Improving the Quality of Life in American Nursing Homes is Possible

As I've noted in earlier posts, a major concern related to the future of elder care is whether nursing homes, which are largely owned by private, for-profit companies will be able to survive the continual shrinking of public funding available to pay the nursing home bill.

While those with enough money to pay for their care privately can usually afford to get care at home or at other, more attractive alternatives to nursing homes, 70 percent of most nursing home beds are paid for by the Medicaid program for the very poor.

When the President signed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA)in 2006, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted that the Act "is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by $11.5 billion over the five-year period and by $43.2 billion over the next ten years."

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys issued a statement saying that the DRA creates “A health care crisis of unprecedented magnitude for our most vulnerable citizens.”

The nursing home industry, strongly opposed the bill. Many of its members are already facing serious budget constraints. The American Health Care Association, a group representing nearly 11,000 long-term care providers, said the change" leaves the nursing facility (not the state) to collect from individuals who have no funds to pay privately and are not Medicaid eligible during their penalty phase." As a result, some are referring to the start date change as the “The Nursing Home Bankruptcy Act of 2005.”

Hyman Darling, a NAELA attorney from Massachusetts agrees with that assessment. Darling, an estate-planning specialist with the Springfield-based law firm Bacon & Wilson asks, “Who’s going to pay those bills? A lot of times, they simply won’t be paid, and the nursing homes will really suffer.”


It's been more than a year since the law was passed and the number of nursing homes that rely primarily on Medicaid for payment continues to shrink, there are still some emcouraging efforts to improve the quality of life in America's nursing homes.

In yesterday's Daily Herald, a Chicago based newspaper there is an article about the "Pioneer Movement", which advocates changing conventional notions of nursing homes as a place for the dying.


You can read the complete article at this link http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=34134


"Increasingly, suburban elder-care providers are adding activities, such as interactive games, happy hour, breakfast clubs and gardening, converting traditional cafeterias into dining rooms, turning bathing into a spa experience and introducing household comforts to a sterile medical environment."

"The Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights, Elmhurst Extended Care Center, Paradise Park Assisted Living and Memory Care in Fox Lake and the Wealshire in Lincolnshire are among those with such changes in place."

"Experts say it signals a growing trend to offer residents more choices and fewer restrictions. While part of the aim is to stay competitive in a growing senior services market, the larger goal is a healthier psychological and social environment for seniors."


"I think eventually it's going to catch on," said Robyn O'Neill, the state's regional long-term care ombudsman representing suburban Cook and Lake counties. "The hope is that it should dramatically change elder care. It certainly is a growing movement, but it takes a long time because people have to rethink (traditional ways)."

"The Pioneer Movement informally began in 1997 when 33 health care professionals, researchers and educators from throughout the country met for three days in Rochester, N.Y., to share their isolated efforts to modernize elder care."

"It has grown into the National Pioneer Network, which brings together a variety of innovative elder care concepts under its umbrella. The coalition's recent national conference in Minnesota drew 1,100 elder-care providers from 46 states, England and Canada."

A short video "The Pioneer Movement: The Changing Face of Eldercare" is available at the following link http://www.dailyherald.com/multimedia/?category=16&type=video&item=1

Lake County elder care