New Mexico Nursing Home Advocate News

Study Suggests Nursing Staff Happier at Nonprofit Nursing Homes

Juliet Keene — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:20:04 -0700

The Gerontologist has published a study conducted at the University of Kansas Medical Center suggesting that nursing staff is happier and more satisfied with their jobs at nonprofit nursing homes.

"Ownership status was significantly related to job satisfaction; RNs working in for-profit nursing homes were less satisfied."

The study surveyed nearly 900 registered nurses working in almost 300 skilled nursing facilities. The nurses' ability to set policies and procedures and adequacy of resources and staff significantly affected their job satisfaction.

Today is Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Jennifer Foote — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:06:46 -0700

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez issued a proclamation that today, June 15, is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, as reported in the Albuquerque Journal.

Although elder abuse can take many forms, including physical, emotional and mental abuse, today's proclamation also recognizes that many elderly New Mexico residents are at risk for financial exploitation. The New Mexico Securities Division has established the website www.redflagsnm.com, to help New Mexicans prevent and report investment fraud.

The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department has published a very helpful fact sheet on elder abuse which includes many warning signs to look for, and also ways to prevent elder abuse.

If you are concerned and suspect the physical, mental, emotional or financial abuse of an elderly New Mexican, call Adult Protective Services at 1-866-654-3219 (in-state) or 1-505-476-4912 (out of state). To report suspected abuse in a nursing home or long-term care facility, call the New Mexico Department of Health at 1-800-752-8649.

Nursing Homes Try to Get Exemptions from Covering Their Workers

Jennifer Foote — Mon, 16 May 2011 10:53:40 -0700

The recent federal health care legislation requires that all employers with more than 50 employees provide affordable health care insurance for their workers. Unfortunately, as it stands now, many nursing home staff simply cannot afford the health care coverage that their employers provide, and go without coverage entirely.

As this article in the New York Times points out, it is especially important for health care workers, like nursing home employees, to be healthy, to receive regular preventative care, and to be able to obtain medical care whenever needed. All too easily, a sick worker can spread her illness to a very vulnerable population.

However, according to the Times article, at Lakeview Christian Home in Carlsbad, New Mexico, less than half of the employees have health coverage, because many cannot afford the $25/month they would have to pay. In fact, over a quarter of front-line nursing home employees are not insured, according to the article.

As the Times reports, though, rather than try to ensure that the nation's nursing home workers have access to affordable health insurance, the nursing home lobby is instead working to create loopholes for nursing homes.

Bio Care Paul Montano Will Not Face Criminal Charges

Juliet Keene — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:24:16 -0700

After an investigation that has lasted over a year, the District Attorney’s office has decided to not pursue charges against Bio Care owner Paul Montano.

Montano and his wife ran Bio Care, a business that was supposed to handle bodies donated for scientific research, then cremate the remains and give the ashes to the decedent’s family. Last March, body parts, including heads and severed limbs were discovered in medical waste bins in Kansas by waste disposer Stericyle. Montano was arrested and charged with fraud, but those charges were later dropped pending further investigation.

Our office represents the family of Johnny Frausto, whose dying wish was to donate his body for scientific research in an effort to advance a possible cure for pancreatic cancer. Mr. Frausto’s torso was found in a walk-in freezer at the Bio Care office. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator identified Mr. Frausto’s torso through the identification number on a pacemaker. Mr. Frausto’s head, arms and legs, which had all been crudely severed from the body, were found in an unrefrigerated storage container.

Shortly after we filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of the Frausto family, Montano filed for bankruptcy, stopping the civil case from moving forward. Without any assets or insurance to cover a judgment, the victims would not receive any compensation, even if a jury rendered a verdict against Montano. Now that criminal charges will not be pursued, it looks like the Montano’s are going to get away with their egregious behavior.

Free Resources from the National Institute on Aging

Juliet Keene — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:30:13 -0700

Resources and guidelines on health, wellness, and caregiv ing are availa ble from the Nat ional Institute on Aging, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. The NIA website contains information on clinical trials, research programs and now over 125 free booklets, fact sheets and other materials that can be downloaded and printed on topics such as:

Healthy aging
Exercise and physical activity
Sleep
Choosing a doctor
Dietary supplements
Materials to help with the challenges of caring for a parent, partner, or friend.
Tip sheets on legal, financial, and medical issues

NIA also has a website for Spanish-speaking users . I have frequently been asked where to find this sort of information, which is widely available online. Most of us just don’t know where to look.

