I lived the horrors of elder-care with my dad. He was in a Medicare paid physical therapy facility in a private room which seemed like a great deal. Bills were paid as long as he showed progress to rehabilitation. Once he didn't show progress, he was destined to Medicaid paid facilities. All options (unless the family is loaded with $$) are horrible in my experience. They are understaffed with care givers. Severely understaffed with registered and licensed nurses and finding an actual Dr. in one of these places is like spotting a Unicorn. It's all about money and profit for the people who own and run these places. Actual care is so far down the priority list it's not even seriously considered. Once you lose ambulatory ability and are confined to a bed, it's pretty much over.
I had a close friend who was a State investigator for these facilities. The horrendous stories he told me were almost hard to believe. The worst part was that unless a criminal act could be proven, most "violations" were dealt with through fines which were paid and then it was back to business as usual. If criminal acts of negligence were documented via eye-witness accounts or through video monitoring, those employees were sometimes fired, fine paid...then business as usual.
Around the time COVID hit, there were efforts in Congress to legislate proposed staffing levels, dictate required training and establish a better system of transparency and oversight. The CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (which represents 15,000 nursing homes and long-term care facilities) lobbied against that legislative effort. Articles report that the group has spent more than $30million lobbying Congress since 2010 to push against reforms that would better the conditions at these facilities and increase safety and care giving. The group is active in pushing for and getting legislation passed that shields nursing home owners from lawsuits (specifically during the COVID pandemic).
The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 was considered landmark legislation at the time and required long-term care facilities to have a registered nurse for 8 consecutive hours, seven days a week and a licensed nurse 24 hours a day. The legislation did not address sufficient staffing numbers.
One chart I found from 2019 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed average data for the following:
Time with Residents:
- Registered nurse (RN): .68 hrs per day
- Licensed nurse (LN): .88 hrs per day
- Certified nurse assistant (CNA): 2.33 hrs per day
Annual Pay:
- RN: $67K
- LN: $49K
- CNA: $29K
The 10 largest nursing home chains owned 13% of facilities and in 2019, their combined profits exceeded $20 billion (w/ a "B")! The CEO of Genesis Healthcare (country's largest nursing home chain) made $3M in salary and bonuses in 2019. The AHCA's top lobbyist in D.C. made more that $2M in salary and bonuses in 2019.
This industry is a travesty and an injustice to our senior citizens. It really needs attention at the Federal and State level with higher standards of care at reasonable rates that most can afford.
Wow. What a horror show.
It only gets worse as more of us make demands on the system. Thank you for the example.
I lived the horrors of elder-care with my dad. He was in a Medicare paid physical therapy facility in a private room which seemed like a great deal. Bills were paid as long as he showed progress to rehabilitation. Once he didn't show progress, he was destined to Medicaid paid facilities. All options (unless the family is loaded with $$) are horrible in my experience. They are understaffed with care givers. Severely understaffed with registered and licensed nurses and finding an actual Dr. in one of these places is like spotting a Unicorn. It's all about money and profit for the people who own and run these places. Actual care is so far down the priority list it's not even seriously considered. Once you lose ambulatory ability and are confined to a bed, it's pretty much over.
I had a close friend who was a State investigator for these facilities. The horrendous stories he told me were almost hard to believe. The worst part was that unless a criminal act could be proven, most "violations" were dealt with through fines which were paid and then it was back to business as usual. If criminal acts of negligence were documented via eye-witness accounts or through video monitoring, those employees were sometimes fired, fine paid...then business as usual.
Around the time COVID hit, there were efforts in Congress to legislate proposed staffing levels, dictate required training and establish a better system of transparency and oversight. The CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (which represents 15,000 nursing homes and long-term care facilities) lobbied against that legislative effort. Articles report that the group has spent more than $30million lobbying Congress since 2010 to push against reforms that would better the conditions at these facilities and increase safety and care giving. The group is active in pushing for and getting legislation passed that shields nursing home owners from lawsuits (specifically during the COVID pandemic).
The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 was considered landmark legislation at the time and required long-term care facilities to have a registered nurse for 8 consecutive hours, seven days a week and a licensed nurse 24 hours a day. The legislation did not address sufficient staffing numbers.
One chart I found from 2019 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed average data for the following:
Time with Residents:
- Registered nurse (RN): .68 hrs per day
- Licensed nurse (LN): .88 hrs per day
- Certified nurse assistant (CNA): 2.33 hrs per day
Annual Pay:
- RN: $67K
- LN: $49K
- CNA: $29K
The 10 largest nursing home chains owned 13% of facilities and in 2019, their combined profits exceeded $20 billion (w/ a "B")! The CEO of Genesis Healthcare (country's largest nursing home chain) made $3M in salary and bonuses in 2019. The AHCA's top lobbyist in D.C. made more that $2M in salary and bonuses in 2019.
This industry is a travesty and an injustice to our senior citizens. It really needs attention at the Federal and State level with higher standards of care at reasonable rates that most can afford.
More statistics here: https://archive.investigativereportingworkshop.org/investigation/industry-lobbying-left-nursing-home-patients-at-risk/
Very timely!
Long term care insurance is really expensive and the prices jump every year but we think it well worth while.