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KENTUCKIANS FOR NURSING HOME REFORM |
“A non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare of the “Forgotten Kentuckians” |
NURSING HOME REFORM NEWSLETTERApril
11, 2007
THREE DEMOCRATS SAY THEY WILL SUPPORT STAFFING STANDARDS, IF ELECTED GOVERNOR; ONE REPUBLICAN SAYS HE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE ISSUES In a survey of all the candidates in the Democratic and Republican primary for governor, three Democrats say that as governor they would support a key nursing home reform issue, and a Republican candidate said he would like to learn more. Kentuckians For Nursing Home Reform, a statewide advocacy organization, asked the candidates: “If elected governor, would you support state legislation to establish the very bare minimum staffing ratios for front-line caregivers (the nurses” aides) necessary to prevent harm to the nursing home residents?” Democrats answering, “yes” were: Gatewood Galbraith, Lexington Jonathan Miller, Lexington Jody Richards, Bowling Green On the Republican side, Billy Harper of Paducah, indicated to a board member of Kentuckians For Nursing Home Reform that he was interested in learning more about nursing home reform issues. The organization has offered to help Mr. Harper learn more about the issues. The other two Republican hopefuls and the other four Democratic candidates did not answer the survey. Here is each Democratic candidate’s full answer: Galbraith: “Yes, I support state legislation to establish "bare minimum staffing ratios" for caregivers necessary to prevent harm to the residents. As you may remember, my father was a resident in a home for 17 years and I still am grateful for the care he received from some very dedicated nurses and their aides. They should be duly-compensated and provided the help they need to attend to the people in their care. I believe the state has an oversight role in providing for same.” Miller: ”As Governor I would support such legislation. For years we have heard case after case of understaffing situations in nursing homes and other facilities of care that leave not only the patient in harm’s way but the staff as well. Care for our most needy is not an opportunity to do more with less. We must care for our people with dignity and respect and must treat the hardworking and caring men and women who have dedicated their careers to this service with the professional courtesy and empowerment needed and deserved.” Richards “Yes, I would support any legislation that adds protections for our seniors and improves their quality of life. Establishing minimum staffing ratios is one way to accomplish that. In addition, other issues need to be addressed, including professional standards, training and pay, to stem the problem of high turnover rates among direct-care providers, which threaten the crucial relationship between home clients and aides.”
WHOM SHOULD I VOTE FOR? That’s your call. Your decision. But it appears that if you are a Democrat you have three good choices. And if you are a Republican, you have one leaning the right way.
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER NEXT TIME YOU VOTE…. § The Fletcher administration made the job of state long-term care ombudsman a political appointment. That’s bad in any state. That’s bad in Kentucky because anytime the wealthy nursing home industry wants, they can tell the governor they support with their contributions to tell the state long-term care ombudsman to back off of something they don’t like. Or, they can have the appointee fired. § The Fletcher administration, over the objections of advocates for nursing home reform, set up a new department called Aging and Independent Living. Advocates maintained strongly that it should have been Aging, Independent Living and Long-Term Care. But, of course, the administration prevailed.
LETTERS: ‘… BEHIND CLOSED DOORS… SUFFERING….” -- Having worked as a nurse in the nursing home industry off and on over the span of 25 years, including hospitals, and agency work, I am begging the public to get involved to put a stop to the staffing shortage that these places allow by refusing to pay the price needed to provide quality care. One nurse cannot care properly for 30 patients at one shift. I recently got a phone call from a heartbroken tearful nurse venting to me that with 90 patients they were working with 3 nurses, plus nursing assistants. This is beyond stupid. The nurse was having to go from one side of the building to the other to pass meds to patients. The observations of the patients is all up to nursing assistants to judge. This means that untrained people who are not trained in what to really watch for are expected to determine when a patient is in need of a nurses intervention, and when they are not! This means unskilled staff are pretty much left to themselves and the expectation is that they will provide quality care without direct supervision. We have many caring nursing assistants that could and would do the best they could. We have a lot that won't as well. This industry is all about making money for the corporation anymore. It is not about providing quality care regardless. The heart is no longer there to give what needs to be given to these elderly patients. We are losing the excellent nurses in the profession, because they refuse to give such substandard care on their watches. We are ending up with nurses who tolerate the situation and remain silent. The industry also targets nurses who complain, and the administrations weed out the nurses who will not just put up with the money making machines progress. Behind closed doors our precious elderly population is suffering. They are not getting to have a say, because many can no longer speak up for themselves. Like helpless babies, they must suffer whatever situation they are in because they are unable to speak, or if they do, they are ignored. Indeed, nurses who speak up are frequently forced to realize that if they are fired, another employer may very well be afraid to hire them due to the complaints of their last employer, and the complaints they were not submissive to directives from administration will be well heard and acted upon by a future employer thinking to hire. This is a powerful weapon against many excellent nurses who are heads of household with minor children to raise! Nurses are fighting back as only they can....by finding different jobs outside of nursing. As for pay...nurses right now are very poorly paid indeed for the work they do, the responsibility they have. A local hospital ad ran for a clerk to do admissions with a range to $17.00 an hour. Many LPN's here make $16.00 an hour with a patient load of 25 or more patients. Who in their right mind would keep doing that day in and day out, when they could sit down and make more money and have less responsibility by far! Nursing shortages is a lie contrived by administrators who want an excuse to keep up this scam. There are lots of nurses who would love to work, and give good care, for a fair wage. By the way...the nurse that called me about the 90 patient load for 3 nurses, called me back to tell me later that due to that week-end, 2 nurses had given notice and quit. Truth is there is no nursing shortage...only nurses sick and tired of the threats, poor staffing, and terrible quality of care administration tolerates. NAME WITHHELD