Cottage Industry: Neglect and Abuse in Adult Family Homes

Juliet Keene — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:42:20 -0700

PBS has launched a segment called “The Watch List,” which recently featured an investigation into care facilities in private residences. The segment examined the increasing popularity of these residences, which are marketed as homey alternatives to nursing homes. Unlike nursing homes, residential care or “assisted living” facilities are not federally regulated.

The segment featured the stories of two residents: one died of advanced pressure sores and the other suffered extensive burns after a caregiver handed her a lit cigarette while she was hooked up to oxygen.

A November 2009 report by The Program on Aging & Long-Term Care Policy at Texas A&M University, also featured in the segment, concluded:

“[t]he universal lack of resources, the enormous variation across jurisdictions, and the low priority given to elder abuse and neglect make it difficult to see how significant progress can be made without some federal standards and financial support for investigating, detecting, resolving and preventing elder abuse in residential care.”

Of particular interest to me was the segment’s take on a recent Seattle Times investigation, “Seniors for Sale,” which exposed hundreds of injuries and deaths in adult homes in Washington and explored the marketing of adult residential facilities as good money-making ventures.

The idea that our elderly are commodities is unfortunately not unique to the residential care industry, but is uniquely disturbing because of the lack of oversight and regulation. In my experience representing the victims of abuse and their families, this lack of regulation has led to a lack of knowledge by the owners and caregivers of how to provide proper care and a dangerous situation for the residents.

WARNING: the video segment contains images which some might find upsetting.

Nurse Aide Turnover at Nursing Homes

Jennifer Foote — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:22:26 -0700

We've talked a lot here about things you can look at when trying to choose a nursing home or assisted living facility for a loved one.

This article in today's New York Times highlights an important factor to examine when you are looking at the quality of care in any given nursing home: nursing aide turnover. According to the article, more than 70% of nurse aides change jobs within a given year.

The work that nurse aides do is invaluable. They provide the majority of hands-on care to nursing home residents, assisting them with eating, bathing, hygiene, and getting around. Given the difficult nature of this work, it is important that the aides are well-trained, working in a supportive environment, and being paid adequately for the work they do.

Unfortunately, as the article points out, this is very often not the case. Most troubling, high nursing aide turnover usually results in poorer care for the residents.

Frausto Family Sues Bio Care

Harvey Law Firm Attorneys — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:17:38 -0700

Today, the Harvey Law Firm filed a Complaint against Bio Care, New Mexico Learning Center, Paul Montano and Leah Montano, for mishandling the remains of Johnny Frausto. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Johnny Frausto’s widow, Mrs. Sharon Frausto, and his daughter, Ms. Chaunnah Bates.

Johnny Frausto died of pancreatic cancer on January 10, 2010 and his dying wish was to make a contribution to the advancement of the prevention and treatment of cancer. A hospice company recommended Bio Care to Mrs. Frausto as a reputable company. Bio Care promised Mrs. Frausto and Ms. Bates that Mr. Frausto’s body would be treated with dignity and respect. Bio Care represented that they would harvest Mr. Fausto’s organs and then return the remaining part of his body for cremation. After weeks of being told that Mr. Frausto’s body was “not ready” to be returned, Mrs. Frausto and Ms. Bates began to be concerned.

Their worst nightmare was revealed on March 30, when local news stations reported that Bio Care was being investigated in connection with improper shipments of human body parts to a medical waste facility in Kansas. Later, Mrs. Frausto and Ms. Bates learned that investigators found bodies and body parts at the Bio Care facility in Albuquerque, some in a freezer that was no longer working. Among the body parts found at Bio Care, OMI was able to identify Mr. Frausto’s torso based on an identification of his pacemaker. At this time, Mrs. Frausto and Ms. Bates do not know the location of Mr. Frausto’s head or limbs. They are horrified and devastated.

We believe this is simply another example of the inexcusable failure to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Nursing Home Operator Cathedral Rock Corporation Fined by State

Jennifer Foote — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:45:59 -0700

As the Santa Fe New Mexican reports today, Cathedral Rock Corporation recently paid $4000 in fines as part of a settlement agreement with the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department.

In December 2009, Cathedral Rock was issued a notice of violation after concerns raised by the state's Long-Term Care Ombudsman involving the Sunshine Haven and Silver City Care Centers. The violation stemmed from the nursing home's plan for inappropriate resident transfers and discharge, but also involved misinformation conveyed to nursing home employees about the ombudsman's involvement and approval of the plan.

