Nursing home residents are among society’s most vulnerable citizens. Regrettably, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which regulates nursing homes, reports that the number of citations for putting patients in “immediate jeopardy” increased 22 percent from 2000 to 2006. Those citations include the physical or sexual abuse of patients and leaving them without medications.
Year’s end is the time when we look back and look forward. A time to learn from our mistakes and make things better! My wish for 2008 is that America’s nursing home industry takes a hard look at the substandard care it provides and move to make substantial improvements.