasy was funded by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
Managers, owners and staff offer one example after another of how they pulled together in the crisis, developing a deep respect for each other and a hierarchy-free camaraderie. There’s a lot of useful information for nursing home employees in their descriptions of how they prepared for and coped with the crisis. And there’s inspiration to burn in their descriptions of the creative thinking, compassion, and courage that emerged in the crisis – and the ways in which those things have been carried over into their relationships since, with managers asking staff for ideas, and people really listening to and respecting one another. As one of the DONs observes, “You got to know people from the inside out.”
On the website, the video is split into three parts: a short intro, the main story, and a final section highlighting the practices that allowed staff to function effectively during the crisis. The three add up to just under 50 minutes of running time. Also available are two short segments that feature snippets on a theme: “extraordinary courage” and “lessons in leadership.”
A complete copy of the film and an accompanying facilitators’ guide will soon be available for purchase at cost through the Louisiana State Ombudsman Linda Sadden.
Elise Nakhnikian
Communications Director
Direct Care Alliance