Disturbingly, once the ombudsman's office was actually involved, and stopped the planned, improper transfer, Cathedral Rock senior staff criticized the ombudsman's office and also publicly criticized the staff who were thought to have contacted the ombudsman.

Under New Mexico law, ombudsmen have both the right and the duty to investigate any claims of nursing home resident abuse or neglect. It is not proper for a nursing home to interfere with their right of access, or to retaliate against staff or residents for contacting the ombudsman's office. The law specifically states that "No person shall institute discriminatory, disciplinary or retaliatory action against any resident, employee or other person for filing a complaint, providing information to or otherwise cooperating with a representative of the [ombudsman's] office."

In addition to the fine, as part of the settlement, Cathedral Rock issued an apology to its staff for its "inappropriate and unprofessional behavior."

We reported earlier this year on the penalties imposed on Cathedral Rock for Medicare and Medicaid fraud, and about the cases pending against the Cathedral Rock nursing homes in Santa Fe. Cathedral Rock operates 10 nursing homes in New Mexico:

Santa Fe Care Center

Casa Real (Santa Fe)

Sunshine Haven (Lordsburg)

Silver City Care Center

Bloomfield Nursing and Rehab

Clayton Nursing and Rehab

Espanola Valley Nursing and Rehab

Red Rocks Care Center (Gallup)

Raton Nursing and Rehab

Country Cottage Care and Rehab (Hobbs)

More Strategies for Choosing a Nursing Home

Jennifer Foote — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:53:16 -0700

This week's New York Times' Health section offers suggestions for families choosing a nursing home for a loved one.

The article recognizes that, unfortunately, the majority of nursing home placements come after a person has been hospitalized, and that families often have very little time to fully explore their options. However, many of these suggestions are useful even if you do not have much time before you have to decide upon a particular nursing home.

The article suggests that you visit medicare.gov, and use their Nursing Home Compare tool to help get a picture of the facilities in your area. We covered this topic in more detail here.

The article also emphasizes the importance of visiting potential nursing homes, preferably at different times of the day, and using this checklist to review basic aspects of the nursing home.

Also important in choosing the right home for your loved one is the nursing home's guiding philosophy. The article suggests that you ask about "person-centered care" and "consistent assignment," burgeoning trends in the nursing home industry that can increase the quality of resident care. While person-centered care focuses on allowing the residents to make their own schedules and maintain a degree of autonomy, consistent assignment focuses on the staff of the nursing home. In a nursing home which practices consistent assignment, the same caregivers, nurses, and doctors attend to the same person as regularly as possible--allowing them to create lasting relationships, which positively affects the resident's care. High staff turnover, on the other hand, can mean that resident care suffers--which is why the article suggests that you avoid nursing homes with over 50% annual turnover.

Finally, it recommends you call your local Ombudsman's program to learn more about facilities you may be considering. In New Mexico, the Ombudsman's bureau is a division of the state Aging and Long-Term Services Department. Information on this program can be found at its website. In New Mexico, there are five local and regional ombudsmen, in addition to the State Ombudsman.

Santa Fe New Mexican Features Story about Harvey Law Firm Clients

Juliet Keene — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:28:39 -0700

This week, the Santa Fe New Mexican featured a story about two pending lawsuits against Santa Fe nursing homes operated by Texas-based nursing home corporation Cathedral Rock. The article featured interviews with Harvey Law Firm owner, Dusti Harvey, and her clients, the family of Mary Abeyta.

Ms. Abeyta died in March 2008 at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center at the age of 84. “[T]he family claims the stitches in her forehead, pressure sores on her tailbone as well as dehydration, weight loss and malnutrition were the fault of the nursing home.”

“It’s difficult to put someone you love in a nursing home," said Laura Jean Abeyta, a St. Michael's grad who works as a juvenile probation officer in Española. "She was our gift, we trusted this place to take care of her."

The story also featured interviews with Regional Ombudsman Gail Trotter and U.S. attorney Dorothy McMurty, who handled the criminal case in Missouri against Cathedral Rock, which I discussed in a previous post.

McMurtry, Harvey and Trotter all emphasized the importance of family vigilance. "The best nursing home is the one closest to your home," said Harvey. Trotter meanwhile urged family and residents to “speak up, tell somebody what's going on."

The story also contains links to the following helpful websites:

Hand-Washing Can Prevent Infections

Harvey Law Firm Attorneys — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:00:52 -0700

A recent New York Times article, Doctor Leads Quest for Safer Ways to Care for Patients, highlights the critical importance of hand-washing in patient safety. Although the article is directed at patient safety in hospitals, the same principle applies to nursing homes.

