Press Releases - Nursing Homes In Crisis

An informed electorate is a requirement for an effective participatory democracy. Towards that objective, this letter will be modified and sent to as many members of the press and internet community as is possible. 

Americans 65 years of age or older make up approximately 12 percent (32 million) of this country�s population. This demographic segment of the population is experiencing a net gain of 1000 individuals a day. Studies indicate that of those individuals 65 years of age or older, 40 to 50 percent will inevitably spend some time in a nursing home.

The State of Pennsylvania audits nursing home operations and living conditions and makes the results available to its citizens. These reports are required to be available upon request at each major nursing home in the state. The voting public may browse the reports on the Internet at http://www.health.state.pa.us/facility/map.htm. Access to these Internet based inspection reports can be gained from any internet-connected home, work, school, or public library computer. I will urge the members of your constituency to do so.

In the State of Pennsylvania and across the country thousands of  major nursing homes operate. In Pennsylvania, the audit report database revealed, in part, the following �incidents� involving substandard care (non-compliance with regulations). Regrettably, these occur repeatedly.

• A facility did not provide housekeeping services necessary to maintain a sanitary, orderly, and comfortable interior.
• A facility failed to provide medically related social services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well being of each resident
• A facility did not ensure that each resident received adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents.
• A facility failed to provide an ongoing program of activities designed to meet, in accordance with the comprehensive assessment, the interests and the physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident.
• A facility failed to conduct interdisciplinary evaluations to determine the resident's ability to safely self-administer medications.
• A review of the resident's activity of daily living flow record for the month of April 2000, revealed that the resident was not provided a shower from April 6, 2000 through April 19, 2000.
• A facility failed to implement a Quality Assurance Plan, which ensured that identified areas of deficient practice, had been effectively corrected.
• A facility failed to provide sufficient nursing staff to ensure that the individual care needs of each resident, including incontinence care, activities of daily living, personal grooming and pressure sore prevention were consistently met.
• A facility failed to initiate planned approaches in an attempt to ensure adequate hydration status.
• A facility failed to notify the resident's attending physician when changes in the resident's condition occurred.
• A facility failed to demonstrate the development of comprehensive plans of care, which include identified problems or needs for pain management and prevention of pressure sores.
• A facility�s dietary services failed to maintain sanitary conditions as evidenced by failure to effectively sanitize dishes and utensils used for food preparation and food service. This failure placed the residents at risk for the potential spread of food borne illness.
• A facility failed to ensure that the residents' environment was free of potential accident hazards. This was evidenced by unsecured doors that accessed the enclosed courtyard outside the building and non-functioning equipment in resident areas.
• A facility failed to provide staff supervision and the use of assistance devices for residents assessed at risk for falls and/or elopement from the facility. This resulted in recurrent falls and/or physical harm to residents.
• A facility failed to maintain a safe, functional and sanitary environment. This was evidenced by damaged resident equipment and other furnishings and evidence of soiled resident equipment.
• A facility failed to maintained food temperatures at the recommended temperatures.  This posed the potential for food borne illness.
• A facility failed to ensure that carpeting was clean, bed pans were stored properly, and toilets were clean for resident use.  This posed the potential for the spread of infection and unclean, unsanitary environment. 
• A facility�s staff failed to follow physician�s orders for care.

This is only a short, partial list of reported problems.

I urge you to gather and read the reports about nursing homes in your area. You will find problems that involve your mothers, fathers, relatives, and friends. I am contacting local, state, and federal representatives, the governor's office, and presidential candidates to find out what they will do to improve health care for our mothers, fathers, relatives, and friends.

Bottom line, what do you feel needs to be done to improve conditions like these not only in Pennsylvania, but across the nation?

Sincerely,

Stephen Swoyer, President

U. S. Health Care Reform

[email protected]

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