Nursing Home Reform

The Systemic Issue Of Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect

 

Systemic Nursing Home Issues

For over 22 years, thousands of people have contacted A Perfect Cause desperate for help. These victims, friends, family members, and even staff deliver their gut-wrenching stories of abuse, neglect, maltreatment, and various forms of misappropriation. These stories, although unique to each individual, are not unique to Oklahoma, nor the United States. Oklahoma has consistently ranked in the bottom 5 states for nursing home care. Each person that reaches out to A Perfect Cause desires for reform after seeing the results of these systemic nursing home issues.

The failures inside nursing homes have been a long-standing systemic issue. These particular systemic issues originate in the creation of nursing facilities, and the creation of nursing home oversight agencies. Nursing home owners set up financial gain from residents, the state, and even federal money, and while there are nursing home oversight agencies to provide checks and balances, unfortunately there are as many systemic issues there as there are in the nursing home industry.

Staffing Crisis

In facilities it is common to find out that there are inadequate staffing ratios as well as inadequate pay. This leads to care team burnout, meaning the facilities offer minimum wage, and demand grueling hours and no benefits. This burnout leads to a high turnover rate, which also leads to poor care. According to this survey, 87% of facilities are currently facing moderate to high staffing shortages. Facilities are desperate to hire anyone they can find, but simultaneously neglectful to the staff they have. Because there are diverted funds from residents/the state/federal money going to the nursing home owners instead of into the facility, the facility cannot afford to pay more than the bare minimum. Low wages and fund diversions are the root cause of the mistreatment of residents.

Oversight Agency Crisis

Another systemic issue is the oversight agencies. When residents/family members/staff make a report with these oversight agencies, they are almost always unsubstantiated. Why? Because they do not make random audits of care. Instead, they plan a visit with the facility giving them enough time to make sure things are in place beforehand. On the off chance that claims are substantiated, facilities are fined a dollar amount until they change the issues. The problem with that is that they have so much money they are un-phased by fines. If the fines get to be too bad, all they have to do is change their ownership to another entity, or write off the fines. This completely negates the punishment of fines.

Upper Payment Limit Scandal & Ghost Operators

Along with misappropriation of funds, nursing homes also have been found to be a part of an out of town/out of state ownership scheme where they received % of funds, otherwise known as the Upper Payment Limit Scandal. As well, many facilities are owned by “ghost operators,” or operators that are dead, or 75+ years old. Some facilities even use the license of administrators who have developed Alzheimer’s, or other diseases, to continue their operations.

There Is Good News! A Perfect Cause Has A Solution!

While all of these issues together develop a model of systemic care issues and maltreatment for residents, A Perfect Cause has been fighting for reform in Oklahoma and across the world. While it is important to us to advocate for residents, it is also important to us to champion reform at the core of these issues. A Perfect Cause’s solution to these issues is the reformed version of a nursing home: the Community Care Center.

Community Care Center Model

The Community Care Center model is structured to resolve dramatic failures within America’s nursing home and oversight systems, while resetting standards & practices of care, with modular and scalable services suited for each community’s needs. While resetting standards & care practices, as well as implementing acuity of care levels, technologies and infrastructures, the Community Care Center model is to provide the highest levels of safe and appropriate care with dignity in the United States. The Vision for Community Care Center includes:

• • Being a nonprofit organization governed exclusively by members of the community

• • A Care Standards Reset – Establishing the highest care standards in the nation. As well, the highest levels of staff screening, training, and livable wage.

• • Designated Acuity of Care Levels – Patient rooms designed to their needs based on the acuity of care; Staff certified by acuity of care level

• • Care Assisting technology, including Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber, physical therapy pool, and ceiling mounted hoists with ceiling tracks. It will also provide adult day centers, and community rooms

• • Staff will receive background checks, skills assessments, and in-depth training. This will include acuity level and care enhancement technology training, paid time off, health insurance, and a livable wage

• • Audio & video monitoring throughout facilities, with the option to opt-out. Video monitoring and chat capabilities with representative and/or family. Access to electronic records (read only) by representative and/or family

• • And much more!

This model represents the solution to every failure the nursing home industry has presented. Most importantly, it aids in the improvement of the residents’ life and protection. The goal of A Perfect Cause is for every resident to be treated with dignity, safely & appropriately.