According to this article, most hospital doctors only wash their hands 30-40% of the time! Even the doctors at the better hospitals only wash their hands 70% of the time. Dr. Peter J. Pronovost of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore implemented a checklist that required hand-washing and empowered nurses to enforce the checklist. As a result of the checklist, infection rates went down to almost zero.

In our cases, we have heard stories from nurses and CNAs about how budget cuts have led to a shortage of sterile gloves, which are necessary for many routine procedures. We’ve heard about nursing staff having to reuse gloves on different patients while doing wound dressing changes. We’ve heard about people doing peri-care without hand-washing either before or after the process. For a person who has a weak immune system, a facility-acquired infection can be deadly.

Dr. Pronovost suggests that patients ask about a facility’s infection rate. Before anyone touches you or your loved one, ask that person whether he or she has washed her hands. This simple action can prevent unnecessary infection and premature death.

Using Surveys to Learn More About a Nursing Home, Part II

Jennifer Foote — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:53:21 -0700

As I mentioned in my last post, looking at state nursing home surveys can be a very helpful tool in your quest to learn more about a particular nursing home.

Now I will walk you through the information you can find at the New Mexico Division of Health Improvement website.

In Step 1, you choose your provider type from the drop-down menu. "Nursing Homes" is the third entry from the bottom.

For Step 2, you can search by city, county, or provider name. If you are trying to look at all nursing homes in Albuquerque or Bernalillo County, the result list may be too long; if you have difficulties, you can narrow it to just one particular nursing home.

Once you have the information screen for a particular nursing home, it will show you the facility's name, address and phone number. It tells you its Medicaid, Medicare, License number, and License expiration date. It also tells you the name of the nursing home's current administrator, who owns the nursing home, and how many beds it has.

There are three icons directly below this information: View Map, View Reports, and View Statistics. For our purposes, we are going to focus on "View Reports."

Once you've followed that link, you will have a listing of surveys conducted at this facility. Usually, the most recent survey appears first. It will tell you the type of survey--"health" or "life safety code"; the event ID; the dates the surveyors were at the facility; and the highest citation code. It will also let you look at the survey itself, via a link at the bottom of that section.

For your purposes, the most important information is likely contained within the "highest citation code" section, and the most recent surveys themselves.

Next to the "highest citation code," if there is a code, you will see a link for the "Scope/Severity Grid" next to it. (If there is no code, that means that no violations were found in that survey.)

This grid is very helpful in understanding the severity of the problems that the surveyors noted at the nursing home. The letter that appears in front of the "highest citation code" will correspond to a letter on the grid. An "A" code shows that the problem was isolated and did not actually cause harm to anyone, but has some chance of causing minimal actual harm to the residents. At the other end of the spectrum, an "L" code violation means that there was widespread conduct that caused immediate jeopardy to the residents' health or safety.

Once you've gotten a sense of the severity of the problems, you can view the survey itself. "Health" surveys typically discuss resident treatment and resident rights. "Life Safety Code" surveys typically discuss the physical condition of the facility, and whether it is in compliance with fire and other safety codes.

The top of the survey has administrative information. What interests us, though, is the narrative in the left-hand column: "Summary Statement of Deficiencies."

Here, assuming violations were found in the survey, you will see a description of the violation. First, the surveyor states the language from the regulation that they are using to guide them. This is followed by what the facility did that was not in compliance with the regulation. It will typically say that "this REQUIREMENT is not evidenced by...", and then describes the problem(s) the surveyors observed at the facility.

On the right-hand side, the facility writes its "Plan of Correction," which includes a response to the survey's criticism, and a plan of action to remedy the deficiencies the surveyors cited.

These surveys are often fairly dense and can be hard to read, but hopefully, they will help provide you with another tool when you have the difficult task of choosing a nursing home for a loved one.

Using Surveys to Learn More About a Nursing Home, Part I

Jennifer Foote — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:05:48 -0700

We've spoken before about important factors to consider when choosing a nursing home for your loved one.

You also have another tool, one that can be very useful, when you are looking at a particular nursing home or choosing from several nursing homes.

The State of New Mexico's Division of Health Improvement conducts evaluations of nursing homes on at least a yearly basis, and more often when there is a complaint about a particular home. These evaluations include a visit to the nursing home by a team of health care professionals, and usually last several days.

