A Handy Guide to America's Worst Nursing Homes

Last Fall the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)issued their annual report of the nations's worst performing nursing homes. 120 nursing homes nationwide were cited in the report as having serious problems.


Fifty-four nursing homes are being told by the government that they’re among the worst in their states "in an effort to goad them into improving patient care".(This report is a classic example of government's hypocrisy when it comes to long-term care. The overwhelming majority of residents in the CMS cited facilities are paid for by Medicaid...at a re-imbursement rate that is LESS than it costs the facilities to care for these patients. The federal agency that oversees the Medicaid program is none other than...the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.)

CMS uses a designation they developed about 10 years ago to identify homes that merit more oversight. They call these worst performing facilities “special focus facilities.” For these homes, states conduct inspections at six month intervals rather than annually.

So if anyone you care about is in need of a nursing home now or in the future you'll want to steer clear of the list below. These 54 are the "worst of the worst" according to the CMS report.

Alabama
Eastview Health Care Center, in Birmingham
Woodley Manor Health & Rehabilitation, Montgomery

Arkansas
Benson’s Nursing Home Inc., Nashville

California
Yuba City Care Center, Yuba City

Colorado
Eagle Ridge at Grand Valley, Grand Junction
Kindred Healthcare & Rehab Center of Northglenn, Northglenn

Connecticut
Wethersfield Health Care Center, Wethersfield

Florida
Apollo Health & Rehab Center, St. Petersburg
Key West Convalescent Center, in Key West
Palms Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Lauderdale Lakes

Georgia
Laurel Baye Healthcare of Lake Lanier, Buford
The Place at Augusta, Augusta
Shoreham at Marietta, Marietta

Hawaii
Leahi Hospital, Honolulu

Iowa
Blair House, Burlington

Idaho
Gooding Rehab & Living Center, Gooding

Illinois
Berkshire Nursing & Rehab Center, Forest Park

Indiana
Hillcrest Centre for Health and Rehabilitation, Jeffersonville
Valparaiso Care and Rehabilitation Center, Valparaiso

Kansas
Atchison Senior Village, Atchison
Ottawa Retirement Village, Ottawa

Louisiana
Lake Providence Subacute Rehab, Lake Providence
Plaquemine Caring LLC, Plaquemine

Massachusetts
Cedar Hill Health Care Center, Randolph
Milton Health Care, Milton

Minnesota
Golden Valley Rehabilitation and Care Center, Golden Valley
Mcintosh Manor, Mcintosh.

Missouri
Senior Estates, Kansas City
St Elizabeth Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Florissant
West Village Manor, Columbia

Mississippi
Hinds County Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Jackson

Montana
Evergreen Missoula Health & Rehab, Missoula

North Carolina
Sunbridge Care & Rehab/Triad, in High Point

New Jersey
Victoria Health Care Center, Matawan

New Mexico
Fort Bayard Medical Center, Fort Bayard

Nevada
Evergreen Mountainview Health, Carson City

New York
Vivian Teal Howard Rhcf, Syracuse

Oklahoma
Northwest Nursing Center, Oklahoma City
Pawhuska Nursing Home, Pawhuska

Pennsylvania
Ashton Hall Nursing and Rehab, Philadelphia
Brighten at Broomall, Broomall

South Carolina
Magnolia Manor — Moncks Corner, Moncks Corner
Ridgeview Manor Nursing Facility, in Hopkins

South Dakota
Aberdeen Healthcare Center, in Aberdeen
Bennett County Hospital and Nursing Home, Martin

Tennessee
Overton Park Health Care Center, Memphis

Texas
Taylor Care Center, Taylor

Virginia
Ruxton Health of Woodbridge, Woodbridge

Washington
Evergreen Centralia Health & R, Centralia
Franklin Hills Health & Rehab, Spokane
Frontier Rehab & Extended Care, Longview

Wisconsin
Luther Home, Marinette
Willows Nursing and Rehabilitation, Sun Prairie

Washington, D.C.
Carolyn Boone Lewis Health Care Center

Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Baby Boomers Fear Lack of Family Support in Old Age:

In questions aimed at better understanding the impact of impending retirement on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Americans, the Mature Market Institute found that Boomers in these groups are particularly likely to worry about their later years, 41% compared to 33% in the heterosexual population. Staying healthy later in life is the most frequently cited consideration for satisfaction in retirement among GLBT Boomers; financial concerns are second.

Those in the GLBT cohort have significantly greater apprehension about being alone once they retire. One in seven (14%) report lack of companionship as their greatest fear, compared to just six percent of heterosexuals.

