Health News
A Look at Nursing Home Abuse
Elder abuse in nursing homes is largely due to the inadequate staff levels. According to a 2001 Health and Human Services (HHS) study, 90 percent of nursing homes are understaffed. Lack of adequate staffing is known to lead to:
A Look at The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Nursing Home Abuse
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect nursing homes in a positive way and, if successful, curb the rate of abuse in these facilities. According to Families USA, the ACA will establish important programs, committees, and grants that will increase the effectiveness of the long-term care workforce and care. These numerous establishments aim to:
Improve the long-term facility workforce through:
Amber Paley, Blogger/Writer
Nursing Home Abuse.net
- Beshear To Study Nursing-home Staffing Minimums, Suggests Homes' High Liability Costs Are Related To Poorly Ranked Care
Responding to a letter from Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform, which cited a low ranking for the state's nursing homes, Gov. Steve Beshear said he is "committed to taking steps toward improving the quality of care in Kentucky nursing homes,"...
- Death Of Personal-care Home Resident Has Lawmakers From His Hometown Talking About Stricter Staffing Rules
The death of a missing personal-care home resident has a bipartisan pair of Kentucky lawmakers from his home town of talking about setting staffng standards for Kentucky's personal-care homes or even nursing homes, which have successfully lobbied...
- Cost Is One Obstacle For Bill That Would Require Coroners To Look Into Nursing Home Deaths
A bill that would require coroners to be called when someone dies in a nursing home may be in jeopardy. At issue is how to pay for it. Chief State Medical Examiner Tracey Corey estimates she would need three more doctors, more support staff and more...
- Beshear Backs Bills To Protect Seniors From Abuse But Doesn't Endorse Minimum Staffing For Nursing Homes
Gov. Steve Beshear today endorsed a package of previously introduced bills that he said would give the elderly and other adults more protection against abuse and exploitation, but it did not include a bill to set minimum staffing standards for nursing...
- 18 Percent Of Kentucky Nursing Homes Had 10 Or More Deficiencies In July-sept.; 42 Exceeded State Average Of Six
State inspectors found 20 of Kentucky's nursing homes, 18 percent of the total, had 10 or more deficiencies during the third quarter of 2010. Kentucky nursing homes have an average of six deficiencies, according to Medicare's nursing-home...
Health News
The Affordable Care Act & Nursing Home Abuse
A Look at Nursing Home Abuse
Elder abuse in nursing homes is largely due to the inadequate staff levels. According to a 2001 Health and Human Services (HHS) study, 90 percent of nursing homes are understaffed. Lack of adequate staffing is known to lead to:
- An over-worked staff.
- An under-trained staff.
- High staff turnover.
- Mistakes in patient care.
- Inadequate time with patients. (Most nursing homes do not meet the federal government?s recommendation for 4 hours of patients care with every patient, daily.)
- Staff exhaustion, burn-out and stress
- Inadequate staff-to-patient ratios
- Inadequate staff background checks.
- 90 percent of nursing homes employ at least one staff member with a criminal background.
- Almost 50 percent employ 5 or more staff members with at least one conviction.
- 5 percent of nursing home staff members have at least one criminal conviction.
A Look at The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Nursing Home Abuse
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect nursing homes in a positive way and, if successful, curb the rate of abuse in these facilities. According to Families USA, the ACA will establish important programs, committees, and grants that will increase the effectiveness of the long-term care workforce and care. These numerous establishments aim to:
Improve the long-term facility workforce through:
- Increasing the size of the long-term care workforce to meet the needs of long-term care residents.
- Understanding and analyzing workforce supply and demand.
- Encouraging people to enter the long-term care workforce.
- Curbing the long-term care workforce?s staff turnover rate through retention efforts.
- Improve the quality of staff training by educating staff about demanding resident conditions, such as dementia; proper ethics; the importance of reporting staff abuses of residentsm identifying signs of elder abuse and identifying administrative abuse.
- Increasing the at-home care and decreasing long-term care facility usage; at-home care is less expensive to state and federal governments
- Increasing the knowledge of caregivers by providing resources concerning finances, care, etc.
- Increasing consumer knowledge of nursing home facility deficiencies and staffing levels.
- Improving long-term facility environments.
- Increasing resources to increase how quickly elder abuse cases are investigated.
- Establishing quality staffs through mandatory nationwide staff background checks and education.
Amber Paley, Blogger/Writer
Nursing Home Abuse.net
- Beshear To Study Nursing-home Staffing Minimums, Suggests Homes' High Liability Costs Are Related To Poorly Ranked Care
Responding to a letter from Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform, which cited a low ranking for the state's nursing homes, Gov. Steve Beshear said he is "committed to taking steps toward improving the quality of care in Kentucky nursing homes,"...
- Death Of Personal-care Home Resident Has Lawmakers From His Hometown Talking About Stricter Staffing Rules
The death of a missing personal-care home resident has a bipartisan pair of Kentucky lawmakers from his home town of talking about setting staffng standards for Kentucky's personal-care homes or even nursing homes, which have successfully lobbied...
- Cost Is One Obstacle For Bill That Would Require Coroners To Look Into Nursing Home Deaths
A bill that would require coroners to be called when someone dies in a nursing home may be in jeopardy. At issue is how to pay for it. Chief State Medical Examiner Tracey Corey estimates she would need three more doctors, more support staff and more...
- Beshear Backs Bills To Protect Seniors From Abuse But Doesn't Endorse Minimum Staffing For Nursing Homes
Gov. Steve Beshear today endorsed a package of previously introduced bills that he said would give the elderly and other adults more protection against abuse and exploitation, but it did not include a bill to set minimum staffing standards for nursing...
- 18 Percent Of Kentucky Nursing Homes Had 10 Or More Deficiencies In July-sept.; 42 Exceeded State Average Of Six
State inspectors found 20 of Kentucky's nursing homes, 18 percent of the total, had 10 or more deficiencies during the third quarter of 2010. Kentucky nursing homes have an average of six deficiencies, according to Medicare's nursing-home...