(Add to Favorites | View All Articles | Resource Directory)
|
|
|
How many employees should a nursing home have?Nursing Home Staffing Levels: How Much Is Enough?During the week of February 17, 2002, headlines screamed the news - more than 92% of US nursing homes fail to have an adequate number of staff to provide quality care for elderly residents. Newspapers and radio programs based their stories on the new study the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) recently provided to the Senate's Special Committee on Aging. Interesting findings led us to reexamine our current data set of nursing home deficiencies. What we found may surprise you; there was no relationship between the level of staffing and the number of deficiencies reported for nursing homes. However, there was a relationship between level of staffing and percent of residents with pressure sores and physical restraints. This article is provided to you so you'll have a greater understanding of what these findings mean. The HCFA Study Purpose - HCFA's study was performed at the request of the Senate's Special Committee on Aging to determine what minimum level of nursing home staffing was required in order to provide quality care. Findings - The study reported that a minimum level of staffing, determined to be 2.9 hours of Certified Nursing Aide (CAN) time per resident was required for quality care. A number of measures went into this finding. Among them, a time and motion study examined the time required for basic services such as dressing and toileting. A correlational study that examined the relationship between pressure (bed) sores and staffing found that a higher level of staffing was related to lower levels of pressure sores. This study was somewhat limited by the fact that homes with very low levels of staffing refused to participate; it may be inferred that the correlational findings would have been stronger with the participation of these homes. In addition, the HCFA study examined the accuracy of reported level of staffing in survey and cost reports. They found that cost reports were more accurate than survey results in reflecting an accurate level of staffing as determined by nursing home payrolls. Limitations - The report was limited by the extent of the data gathered (3 states included) and may not be generalizable across all states. When Should Staffing Concern You When the best is yet.net began examining long-term care, we attempted to gather data on staffing and found that it was extremely difficult to acquire accurate information. Then a well-respected administrator advised us that while staffing was important, it was not as good as measure of quality as the level of care residents actually received. We have learned through experience how right his advice was. So what should you look for when determining the quality of care residents receive?
What You Can Do to Find Good Care
What Else Can You Do? The current growth in an aging population means that more and more people will require long-term care unless we do something about it now. That something becomes very personal for those of us in the Baby Boomer generation who will, within a few years, be part of the generation potentially needing nursing home care. So, how's your health? Do what you can to ensure that your later life will not be complicated by any of the three leading causes of nursing home stays: heart disease, stroke and cancer. About The Author Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. - Phyllis Staff is an experimental psychologist and the CEO of The Best Is Yet.Net, an internet company that helps seniors and caregivers find trustworthy residential care. She is the author of How to Find Great Senior Housing: A Roadmap for Elders and Those Who Love Them. She is also the daughter of a victim of Alzheimer's disease. Visit the author's web site at http://www.thebestisyet.net
MORE RESOURCES: News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News Chattanooga: Elderly Care Needs Rise - RedOrbit Govt to spend $300m on elderly care - The Age Liberals promise to improve elderly care - The Kingston Whig-Standard Love on overload - Melbourne Herald Sun New Film Exposes Bruce Wasserstein and Lazard-linked Elderly Care ... - eMediaWorld.com Newswire Press Release Distribution Service (Press Release) Business showcase: Assisted living facility not too big, or small - Record-Searchlight Dignity charter bid for Chorley elderly care home providers - Chorley Citizen Entering a grey area - Bangkok Post Emotion Runs High as Board Votes to Close Elderly Care Unit - KFVS Call for regulation of elderly care workers after gagging - Wairarapa Times Age |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A look at Assisted Living Facilities Assisted Living facilities are generally for person's 60 years of age and older. Typical candidates need assistance with "Activities of Daily Living" (ADLs), but wish to live as independently as possible. Alzheimers treatment facilities As a person ages, a certain amount of memory loss and confusion is quite normal. Personally, I've been known to invoke the cliché, "The older I get, the better I was!" Unfortunately, Alzheimer's disease