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CHANGING NURSING HOMES IN PROFOUND WAYS

     A nursing home is everyone’s dread, but now there’s a movement to change nursing homes in profound ways. Nursing home residents say they want to decide “how and when they use the phone or leave a facility for visits, who their roommate is, what food they eat, and what time they wake up and go to bed.” Sounds impossible, but maybe it isn’t. There are now nursing homes where you can “forget hospital hallways and double rooms with flimsy privacy curtains. Some cutting-edge homes have living rooms, country kitchens, private bedrooms and baths -- available to all residents, including those on Medicaid.” (Emphasis mine.) Read about it at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/content/article/2007/
06/11/AR2007061101926.html

     And here’s more, about a nursing home that has had a “culture change,” breaking it into small units where snacks are always available and refrigerator raiding is encouraged:

http://www.culturechangenow.com/stories/mh_roger.html

     I just hope they get these culture changes in place before I land in some nursing home and want watermelon for a midnight snack.

HOW GOOD IS YOUR NURSING HOME OR ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY?

     The website of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is a great help if you’re using -- or about to use -- health care services. The site lists hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospices, home care agencies, and more. You can find out whether an organization is accredited, then compare one accredited organization with others in a number of ways. And all the information is free.

http://www.qualitycheck.org/consumer/searchQCR.aspx

     The NURSING HOME ALERT website also gives valuable information on how to assess a nursing home during a visit, giving ways to find the less obvious cases of abuse and neglect that might not show up in a guided tour.

http://www.nursinghomealert.com/preventionofabuse/
assessinghomes.html

NURSING HOME REFORM

     The NATIONAL CITIZENS’ COALITION FOR NURSING HOME REFORM (NCCNHR) is working in Washington and elsewhere for nursing home reform. Learn more at:

http://www.nccnhr.org/

HOW TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A NURSING HOME

     The NCCNHR also tells you how to reach your STATE OMBUDSMAN. They say, “An Ombudsman is an advocate for residents of nursing homes, board and care homes, and assisted living. Ombudsmen provide information about how to find a facility and what to do to get quality care. They are trained to resolve problems. If you want, the ombudsman can assist you with complaints. However, unless you give the ombudsman permission to share your concerns, these matters are kept confidential.n Ombudsman is an advocate for residents of nursing homes, board and care homes, and assisted living. Ombudsmen provide information about how to find a facility and what to do to get quality care. They are trained to resolve problems. If you want, the ombudsman can assist you with complaints. However, unless you give the ombudsman permission to share your concerns, these matters are kept confidential.

http://www.nursinghomeaction.org/static_pages/ombudsmen.cfm
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