For-Profit Nursing Homes ÛÒ Yet Another Study Suggests Poorer Quality than Counterparts
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| Profit or patient? |
Yet another study, this one by the University of California at San Francisco research team led by Charlene Harrington, RN, Ph.D., and backed by the Service Employees International Union, suggests that lower levels of nursing staff in large for-profit nursing home chains have resulted in substantially lower quality of care when compared to government-owned or non-profit nursing homes.
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Researchers compared staffing levels and facility deficiencies received by the United StatesÛª 10 biggest nursing home chains, versus facilities run by five other types of ownership groups.åÊ
- Between 2003 and 2008, the for-profit facilities had fewer nurse ÛÏstaffing hours,Û researchers said.
- The 10 largest nursing home chains received 36% more deficiencies from regulators, according to the study.
- Additionally, the for-profit sites received more deficiencies after being purchased by private equity groups than before the purchases.
We have said this before. When investigating care options for your loved one, this is yet one more factor to consider. Ask about their profit status and probe to find who really owns the facility. These are becoming increasingly important factors.
For-Profit Nursing Homes äóñ Yet Another Study Suggests Poorer Quality than Counterparts
|
| Profit or patient? |
Yet another study, this one by the University of California at San Francisco research team led by Charlene Harrington, RN, Ph.D., and backed by the Service Employees International Union, suggests that lower levels of nursing staff in large for-profit nursing home chains have resulted in substantially lower quality of care when compared to government-owned or non-profit nursing homes.
æ
Researchers compared staffing levels and facility deficiencies received by the United Statesäó» 10 biggest nursing home chains, versus facilities run by five other types of ownership groups.æ
- Between 2003 and 2008, the for-profit facilities had fewer nurse äóìstaffing hours,äó researchers said.
- The 10 largest nursing home chains received 36% more deficiencies from regulators, according to the study.
- Additionally, the for-profit sites received more deficiencies after being purchased by private equity groups than before the purchases.
We have said this before. When investigating care options for your loved one, this is yet one more factor to consider. Ask about their profit status and probe to find who really owns the facility. These are becoming increasingly important factors.
How to Know When Your Loved One is Ready for a Facility
The following is a guest post from Sandra Harris.
No one really wants to get old and reach the point where they can no longer care for themselves. But, as hard as it is on the older person, itäó»s just as hard on his or her family and loved ones who must make the often heart-wrenching decision to move their loved one to a residential care facility.
Knowing when the time has come to choose a residential care facility can be difficult. Start the process early before your loved one is even ready to make the move. Take the time necessary to research different residential care facilities, ensuring that you donäó»t pick the first place you see. Visit them. Talk to staff and, if you can, talk to residents. You and your loved one really need to get a feel for whether the facility is right for your family.
But, now that you have a better idea of where you want your loved one to live, how do you know when itäó»s time to make the move?
Sometimes itäó»s not possible for families to care for their loved ones because they live too far away. But, there comes a time when your loved one cannot care for himself anymore. He may be in denial that he is unable to care for himself, not wanting to admit heäó»s getting older and cannot do the things he once did.
Memory loss, an inability to or disinterest in caring for oneäó»s personal hygiene, and forgetting or simply not taking necessary medications may all indicate your loved one is no longer capable of caring for himself without the kind of assistance a residential care facility can provide.
Other telltale signs typically include:
äæææææ Your loved oneäó»s home äóñ both inside and outside äóñ isnäó»t as clean as it once was. Laundry may be piling up; the floors may be dirty, and the home may be in disarray.
äæææææ You start noticing bruises on your loved one, even though he tries to cover them up. Bruises could mean he is falling, which can be especially dangerous if he lives alone.
äæææææ Your loved one wears the same outfit every time you visit him.
Like countless adult children across the country and the world, you may be taking care of your loved one as he ages. But, depending on his health issues, he may need 24 hour care that you simply cannot provide him. Itäó»s natural to feel guilty about considering moving a loved one to a residential care facility, but you may get to the point where you can no longer provide the level of care that is necessary for your loved one to live safely and comfortably or he simply cannot live alone any longer.
Talk with your loved one about your concerns. Giving up oneäó»s independence isnäó»t easy, so be prepared to deal with arguments and resistance. Make sure your loved one is involved in the process of researching and looking at residential care facilities before the time comes to move to one, so he feels involved and knows what to expect.
Many Planning to Work Into Their Eighties
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| Planning to work after 80? @Imagno, Getty Images |
Middle class Americans plan to save up a specific amount before retiring and put less emphasis on a given retirement age.æ Many even plan to work into their eighties in order to live comfortably in retirement. That according to Wells Fargo. Psst, don’t mention this study to my wife! She is not planning to do this and well she can afford not to. As for me however…
- Three-fourths of middle class Americans expect to work in their retirement years.
æ - About 54 percent of those aged 40 to 59 say that they will need to work in retirement to live comfortably in their golden years.
æ - Only 25 percent say they will work in retirement because they want to.
æ - A quarter of all respondents said they will need to work past aged 80 in order to maintain a comfortable quality of life in retirement.
Joe Ready, director of Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust asks: äóìWill people be physically and mentally able to work later in life? What will it mean for young people entering the workforce? And, how does our system of retirement savings need to be reformed to help reduce the savings gap?äó
The median retirement savings goal was 350,000 dollars, while 29 percent of people in their 60s have saved less than 25,000 dollars for retirement. Furthermore, respondents significantly underestimated the cost of the healthcare expenses they will likely pay in their retirement. Most of those surveyed estimated a median of 60,000 dollars in costs, while only 20 percent estimated 100,000 dollars or more, which is a more accurate prediction.
Perhaps this is more a lesson for young people about saving for retirement. Because I think many of us of a certain age already know the realities.
