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JEFF GOLL
TRIANGLE ELDER CARE NAVIGATION
Support Services for Seniors and Their Families
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Aging Well Digest
Useful, interesting, and informative news for seniors and their families
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Dear Friends:
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Welcome to the August 2011 edition of the Aging Well Digest. I trust you will be able to find something useful, informative, or interesting in this issue. I will continue to be on the lookout for the best and most helpful information on issues related to aging that I find each month and I encourage you to contact me if there are topics you would especially like me to investigate.
In this issue I will focus on the positive changes as well as ongoing problems in Long Term Care Homes in America. In particular I will be talking about 1) the prevalence of employees with criminal records in nursing homes, 2) the importance of consistent caregiver relationships in LTC facilities, 3) the high cost of poor care in nursing homes, and finally 4) the Culture Change movement in long term care. If you are looking to get information on a particular nursing home, this Medicare site has information on health inspections, staffing, prevalence of bedsores, percentages receiving flu shots, overall quality ratings and more.
Of course I am here to work with you if you need more personalized help with any of these issues or other aging related concerns. Your first consultation is free in order for us to determine if and how I can help you.
Thanks, Jeff
triangleeldercarenavigation.com |
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Criminal Records in Nursing Homes
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 Using information provided by the FBI, the Federal Department of Health and Human Services issued a report stating that over 90% of nursing homes employ one or more persons convicted of a crime. Half of nursing homes employ five or more individuals with at least one criminal conviction. Moreover, for 16% of those with convictions the offense occurred after being employed at the facility. There is no Federal law pertaining to this issue and states have a patchwork of regulations with some states not addressing the issue at all. North Carolina requires criminal checks for nursing home employees but issues no specific recommendations on whether or under what circumstances they can be hired.
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More from this article
Consistent Assignment in Long Term Care Homes
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For long term care residents, the relationships they establish with caregivers are among the most important elements in their quality of life. Typically however, CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants), who provide the bulk of hands on care in assisted and nursing homes, are regularly rotated through their facility; to different floors, units, or shifts. According to the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Home Campaign, only 25% of nursing homes use consistent assignment during weekdays and even fewer on the weekends. Long term relationships can increase the health and well-being of those in senior care and be the first line of defense against preventable hospitalizations.
Read the full article
Consistent assignment can help reduce staff turnover as well. This problem is epidemic in nursing homes with an estimated 70% turnover rate for CNAs in a given year. High stress, inadequate training, minimal respect from superiors, poor benefits, and low wages are important factors as well. Nationwide the average hourly pay for a CNA is $10.48. To make nursing homes more humane places to live we first have to make them more humane places for the caregivers.
More from this article
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The High Cost of Poor Care
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The National Consumer Voice for Long Term Care has recently published a report on the high cost of poor care in nursing homes. The report focuses on preventable events and conditions and how cost effective good care practices can be. Conditions such as bed sores, bone fractures, incontinence, malnutrition, and dehydration are all preventable to some degree with good nursing practice as are resulting hospitalizations. The costs in terms of poor health outcomes, lives lost, and emotional distress as well as monies spent are enormous. This report discusses each preventable condition in detail and estimates the overall financial cost to both individuals as well as Medicare and Medicaid. Read the Report
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Culture Change
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 Lest you think that all news about long term care is negative, let me introduce you to the Culture Change movement which is a nationwide effort to improve conditions for seniors no matter where they live. The Pioneer Network, formed in 1997 by long term care professionals, has called for a radical change in the culture of aging. It is an effort to move away from institutional, provider based models to humane, consumer driven models of care. This "person directed" care is based on values such as choice, dignity, self-determination, and purposeful living which is lacking in so many long term care homes today. It requires changes in organizational practices, physical environments, and relationships between provider and resident. Most importantly it requires change in individuals' and society's attitudes towards aging as well as elders' attitudes towards themselves and aging. The Culture Change movement's aim is nothing less than transforming the culture of aging in America. Its the most promising and positive vision of aging and long term care in our nation today.
Read More About Culture Change
More about the Pioneer Network
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Services Offered
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-Housing Transitions / Coaching
-Medicare Counseling
(all Medicare Counseling is free of charge)
-Daily Money Management
-Executor Tasks
- Family Communication
-Education and Patient Rights
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Archived articles by issue and topic
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- Health insurance claim denial
- Hospital shift change - The most frequent medical error - Senior fraud schemes
- "Observation only" hospital stays
- Sleep issues in assisted living facilities
- Family mediation and senior issues
- Creativity and aging
- Sex, condoms, seniors
- Senior friendly products
- Common diagnostic tests
- Global dementia projections
- Beers list criteria
- Pre-authorization delays
- NC SHIIP
- Senior Pharmassist
- Poor nursing home pay
- The CLASS act
- Falls and Fractures
- Creative advantages
- Are we safer now? (hospital safety)
- Trauma center bias
- Nursing home practices
- Revocable Trust review
- Hospital discharge
- Home health agencies
- Geriatric MD shortage
- Bereavement counseling
- Hospital Re-admissions
- For-Profit Nursing Care Homes
- Reverse Mortgage Councilors
- Home Safety Checklist
- Health Care Literacy
- National Patient Advocacy Foundation
- 10 Ways you Get Smarter as You Age
- Driving Errors and Aging Drivers
Issue # 10
Most Drugs Don't Work for Most Patients
Six Steps to a Successful LTC Transition
Falls and Their Prevention
The Need for "At Home" Services
Issue #11
Hospital Safety Video
The Cost of Caregiving
The Hospital to Nursing Home Revolving Door
VA vs. Medicare Drug Price Comparison
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While I hope that this digest will contain something useful, interesting, or informative for you in every monthly edition, I don't want to burden the inbox of anyone who would prefer not to receive it. If you would rather not get this email digest again, please just click on unsubscribe at the bottom of this page.
Alternatively, if you would like to send this digest to someone, just click on Forward email at the bottom of the page. Also, let me know if there are any topics you would like to have me include in the Aging Well Digest.
I intend to provide coverage on a wide range of senior issues so that even if you are a professional in the field of aging, I hope you can learn something in every issue.
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"It takes a long time to become young."
Pablo Picasso
"With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come."
Merchant of Venice 1.1.80
photography by Jeff Goll |
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