These Nursing Homes Care About Their Elderly Charges

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I am sorry, but where you're getting your information is rather dubious at best. It is a known fact, that the people, companies that own run these so called facilities some good, but mostly not are making huge profits. Why, because they are constantly cutting corners--they don't pay their people much for one thing. Their food is usually horrific--filled with fillers, they cut way back on staff
when they need more, They make no udates on their facilities when they need them, they want you to use their pharmacy that charges $60.00 more than your own pharmacy and they put these poor people in a 8x9 room and charge $4,000. or more--this is egregious...........But, most importantly the care is usually substandard unless you get into a five star rated Home and these are few and far between in this country. However, the lower rated ones need to take note because they are doing these innocent people an injustice along with our government.

anonymous of GA 1:18PM July 15, 2011

These Nursing Homes that are rated so highly around the country should be a model to the rest of them. Some how this desperately needs to get out to the lower rated ones. Honestly, these lower ranked ficilities--actually, they're institutions, should be expected by law to follow suit. All these so called facilities are doing an injustice to our elderly, are parents. They are fracturing the last part of their fragile lives and this to me is egregious. These people deserve respect and should be treated with dignity and honor and enjoy their last remaining years. And unfortunately, they're paying these high prices for this low level care that is outrageous. Oh my God, it is so...........very sad to see these people in these bad places--but in most cases they have no choice. There mostly all the same and this needs to stop sooner than later. Wait until you have to go to one of these facilities--then you'll realize why the elderly die so quickly.
Nila Fordyce

Nila Fordyce of MO 12:51PM July 15, 2011

I don't know how anyone see really all that goes on in a nursing home. I work as a CNA and pay is small and work is long and hard...the reward is knowing your caring and loving people in their time of need when they feel desereted and all by themselves it is very sad but for the most part the love and care our facility gives our residents we are still battling staying open it is terrible we work so hard and give our all to our work and are paid as little as a person who starts out at a McDonalds it would better to be paid so I could support myself and my daughter or even have insurance would be great but I can not pick up and leave my heart is there and I know I do a good job an really really love the residents I take care of but we are still bashed every day by residents family members who show up once every 6 months if you ever put your parents or a loved one in a home please please go see them every week to let them know they are not forgotten that is all I ask . I wish I could open my own place but I have no idea how to start it. I have such a great idea for a place but am a broke single mom...

Julie of AZ 12:57AM December 17, 2010

I have recently been in a skilled nursing facility owned by North American Health care, but am unable to find other facilities in Calif. run by them. Please help me get a list, I want to ork for this company.

Elizabeth Kummerle of CA 7:45PM July 10, 2010

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preefonse of AL 10:09AM May 23, 2010

i like to help the elderly because i love to take care of them and when i grow up hopefully i want to get a career to take care of them to me they are like my sons ever since i was a little girl i wanted to take care of them because when i was in third grade we went to go sing to them and they started to cry because i think they never had grand children thats why i want to study for that

Santa Ramirez of CA 3:24PM April 14, 2010

I have read the previous articles and commented on the previous article concerning "Bad facilities." A few thoughts... Yes, CNA's / auxillary staff housekeeping, dietary, activity persons, yes even the receptionist are often not given the praise that is often well deserved.A simple "thank-you" goes a long way. It takes a "team" to make any structed enviroment that has many varibles, personalities with the common denominator of aging/illness to begin to make a difference The system has been tainted for so many years from the very top to bottom. My grandmother use to talk about the stuff that often "rolls downhill." Often it is not possible to climb that mountain because it is just too much bigger than us. However what we can do is begin to make changes on a smaller scale sometimes as history has taught us it often just takes "one" to begin to make a difference setting the example. Idealistic? I think not as I have personally and professionally seen this concept work. Progressive can and does have its rewards as the article makes note of. Perfect? Nothing is, however there is a saying that I believe may support what many of us who complain about all the things that are wrong and it goes like this: "Lets be part of the solution and not the problem." It works in recovery for those who are trying to find their way back... why can it not work for an industry that is also trying for the most part find it's way back to a standred that promotes quality to one's aging life and not task orientated quantity?

Patricia L. Calloway of FL 11:14PM February 06, 2010

The best facilities are nearly always not for profit entities. I visit some facilities in a rural part of Colorado and am impressed with the caregivers who make real connections with their seniors. The CNA's, Activity directors and even the maintenance workers who clean the rooms spend more time with the residents than the administrators and nurses. If we could figure out how to get those people away from their desks and out among the residents, we would have an improvement in care. They might begin to appreciate the hard work done by the workers who make the lowest salaries.
Families can make a huge difference for the residents, but too often they don't visit enough. If you can drop by for 20 minutes every single day, you will be the bright spot in your mother's day. They suffer loneliness and boredom more than anything else even in the cleanest, best run facilities.

S. Mauser of CO 7:12PM January 30, 2010

To all people out there posting comments that we need more regulation or more enforcement of existing regulations - I can assure you that is not the answer. Many of the problems that nursing homes face are a direct result of far over reaching regulations. Our nurses must spend 7 hours out of an 8 hour shift documenting everything from the size and consistency of bowel movements to completing a 5 page report every time a resident falls. (This is the primary reason nursing home care is so expensive.) As the people from the State are so fond of saying "if it isn't documented, it didn't happen". The regulations are used to berate and belittle an entire team of health care professionals with some of the hardest, physically and emotionally draining jobs anywhere and that is a real shame. We understand that there are some places and some people who have no business working in or operating a nursing home and that a system of standards and accountability is a good thing, but we are all punished for the misdeeds of a few. The average Joe can tell within about 10 seconds or less of stepping into a nursing home whether it is a good home or a bad one. The results of so called "objective" inspections by the Department of Health do not jive with what is obvious to everyone else.
I do not know of many nursing homes that make big profits - I'm sure there are some and they may do it by cutting corners - but that is not typical - it is stereotypical. The regulations we are subject to were written by bureaucrats that do not have a clue. They do not care about the individuals we care for, they do not understand the plight of the worker or the resident, they do not know what sacrifices are made, they do not know what it takes to keep the doors of a facility open - they live in their own ideal world that can fix all things by a new law or policy. They control the purse strings with Medicare and Medicaid, in which we participate only because our residents would have no other way to afford the care they need otherwise. We are reimbursed at a rate they determine which in many cases does not even cover the cost of the care the beneficiary is receiving.
The solution - let's get back to basics and common sense! Look at the residents, talk to them and to their families about how satisfied they are with their caregivers and their environment. Problem facilities are usually very easy to identify in that way. Competition is a great thing too. If you are not happy with the care at nursing home A, take your business to nursing home B. For the most part, the market will put the bad operators out of business and force the good ones to get even better - unfortunately, the regs hinder that process.
I don't think it is an exaggeration in the least to point out that everything the government touches turns into a bowel movement. And now they want to touch health care for the rest of the nation's people! God help us all if they grab that power!

Anonymous for fear of retribution by ISDH of IN 8:02PM January 18, 2010

Staffing levels need to be included in the regulations. If reimbusement is increased or decrease for low staff levels then the care will improve. I have worked in long term care and SNF for 10 years and short staff improves the bottom line. If they have a call in, they profit and the residents suffer. The best homes never run short of staff by using pool or prn staff. Change is coming but we need to praise the direct care givers and reward them for a very difficult job. A CNA is bitten, scratched, cursed, and over worked daily, the good people leave or become harded to the pain and suffering. Changing continues to come about and things are getting better every year. Volunteer if you can and say thank you to the CNA's as that is the real pay for such a difficult job.

Bob Darr of IA 3:16PM January 15, 2010