These evaluations, called "surveys," seek to make sure that the nursing home is following the state regulations for nursing homes. While the surveyors are at the nursing home, they observe conditions in the nursing home, and also review the medical chart of randomly selected residents. They look at all aspects of the nursing home's care, from its food to its maintenance to its staffing levels.

When they have finished their observations at the facility, the surveyors fill out a series of forms, detailing any problems that they observed. They state which regulations, if any, were not being properly followed, and discuss details of those deficiencies. They then give a copy of this survey to the nursing home, which has to then come up with a "Plan of Correction," showing that they are taking steps to correct the problems the surveyors found.

At this web site, you can search by the nursing home's name for its surveys. In an upcoming post, I will tell you more about how to use this web site, and how to interpret the information you find there.

Nursing Home Residents in Haiti Dying, Waiting for Help

Juliet Keene — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:25:08 -0700

The 84 remaining residents of Haiti’s Port-au-Prince Municipal Nursing Home are waiting for food, water and medicine. According to Associated Press reports, other survivors have shared some food and medicine with dying residents, but large-scale foreign aid has not arrived.

"Several elderly residents were nearing death, staff said. They gasped for air, motionless amid the mayhem of a makeshift tent city erected by survivors on the grounds of the nursing home in an impoverished downtown neighborhood.”

Photos show the nursing home residents begging for food, without medicine or care, awaiting death.

Increasing Concerns About Nursing Homes Owned by "Fundamental"

Harvey Law Firm Attorneys — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:21:30 -0700

We have grown deeply concerned about nursing homes in New Mexico owned by a national company called “Fundamental.” The Harvey Law Firm is currently pursuing several lawsuits against various “Fundamental” nursing homes:

Vida Encantada in Las Vegas (four cases)

• A woman died in 2006 after suffering from unexplained leg fractures, infected pressure sores, malnutrition and dehydration. Records show that she was incontinent and suggest that she may have been left laying in urine and feces for prolonged periods of time.

• A man died in 2007 after suffering from falls, numerous pressure sores, infection and contractures.

• A woman died in 2007 after suffering from pressure sores, dehydration and malnutrition.

• A woman died in 2008 after suffering from a lack of oral hygiene, dehydration, urinary tract infections, contractures and pressure sores.

Valle Norte in Albuquerque (closed in 2008)

• A woman died in 2008 after suffering from numerous unexplained falls leading to fractures, lack of hygiene and a failure to communicate abnormal lab results to her doctor.

Albuquerque Care Center

• A woman who needed full assistance died in 2008 after suffering from unexplained fractures and infected pressure sores.

Casa Maria in Roswell

• A woman died in 2007 after her son arrived at the nursing home earlier in the day to find his mother in acute pain and suffering from a leg fracture.

We are interested in talking to any potential witnesses, either employees or other family members with loved ones in any of these nursing homes, who may assist our investigations into these incidents.

These nursing facilities currently owned by "Fundamental" were also owned by companies called "THI" or "Trans Healthcare."

In order to conduct your own investigation into a nursing home, you can visit the Nursing Home Compare website.

Mental health medication rate very high in nursing homes

Jennifer Foote — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:24:46 -0700

A recent study reported in the New York Times found that within 3 months of moving into a nursing home, 71% of Florida nursing home residents who received Medicare were being medicated with psychoactive medications--anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, or dementia medication.

The study, which was published in the Journals of Gerontology by researchers at the University of South Florida, found that the majority of these residents--64%--had not been taking these kinds of medications before they moved into the nursing home. A majority of them--71%--had not had any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever within six months before moving into the nursing home.

Disturbingly, 15% of these residents were taking more than four psychoactive medications.

While nursing home residents are certainly vulnerable to mental health issues, this study's results seem to suggest that many facilities, lacking sufficient staff, turn to medication, rather than hands-on care, to address residents' mental health needs. In fact, only 12% of those residents were getting other forms of mental health care.

Another concern, as the study's lead author, Dr. Victor Molinari, told the Times, with this rate of medication, is that “it could well be that we’re causing problems like falls, confusion and delirium, and hospitalizations.”

If you have a loved one in a nursing home, do not be afraid to ask questions about the medications they are taking, the reasons why the medications are being prescribed, the possible interactions or side effects of those medications, and the alternatives available.