represents a more serious loss of mental sharpness and calls for special care for seniors. How many employees should a nursing home have? During the week of February 17, 2002, headlines screamed the news - more than 92% of US nursing homes fail to have an adequate number of staff to provide quality care for elderly residents. Newspapers and radio programs based their stories on the new study the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) recently provided to the Senate's Special Committee on Aging. Long term Care Insurance - Probably the most important asset you could ever own If you're 60 to 70 years old .. Selecting a reputable senior care service Good news! You no longer have to risk chance when it comes to selecting a reputable elder care service for yourself or for a loved one. Senior Approved Services has certified a select number of businesses in our area serving the elderly and disabled populations. Why you should become Certified as a Senior Approved Service Are your clients pleased by the fine quality service that you provide? Validating your clients' endorsement of you through Certification as a Senior Approved Service will increase your client base. Senior Approved Certification leads a family towards a service like yours side stepping the possibility of connecting with a less than desirable service. How Seniors Can Benefit from Anaerobic Exercise by Phil Campbell, M.S. Care Givers - How to avoid burnout Just for a moment I want you to imagine that you are coming out of a very deep sleep. If you have ever had surgery try to remember the way you felt as you were trying to make sense of things as you awoke. Exercise Walking For Seniors: Preventing Foot Problems Exercise has a very important role in the general health and the quality of life of everyone, but especially in seniors. Seniors who walk tend to look younger, sleep more soundly and have fewer visits to the doctor. Scaling Down (almost) Painlessly Moving to a smaller house or apartment in a retirement community almost always involves a certain degree of trauma, both for the elder who's moving and for family members. However, by planning ahead you can reduce the discomfort involved and turn what might well become a nightmare into a pleasant event. How to decide if your loved one needs assisted living According to the Administration on Aging, it is estimated by 2030, the older population will more than double to approximately 71.5 million. Arizona Assisted Living: Resident Rights According to the Arizona Administrative Code (R9-10-710), those who reside in assisted living facilities in Arizona have certain rights. In addition to having the right to live in an environment that promotes dignity, independence, self-determination, individuality, privacy and the right of choice, the following are a few of the rights given to residents who reside in assisted living facilities:1. Retirement considerations for UK citizens Retiring abroad needs careful planning. Not all countries have the same entitlement to benefits as the UK and your tax liability may be affected. Colorizing old black-and-white photographs I've just made another Photoshop video. This one is about colour tinting (or "colorizing") an old photo. Do some research before buying any Stair Lift There is no doubt that having a stair lift in your home can dramatically improve your quality of life. If you are starting to find that climbing the stairs is becoming a hazardous experience, or just hard work, then a stair lift could be the answer. A look at Board and Care Homes Board and Care homes (also known as RCFE's - Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly) are residential private homes that have been licensed by the Department of Social Services to provide services to seniors. Most accept no more than six residents, but offer a cozy, home-like setting for frail seniors. Long Term In-Home health care expenses can be reduced Are you worried that you may lose all your life's earnings and nest egg due to the rising costs of in-home long term care? As you get older do you have the necessary finances to protect yourself from going broke while slightly incapacitated? Many seniors are worried about are worried about the costs of long-term health care.Are you worried that if something happens to you, that you may run out of money and burn thru their reserves and all your nest egg. Diet may diminish the influence of Alzheimers Argh! Where are my glasses? I put them down . . Considerations for the aging population's medical expenses IntroductionThe baby boomers is the population which haven taken birth after second world war till 1965 when there was a tremendous increase in birth rate due to the social and economic development in the USA. Now this population is going into the old age and thus bringing a burden to the nation as the country has to take care of not only the food and shelter but also the medical care. Adult Family Homes - a great alternative to Nursing Homes As a long-term care consultant for seniors and their families I have visited many different types of facilities. But my favorite type of facility to visit is adult family homes.
|
| home | site map | articles |
| © 2006 |