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5 Myths You Should Know Before Choosing Elder Care
Myths associated with selecting quality nursing home care suggest quick and easy ways to identify quality care. In fact, relying on these myths can lead to disastrous results. I have identified a few of the most common myths in hopes of helping you avoid some of the problems commonly found in many nursing homes. 1. The Smell Test You've heard it repeatedly: "The best way to determine the quality of care a nursing home provides is to be alert to bad odors when you visit the home." It seldom, if ever, works. Why? Nursing home administrators have heard the very same advice. As a result, they are particularly sensitive to unpleasant odors in any area that might receive visitors. Almost all will do their best to remove offensive odors as quickly as possible, even when it means avoiding their primary responsibility to their residents. 2. The Personal Recommendation Recently, I heard a guest on a radio talk show state that the very best way to find great nursing home care is to get recommendations from a friend. Like other myths, there is a grain of truth here, but you must check whether your friend has had extensive interactions with the nursing home recommended. Often that is not the case. Last weekend I dealt with an emergency call from Jim, a friend who had placed his mother in a nursing home recommended by a friend. Although she was recuperating from a stroke, no nurse or aide checked on her condition for more than 14 hours. Jim discovered her in the morning with many cuts and bruises, her bedsheets soaked in blood. He was astonished that anyone would recommend such a poor care facility. "My friend said her grandmother was in this particular nursing home," he reported. "So, I thought it would be good care." "How often does your friend visit her grandmother?" I asked him. "I didn't think to ask," he responded. "And did you check the latest survey for that nursing home?" "No," he answered. "I thought a personal recommendation was all I needed." Jim's mother is now back in an area hospital. No one knows yet how much damage this experience caused to her recovery. 3. You Get What You Pay For Nowhere is this statement less applicable than in nursing home care. In fact, I'd replace it with another shibboleth -- "Buyer Beware." Our own research, encompassing more than 6000 nursing homes and more than 100 assisted living facilities shows no relationship between cost and quality of care. You may find quality care in an expensive facility, or you may not! Similarly, the fact that a facility is low-cost does not indicate whether you'll get poor, average, or quality care. You have to do your homework. Relying on price as the sole indicator of quality care can lead to disastrous results. 4. Adequate Staffing Equals Quality Care A recent report by the Senate's Special Committee on Aging indicated that quality care for a single nursing home resident requires more than three hours each day of nursing and nursing aide time. However, statistical analysis of the latest federal database on nursing home deficiencies indicates no relationship between quality of care and staffing levels. This finding is consistent with a number of university studies. What should you look for, then, in nursing home staffing levels? There is a level below which nursing homes are so understaffed that quality care can not be provided. I'd suggest that you not consider any home providing a level less than two hours per day per resident. For levels greater than this, I'd focus not on the number of hours available for care but on the motivation of staff available to provide care. Those who are motivated to care for the elderly will do so. Those who are motivated only by a paycheck will probably provide shoddy care regardless of their numbers. 5. A Well-Known Chain Will Provide the Best Care This is another myth that can lead to tragedy. Sometimes, well- known companies do provide top-quality care. In other instances, however, a quick review of newspapers and magazines will show you other companies with long records of legal troubles stemming from accusations of neglect and abuse. One such company has been sued simultaneously by several states' attorneys general. How will you know? The company is not likely to tell you, so you won't know unless you take the time to look into the company's historical performance. There you have it -- 5 myths exploded! What does work? There is no substitute for your own personal investigation. With a little research, with personal visits to nursing homes before you sign anything, you can avoid many of the difficulties that have come to those who relied on such myths. About The Author Copyright 2002, Phyllis Staff. Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. - Phyllis Staff is an experimental psychologist and the CEO of The Best Is Yet.Net, and the author of How to Find Great Senior Housing: A Roadmap for Elders and Those Who Love Them (2002).
