Senate Names 400 Nursing Home Facilities with Persistent Record of Poor Care
The Senate has released a report claiming that nearly 400 nursing home facilities nationwide provide persistently poor care to their patients. Numerous states have taken it upon themselves to provide a list of nursing homes in their state. These facilities have continually failed to provide adequate care for their patients.
One Texas facility had one of the worst violations listed. The nursing home had a waste system failure that went unfixed. Staff still continue to serve food to patients despite black ooze coming out of the drain and seeping into the facility’s floor.
The figures are likely misrepresentations of how many cases of abuse actually occur.
What Are The Statistics?
Statistically, 60% of nursing home abuse claims are filed by the children of abuse victims. And around 50% of all claims against nursing homes involve wrongful death. Many cases go unnoticed because patients never live to warn their family members that abuse occurred.
The study found that 1.3 million Americans are in nursing homes, and there are 15,600 facilities that care for these patients. Around 3% of all nursing homes have severe problems in care.
Medicare and Medicaid frequently list the top 80 nursing home violators. If these violators do not improve their standing, they will be cut off from Medicaid and Medicare funding. Oversight programs were more extensive, but changes made in 2014 limited the number of nursing homes that can be part of oversight programs.
Senators claim that budget cuts have limited their ability to ensure that nursing homes are safe for patients.
What Can We Do?
Reducing nursing home abuse is possible, and it’s up to siblings, children or other family members to continually ensure that their loved ones are being cared for adequately. A few of the ways to stop abuse are:
- Elders should be kept active.
- Family and friends need to stay in close touch with elders.
- Elders often feel isolated. Frequent visits and time spent together can help.
You should also research the nursing home and check for any recent violations. While three percent of nursing homes have serious signs of abuse, that doesn’t mean that other nursing homes do not have abuse or neglect claims.
It’s important to investigate claims of abuse and also look for signs of abuse on your family members. Bruises, bite marks, broken bones and withdrawal from normal activities that the person loves are all classic signs that abuse has occurred or may be occurring without your knowledge.
