Lawmakers are in debate over new proposed regulations increasing accountability for nursing homes. The regulations seek to provide a higher quality of care for nursing home patients. However, nursing home owners believe the changes are too difficult to make. Proposed changes include assessment of patients within 48 hours, allowing patients to have more choice in their food, daily schedules, and bed time and morning wake up times, and a grievance officer at each facility to take complaints.
“This is a very concerted effort to undermine the basic protections for residents of nursing homes,” said one lawmaker. “We have a lot of substandard nursing homes. We have complaints. There are deaths. There is abuse,” said the professor emeritus of a state university, with years of nursing home study experience. “And what we need are more regulations, not less.” For more, read the story.
