Nursing Home Regulations & HB 468

By Catherine L. Barrett

The main problem is that we need to change the way that nursing home staff are treated and more importantly we need to improve the care that the residents are receiving.

2.) As the Department of Health held hearings and developed these regulations which will affect healthcare workers and residents, those who represent direct line care-givers were not asked to participate.

3.) The only group present to represent the nursing home residents was the nursing home ombudsman group and this is clearly not enough.

4.) The main problem is that we need to change the way that nursing home staff are treated and more importantly we need to improve the care that the residents are receiving.

5.) HB468 seeks to require the nursing homes to maintain a specified ratio of nurses and nurse aides to residents, but it is currently stalled in the House health, Retirement and Aging Committee.

6.) For example workers are being injured because they are forced to lift patients that more than one staff person should lift. These workers are forced to lift patients by themselves because there is not enough staff.

7.) The cost of care in nursing homes is more expensive because of poor staffing.

8.) Patients are experiencing problems that could be prevented with proper care.

9.) Meanwhile nursing home injury and illness rates are increasing because there are not enough staff to work with patients on preventive care.

10.) HB 468 needs the listeners' support. If we could get enough people to send letters to the statehouse regarding HB 468 urging for another hearing, perhaps we can improve a system that is in a sad need of change.