Monday, February 17, 2020

Nursing Home Clarification

WCNC published a story about seven Charlotte area nursing homes on 2-11-20. Unwittingly, WCNC shared just part of the story.

The federal government system for inspecting and reporting on nursing homes is flawed,inaccurate, and antequated. The government recently added a stop sign to its system, which purports to warn people about nursing homes where abuse occurs. And the government definition and guidance on abuse is byzantine.

While the nursing homes noted may have had problems, they could also be among the best. If a rogue employee neglected or verbally abused a resident and the nursing home immediately fired the employee, the nursing home would still be cited for the abuse, and would have received a "red stop light." In all fairness, it is possible that a nursing home did not take appropriate action and should be punished.

There is no substitute for being actively involved in your community nursing home. If your friends are there, if you visit there regularly, you'll know where you and your family will want to go if and when the need arises. And the need will arise. Go visit your local nursing home this week!

One cannot reduce a person to a sheet of paper, and one cannot reduce a nursing home, a health care community, to a piece of paper. The old saying is "seeing is believing," not "reading is believing." Please don't believe everything you read.