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ARE NURSING HOMES DANGEROUS ?

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Terry
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« on: September 29, 2009, 10:35:24 am »

GA, you might be interested in this article.  So, do you think Nursing Homes are dangerous ?




http://link.chicagotribune.com/r/BLQF5E/DSD00/IQCZ83/QN5JN/D4HOA2/50/t
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« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2009, 02:29:45 pm »

Yes, nursing homes can be dangerous and not only for the reasons listed in that article.  Because of budget cuts and cuts in the Medicaid program, nursing homes are left short handed and don't have enough staff to properly care for normal residents let alone monitor hard to manage cases.

It's been 20 years since I left the nursing home business.  We housed mental health patients for a period of time, but the residents we accepted were not dangerous to themselves or others.  That was one of our policies.  Having said that, you need to be aware that even a normal geriatric resident can become violent due to the type of medication they are prescribed or their condition.  It's the staff's responsibility to keep an eye out for unusual behavior.

State regulations require that nursing homes conduct patient care plans.  If I am not mistaken, it is a requirement in all states.  That means the doctor, nursing staff, family, and all others involved in the care of the patient, must sit down and discuss the best plan of care for that patient.  Social Services usually takes care of patient placement and a helpless patient should never be in the same room with someone who is prone to outbursts.

Our last nursing home was divided into wings.  One wing was for residents who could care for themselves, the next was for those who needed minimal care, the third for those who needed more than just a little assistance and the 4th was for completely helpless residents. 

After reading that article, I am prone to believe that the nursing home in question takes any type of resident just to fill up the beds.   There are more homes with that type of attitude than I care to admit. 

There are good homes out there where your loved ones are safe and the staff is caring and concerned.  It's up to the family to do the research and find those types of homes even if it takes a while.  Better be safe than sorry.
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Terry
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« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2009, 03:01:54 pm »

I wonder how the congressional health care plan will affect nursing homes given that they plan to cut billions from the medicare program ?  Given the reductions in physian's reimbursements if they are in the top 10% of expenses in the medicare program ( See my previuos posts and pg. 80 of the Senate Finance Committee bill ), it would seem like nursing homes are going to be in for a very difficult time in the future.  What do you think ?
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« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2009, 03:52:46 pm »

People 65 and older numbered a little over 37 million in 2006 and represented 12.4% of the population.  It is predicted that by 2030 that number will grow to 20%.   It's a known fact that the older population are healthier and living longer.  Having said that,  I think there are billions of dollars of waste in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs that could be cut.  Nursing homes are not exempt from the corporate crime and greed.  They need to tighten the reins on them too.  I know nursing home corporations that skim off the top and the patients suffer because of it.  We need to get back to getting what we pay for........................and only paying for what we get............................ Wink


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