Why Choosing a Good Nursing Home Is Important
Choosing a Nursing Home for your loved one can be a hard and confusing decision to make. At The Jeffcoat Firm, we’ve seen many, many injuries caused by neglect or abuse in nursing homes. These injuries can include things like pressure wounds and bedsores, ulcers, dehydration, infections, and physical, verbal, and even sexual abuse. It’s important to make sure you know how to choose a good nursing home facility to help protect your loved one.
Does it Matter if You Chose a For-Profit or Non-Profit Nursing Home?
Yes! In 1986 nursing home abuse and neglect were becoming a growing concern. The Institute of Medicine created a report titled Improving the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes. This report and its suggestions helped shape OBRA 87 which was signed by Ronald Reagan in 1987. OBRA 87 was designed to create health and safety rules to protect nursing home patients.
The 1986 report examined the ownership and non-profit Vs. for-profit nursing home and the implications that these business models have on the care that the residents receive. Both “impressionistic evidence and empirical research” showed that there are real differences in the care that residents receive based on if the business that operates the nursing home is for-profit vs non-profit.
“For-profit and chain-operated nursing facilities tended to devote fewer resources to direct patient care, resulting in poorer quality of care for residents.”
Evaluations of “resource inputs, licensure violations, complaints, and outcome-oriented measures of quality” all generally found that:
Not-for-profit nursing facilities provided better care.
These findings have been found repeatedly since the initial paper came out.
Choosing a non-profit nursing home could help keep your loved one safe. Make sure to find out if the nursing homes you’re looking at are for-profit or non-profit.