MORE RESOURCES: The dual challenge of the "sandwich generation": Raising children while caring for aging parents CBS News 'Failure of government': Nunavut elder care needs to be brought home, federal minister says - CBC.ca As LI’s older population grows, so does the need for elder care services - Long Island Business News As LI’s older population grows, so does the need for elder care services Long Island Business News Long-Term Care, Retirement Home and Elder Care Lodge Resources | HKPR District Health Unit Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit The pandemic exposed staff shortages at nursing homes. A new White House push aims for a remedy Yahoo News Canada Biden administration imposes first-ever staff minimum for nursing homes The Washington Post Winnipeg's home-style elder care cottages – Winnipeg Free Press Winnipeg Free Press MLAs still fighting for Elder care closer to home Nunavut News Biden administration sets nursing home staffing minimums Medical Xpress With dementia rates projected to rise, northerners call for better elder care in Nunavut Nunatsiaq News MLA presses government on status of elder-care home work Nunatsiaq News Breaking down stigmas to redefine and enrich elder living Mobihealth News Could a robot keep grandma company? UBC IDEA lab experiments with AI for elder care - Ubyssey Online Biden's Nursing Home Mandate Will Do To Rural Senior Care What Obamacare Did To Hospitals Science 2.0 Elder care lodge gets $2.9M from feds The Brandon Sun Ontario Breaks Ground on Long-Term Care Home in First Nation Community Government of Ontario News A fire, two deaths and the business of elder care in India Al Jazeera English Creating 'centres of excellence' will help improve senior care in hospitals, says health minister CBC.ca Whatever Happened to All Those Care Robots? The Atlantic Biden administration unveils new rule on nursing home staffing levels • Indiana Capital Chronicle Indiana Capital Chronicle FPT Health Ministers’ Meeting Ends In Disappointment With No Immediate Action For Struggling Workers SEIU Healthcare Senior hospitalized with multiple infections suffered neglect in care home, children allege - CBC.ca LGBTQIA+ seniors have limited choices for aged care. Julie Peters went searching for options ABC News Blessing of Unicorns: Liberalism, children, eldercare, the Lyceum movement, and beautiful writing Current Perley Health Foundation reaches $10M goal to transform elder care – Ottawa Business Journal Ottawa Business Journal Frailty Coordinator Lauren Jefferson supports seniors in their health care journey Nova Scotia Health Authority Connecting Ontarians to The Tools They Need to Stay Healthy This Respiratory Illness Season | Ontario Newsroom Government of Ontario News The Elderhood Care Team: Bringing medical house-calls to elders - The Seeker Newsmagazine Cornwall The Seeker Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care The New York Times Seniors spend thousands on dental work, suffer in pain or wind up in ERs. Will Canada's plan help? CBC News As America ages, there are few doctors who specialize in seniors’ care The Washington Post Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital Embarks on Transformative Elderly Care with the Implementation of the Hospital ... Cornwall Seaway News Rock and Roll and Elder Care in “Goldie” The New Yorker BC's long-term care homes are failing our seniors The Georgia Straight VR can help seniors in nursing homes with mood, memory and loneliness The Washington Post NYU study finds understaffed nursing homes in disadvantaged areas more likely to give antipsychotic drugs Crain's New York Business Mohawk elder-care home project breaks ground The Intelligencer Ontario Breaks Ground on Long-Term Care Home in Scarborough Government of Ontario News Retirement and loneliness: 3 tips for seniors to combat sadness during their golden years - Fox News How will AI affect care? Let us count the ways McKnight's Senior Living The only long-term care home in Fort St. John, B.C., is failing seniors, family members say - CBC.ca B.C. seniors' care home system criticized CityNews Vancouver Asahi Kasei Microdevices Unveils Radar Technology for Car Safety and Elder Care at CES 2024 | 2023 | News | Asahi ... Asahi Kasei Corporation Avel eCare purchase grows telehealth reach to more than 200 senior care facilities - McKnight's Senior Living Your View: Increased Medicaid funding for senior services can restore access to care for older Pennsylvanians The Morning Call Elderly care: How can countries cope with ageing populations? World Economic Forum Elder care home under construction on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Ontario Construction News VP Harris flaunts new nursing home staffing rule to union audience McKnight's Long-Term Care News Construction underway on upgraded Village Green in Napanee, Elder care home on TMT The Napanee Beaver Paying for Long-Term Care | National Institute on Aging National Institute on Aging |
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