The vast majority of Americans would prefer to age in place–live out their lives in their homes. But, 1.3 million older Americans do not have the supports they need to age in place and end up living in a nursing home. In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Norma B. Coe and Rachel M. Werner explain why rules regarding adequate nursing home staffing literally saves lives.
Today, under federal law, nursing homes must have a minimum staff level that ensure that around 13,000 nursing home staff do not endure a premature death and thousands more do not end up with bed sores and urinary tract infections. Even though these rules increase the costs of care in a nursing home, the Trump administration should stand behind them.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is likely to be the next head of the US Department of Health and Human Services. In his confirmation hearings, he made clear his opposition to these nursing home staffing rules. Contrary to his claim, rural hospitals can get exemptions from these requirements if they cannot find staff to meet them. RFK Jr.’s misplaced views aside, Republican attorneys general have brought a lawsuit to end these rules.
The federal nursing home rules ensure nursing-home owners are able to provide residents with adequate care. A registered nurse must always be at the nursing home and nursing aides must be available for a few hours of care daily for each patient. In more than 80 percent of nursing homes, that was not the case in early 2023, before the staffing rules took effect.
If you’re looking into nursing home care for yourself or others, always ask about nurse and nurse aide staffing levels. With more nurses and nurse aides, residents tend to get better care and live longer. They get fewer bedsores and urinary tract infections.
For-profit chain nursing homes tend to have poor staff levels. Ninety percent of them did not comply with the minimum standards. About 60 percent of non-profit nursing homes also did not meet standards.
Only about one in five nursing homes in the United States meet basic minimums. The for-profit ones claim low profits, but that is extremely misleading. The owners too often hide their profits through subsidiary companies they overpay to provide nursing home services or to rent the facility.
The US is an aging society. Americans over 65 currently represent 17 percent of the population and will represent 22 percent by 2040. If we care about our elders, we should ensure they are being properly care for.
Here’s more from Just Care:
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