State and Federal Regulations for Nursing Homes for the Elderly

Although it does not usually make news headlines and is rarely discussed, nursing home residents and the elderly experience abuse sometimes on a daily basis. Medical errors, physical abuse, or stealing from them could all be classified as abuse. All around the world today, a population that is not able to help itself is being harmed, whether it is physical or sexual abuse, exploitation, or not being properly supervised; the elderly and nursing home residents are being abused.

Last year Congress passed the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act. This act supports and advises families with caregivers. "This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop, maintain, and periodically update a National Family Caregiving Strategy." (www.congress.gov) Former President Barak Obama also supported contributed to the AARP organization by creating the Obama Care Bill. This bill helped families of any age receive health care. The Federal government is also tackling the illegal discharge of patients in nurse

How the Long-Term-Care Homes Act makes their goal possible is by having the participation of mutual respect for all of the residents, the resident’s families/friends,

The new California law in effect as of 1-1-16 will affect home care companies, as well as those employed by such companies. A new state license is required for many companies (but not all companies) that provide clients with non-medical in-home care. It also mandates that the same companies only utilize home care workers individually registered – but only when they hire workers from licensed home care companies. If you are an Orange County or Long Beach resident, and you require home care services, you could benefit from exploring the main points of this law.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689&page=1 In some senior homes, many patients are treated poorly, many employees don't even take good care of their patients because they ignore them or do not give them the right medication. Over 90% of Nursing Homes in the United States have had some kind of violation or confirmed complaint in the last 3 years. Some of these issues are minor and some are life

As the healthcare system in this country has changed, so have traditional nursing homes. Families have the right to expect that their loved ones will be taken care of by professionals in a caring environment. Unfortunately, may people are being abused and neglected in nursing homes. It is very clear that abuse is a serious problem among nursing home patients, and something needs to be done to put a stop to it.

Congress. Codified as section 1819 and 1919 of the Social Security Act, the landmark legislation declared that every nursing home must protect and promote the rights of each resident, including, “The right to be free from … any physical or chemical restraints imposed for purposes of discipline or convenience and not required to treat the resident’s medical symptoms.” When the Nursing Home Reform Act was adopted it was widely accepted to use restraints as an acceptable and widely-used option to manage the behavior of residents who wandered; were agitated; or who in the view of treatment staff, simply needed to be restrained. However, the standard use of restraints was not supported by a body of research that found that physical restraints had

Introduce Topic: In 1987 President Ronald Reagan passed the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act. This Act, also known as the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA), brought reform and a set of standards of care for people living in certified nursing facilities. (Hollis) Included in these set of standards, is the “Resident’s Bill of Rights”, which states that residents of nursing facilities have “The right to be free from … any physical or chemical restraints imposed for purposes of discipline or convenience and not required to treat the resident’s medical symptoms”. (U.S. Code Title 42 Chapter 7)

Governance means overseeing of an organization. Leadership means getting others to do what is needed done. Integration means to bring together, giving equal opportunity. Long term care system on historical trends in the 20th century there was pressure from an industrial society to establish a long-term care facility to care for the industrial workers aging.

Moreover, physical restraints have been associated with cognitive impairment, nosocomial infections, pressure sores and death (Lund and Sheafor, 1985). As time pursues with innovation and change, the image of nursing home facilities needs to be restored as an environment that adheres to the federal regulations, as well as restoring the image of being a safe haven that still has the luxury of being compared to a personal home.

Before there was any type of reform, legislation those that were running these Long-Term Services were abusing and neglecting the patients they were be paid to take care of, in light of quality of life. They were giving them medications that were keep them in deep trances were they didn’t have to care for them, but could keep them in a trance like state for hours and even days at times. “Although Nursing Home Care in general has improved, problems persist in areas relevant to end-of-life care, including pressure sore, malnutrition, dehydration, pain and quality of life.” (Sarah Thompson, 2008 ) These were all serious issues that needed to be addressed and major improvements starting happening within Long-Term

However, elder abuse is also common among the millions of elder Americans who reside in nursing homes. A study where 2,000 nursing home residents were interviewed, reported that 44% of the residents had been abused and 95% said they had been neglected or seen another resident neglected. They also state that 91% of nursing homes lack adequate staff to properly care for patients and 36% are known to have been in violation of elderly abuse laws (National Center on Elder Abuse). This information is extremely alarming. If these facts have already been uncovered, why is it that no one is doing anything to prevent this from happening to others?

Elderly abuse in nursing homes in America is an uprising issue. Elders make up a large portion of our population and they deserve the equality. This issue is very important because eventually this could affect you personally, or a loved one in your family. I stand for better environments in these nursing homes and find it terrible that elders get treated so poorly. The reason the number of reports on elder abuse has gone up so rapidly in the past decade is because the number of elders has drastically risen. There is an increase in the number of elders not only because Americans are living longer than ever before, but also because the next generation of senior citizens is larger than ever before. It has been predicted

The history of what is known as “nursing homes” in America is actually a relatively short one. Facilities set aside solely for the purpose of providing care for the elderly and infirm were nonexistent. Most elderly were cared for by their family, and if they had none, their only other choice was the almshouse. Almshouses were harsh institutions where the elderly lived alongside the insane, the inebriated, and the homeless. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, women’s and church groups began establishing homes specifically for the elderly. However, these homes often required considerable entrance fees and certificates of good character, making it difficult for the average elder to find placement in one (Nursing Home History, n.d.). Even

In response to congressional request concerning protection of nursing home residents and the responsiveness of government agencies to allegations of resident abuse, the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted an investigation to examine the acts of alleged physical and sexual abuse committed by nursing home employees against nursing home residents. The study was conducted from years 1999 through 2000 in three states—Illinois, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. After reviewing documentation from state survey agencies of 158 physical and sexual abuse allegations, results concluded three major findings: allegations of physical and sexual abuse of nursing home residents frequently are reported late, few allegations of abuse are ultimately