ANOTHER INTERESTING LETTER …. -- I do not understand how most folks seem to think "not-for-profit" nursing homes provide much better care than Medicaid-funded nursing homes. I have no experience with homes funded by Medicaid but have a lot with the other and, believe me, the care is not great. You have heard from me many times. We have gone to the administrators, state, and board members. The bottom line is that the elderly residents are the least important in their eyes. We have been told that the standard of care we expect (hope and pray for) "ain't gonna happen." That is pretty much a direct quote from administration. No one has time. However, when staffing is good, there is a lot of personal cell phone usage, staff taking breaks together while residents are placed in front of a TV. Medication errors are numerous and not investigated. The unit dose system more than quadrupled the cost of medications for the residents but did not eliminate medication errors. Because billings are never correct, we (family) investigate the billing errors and find pills not given and not signed off. There is no system to correct these errors. Or, if there is, it is not effective. Our family members get good care because we provide it. We need good people in the administrative and directors positions. If they are only self-concerned and self-involved nothing will get better for the residents. NAME WITHHELD
SHORT STUFF · A statewide survey of Kentuckians will get underway this summer as part of the Kentucky Elder Readiness Initiative, a program to find out if the baby boomers will be able to adjust to the aging process and all that goes with it. After the survey, reports will be made on the results statewide and in the 15 area agencies on aging, according to Graham Rowles, head of the UK Center on Gerontology and one of the project leaders. · The big (huge) federal agency, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), says that this year they will begin working on a system where nursing homes report their staffing data electronically based on actual payroll. The present system will allow facilities to fudge a little, if they want to, on how many staff are on duty at any time. Or, as CMS says it: “Because the information is self-reported by nursing homes and has certain limitations, CMS cautions users to view the information with care and only in the context of many other factors (more specifically, family visits to nursing homes in their area).” In other words, you can’t trust the data the industry gives the federal CMS people, something advocates have known for a long time. This data most often is found on a Web site called, “Nursing Home Compare.” · Mark your calendar for the very popular University of Kentucky Annual Summer Series on Aging, June 25-27 at the Marriott Hotel in Lexington. Call (859) 257-8301 for more information. · Anne Veno, wife of former state inspector general Tim Veno, has been named the chief executive officer of the Episcopal Church Home in Louisville. Mr. Veno is now the president of the Kentucky Association of Homes and Services for the Aging in Louisville, a nursing home industry lobbying and trade organization. · Worst nursing home news we have ever heard: A 90-year-old dementia patient in a California nursing home was reportedly found alone in his room with a dead rat lodged in his mouth.
DON’T MISS THESE SEMINARS …. Kentuckians For Nursing Home Reform will sponsor four free educational seminars this spring and summer in Lexington and Louisville.
Sunday May 20 in Lexington – “What’s Your Question About Nursing Homes?” At 2 p.m. at Sal’s Chophouse in the Lansdowne Shopping Center in Lexington. Experts answering your questions will be Kathy Gannoe, executive director of the Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass; Steven D. Davis, acting director of the Office of the Inspector General, state Cabinet for Health and Family Services; and Wanda Delaplane, attorney and successful plaintiff in a lawsuit against a nursing home.
Sunday June 10 in Louisville – “What’s Your Question About Nursing Homes?” At 2 p.m. at the Beargrass Christian Church in Louisville, corner of Shelbyville Road and Browns Lane. Same panel as in Lexington except Mel Pfister will be the ombudsman representative instead of Ms. Gannoe. Ms. Pfister in the nursing home district ombudsman in the Louisville area. Sunday Oct. 28 in Lexington – Jim Wilkes, the speaker. At 2 p.m. at Sal’s Chophouse in the Lansdowne Shopping Center in Lexington. Mr. Wilkes is co-founder of Wilkes & McHugh, one of the most respected law firms in the nation with a solid record of success in its advocacy for the elderly and more than $200 million in verdicts in the past five years. Sunday Nov. 11 in Louisville -- This seminar will feature both state and national lawmakers discussing nursing home reform and action that needs to be taken in the Congress and legislature. Panel members to be announced soon. It also will be at 2 p.m. at Beargrass Christian Church. These seminars are made possible by generous grants from the Kentucky Family Safety Foundation, the Kentucky Justice Association, People’s Bank and Trust of Madison County, Sal’s Chophouse, and Beargrass Christian Church.
MEMORIALIZE YOUR LOVED ONES KENTUCKIANS FOR NURSING HOME REFORM is now officially a non-profit organization. Any donations to the organization are tax deductible by the donor. With that in mind, we offer for your consideration the thought that memorials at the time of death of a loved one or friend could be in the form of donations to KENTUCKIANS FOR NURSING HOME REFORM, 1530 Nicholasville Road, Lexington, KY 40503.
NEWS NOTES…. We get tons of information in here that affect nursing home reform. We want to share this information with those of you who are interested, but rather than putting it all in our newsletter we will post some of it on our web site: http://www.KyNursingHomeReform.org Go there now and see what we mean.
P.S. An outing at the track A group of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, accompanied by two female teachers, went on a field trip to Keeneland race track to learn about thoroughbred horses and mostly to see the horses. When it was time to take the children to the bathroom it was decided that the girls would go with one teacher and the boys would go with the other. The teacher assigned to the boys was waiting outside the men's room when one of the boys came out and told her that none of them could reach the urinal. Having no choice, she went inside, helped the boys with their pants, and began hoisting the little boys up one by one and holding on to direct the flow. As she lifted one, she couldn't help but notice that he was unusually well endowed. Trying not to show that she was staring, the teacher said, "You must be in the 5th grade." "No, ma'am, " he replied. "I'm the jockey riding Silver Arrow in the seventh."
THAT’S
IT FOR THIS TIME, BUT DON’T FORGET...
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