Cathedral Rock Nursing Home Corporation Pleads Guilty to Felony Medicaid Fraud

Juliet Keene — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:29:48 -0700

Cathedral Rock Corp., which operates nursing homes in Texas, Illinois, Missouri and New Mexico, will pay the United States $1 million in criminal fines and penalties, and $628,000 in a civil settlement, for operating five nursing homes in the St. Louis area that were understaffed and provided substandard care.

The nursing homes admitted in their plea agreements that:

At various times staffing at the nursing homes was not sufficient to provide adequate nursing care
At various times wound care was not provided at the nursing home
residents often did not receive their medication as prescribed
medical records were falsified and a "charting party" occurred at SpringPlace to fill in medical records so that it appeared that all medication had been properly given, regardless of whether the medication was actually given or not
the nursing homes submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare and Missouri Medicaid for services that were not provided or were worthless

The guilty plea is part of a settlement of criminal charges and a civil lawsuit that was originally filed by two whistle-blower employees in 2003. The ensuing investigation found that several residents were suffering from dehydration, weight loss, and preventable bed sores that led to amputations. One resident died after falling from a window.Other claims included falsification of residents’ medical records, failure to administer necessary medications.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said Cathedral Rock engaged in billing practices designed to defraud Medicare and Missouri Medicaid by submitting false cost reports to Medicare and Medicaid for services that were not provided. In addition, he said that substandard care was provided that contributed to serious injury or death of residents.

"This kind of fraudulent conduct is not to be tolerated,” Koster said. “To defraud the taxpayers and then offer grossly substandard care to those who cannot care for themselves is unconscionable.”

The Texas-based Corporation, which was founded by C. Kent Harrington, the current owner and CEO, advertises itself as “a company based on Integrity, Service and Teamwork.” The company’s website states, “our management team strives to provide quality care for our Residents and an uplifting, positive environment in which to work. Our Residents and their quality of life come first. Close behind is the company's second priority - our staff and true fulfillment in their jobs by helping those Residents have the best care possible.”

The Harvey Law Firm is currently engaged in litigation against Cathedral Rock for its operation of a New Mexico nursing home known as Santa Fe Nursing Operations/Santa Fe Care Center.

Brown University Study: Hispanics more likely than whites to live in nursing homes of poor quality

Juliet Keene — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:19:31 -0700

A team of Brown University researchers, led by Mary Fennell, a professor of sociology and community health, has concluded that Hispanic residents are more likely than whites to live in nursing homes of poor quality. These nursing homes are more likely to have structural problems, staffing and financial issues.

“The most shocking finding is the pervasiveness of disparities in nursing home care that are primarily white, compared to nursing homes that are a mix of whites and Hispanic residences,” Fennell said.

Apparently, this study is a follow up on a 2007 study that concluded that African Americans are also more likely than whites to live in poor quality nursing homes.

“People with resources can get into very good places or alternatives for nursing home care,” Fennell said. “Everyone else is left with not-very-good facilities that are not performing well.”

Notably, the study’s findings indicate a departure from a historical pattern. “Traditionally, the group has used formal long-term care services less frequently than any other U.S. ethnic group. They had also been less likely than white or black residents to live in nursing homes. In Hispanic households, elder care has traditionally been handled by adult daughters at home, but acculturation and financial issues have forced a growing number of young Hispanic women into work outside the home.”

The study notes that the number of Hispanics in nursing homes is expected to rise. The details of the study can be found in the January 2010 edition of Health Affairs.

New Report Examines Nursing Home Trends

Juliet Keene — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:12:30 -0700

The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care, NCCNHR, recently published an article summarizing a new report by the University of California, San Francisco, showing trends in U.S. nursing homes by state for 2003 through 2008.

"These trends in nursing homes should be of concern to policy makers, nursing home providers, and consumer advocates because they do not show major improvements over the past seven years. Moreover, they show continued wide variations in staffing, residents, quality of care and enforcement across states."

Here are a few points I found particularly interesting:

The average number of deficiencies issued to nursing homes for violations of federal regulations, per facility, increased by 7.5 percent between 2003 and 2008.
The number of for-profit nursing homes increased while the number of non-profit and public homes decreased.
Staffing levels have increased slightly over the last decade. Unfortunately, "[t]he average staffing levels are far below the level recommended by experts which is 0.75 RN hours per resident day and 4.1 total hours of nurse staffing per resident day."

Under New Mexico law, nursing homes must provide only 2.5 hours of nurse staffing per resident day, which is far below the recommended 4.1 hours cited by NCCNHR. More importantly, however, under the Federal rules, nursing homes must provide a sufficient number of qualified staff to meet the needs of the residents.