" Despite their comparatively moderate concern over finances, only half (54%) of those in the GLBT group are saving at a rate needed to maintain their lifestyle in retirement,"said Timmermann. "Of significant interest is that 16% of GLBT Boomers say they spend no time at all on retirement planning."

GLBT Boomers are just as likely as heterosexuals to expect to continue working beyond retirement age, but they are more likely than the heterosexual population to say that their reasoning is financial. They are also more likely (40%) than heterosexuals (28%) to express concern about physical limitations that may inhibit their ability to function as they get older.

Findings from the MetLife Mature Market Institute overall study include the following:
Boomers are delaying retirement until they believe they will have enough money to retire. In 2001, they believed they would retire between ages 55 and 64. Today, the median retirement age is between 65 and 70. 60% would prefer to retire before age 65

. 17% say they will keep working indefinitely, a 10% increase. The number of Baby Boomers who feel retirement will improve their lifestyle declined by half, from 27% in 2001 to 13% in 2005, with 20% of women now saying they will have to scale back „a lot.

Baby Boomers recognize they are likely to need some form of long-term care, but they have not purchased long-term care insurance. Many believe, erroneously, that government programs will pay for their long-term care needs.
Retirement vehicles are unchanged. Most Boomers cite savings or investments, pensions, 401 (k) plans and Social Security as their primary source of retirement income.

Boomers are not concerned with leaving an inheritance. Three in four (74%) say they are unlikely to restrict their spending in retirement to leave money for others.
Almost half (48%) of Boomers plan to work beyond the traditional retirement age, almost equal to the 2001 figure. Of those who plan to continue working, 69% will do so to stay active and engaged, up from 42% in 2001.

Zogby International conducted interviews of online participants chosen from a panel of people ages 41 to 59 who have agreed to participate in Zogby polls online. Weights were added to the final sample to more accurately reflect the Baby Boomer population by race and gender. Questions were identical to those posed in the 2001 survey. The margin of error for the overall 2005 survey was +/-2.3%. Additional questioning was conducted among a panel in the same age group who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The margin of error for that portion of questioning was +/-4.3%.

The MetLife Mature Market Institute is MetLife's information and policy resource center on issues related to aging, retirement, long-term care and the mature market. The Institute, staffed by gerontologists, provides research, training and education, consultation and information to support MetLife, its corporate customers and business partners.
Editor's Note: Report available at: http://www.maturemarketinstitute.com/

What Do The Presidential Candidates Have to Say About America's Underfunded Long-term Care Services?

The experts on tracking America's population trends tell us that the USA's elderly population will grow by at least 5 million in the next 4 years. As we have documented here extensively, an increasing mumber of American families are struggling to pay for the long-term care of an aging relative. Most care provided to frail elders today is not in a nursing home-in fact barely 5 percent of elders were in nursing homes last year. Most families are assuming that care themselves, while trying to maintain a job and put aside money for their own retirement.

So let's take a look at how the remaining 4 presidential candidates, Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama and former Arkansas govenor Huckabee have all made some comments about this issue but they are mostly vague promises with few specifics and no clear proposals to pay for care with the exception of Senator Clinton.

The Clinton campaign provides the most detailed proposals regarding long-term care. She has laid out a $5 billion-a-year agenda to make care better and more affordable for both caregivers and patients. The plan's twin centerpieces are a proposed $3,000 tax credit for family caregivers and a long-term care insurance tax credit that would cover 75 percent of long-term care insurance premiums up to $1,500 a year for qualified policies.

To improve accountability and oversight of long-term care facilities, Sen. Clinton wants to triple federal funding for state ombudsman programs to $50 million a year. She would also create a national system of background checks for long-term care workers.

For more on Sen. Clinton's proposals on long-term care, go to: www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4592

Her opponent in the Democratic primaries, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has only offered a vague platitude on the issue which I found at his web site. Here is what he says" “As president, Obama will work to give seniors choices about their care, consistent with their needs, and not biased towards institutional care. He will work to reform the financing of long term care to protect seniors and families. He will work to improve the quality of elder care, including by training more nurses and health care workers.” http://www.barackobama.com/issues/socialsecurity/

Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee told the AARP that he is proud that his state was the first to create a pilot program, Project IndepChoices, that reimburses relatives who are able to keep their elderly loved ones at home. "Our plan was very successful. I'd like to see it go national," he told AARP quoted him as saying. I could not find anything specific about long-term care at Huckabee's website although he does have
some proposals on health care in general www.mikehuckabee.com

Sen. McCain, who at this writing has all but locked up the Republican nomination, has focused much of his health care platform around the needs of veterans, but his Web site says nothing about his plans for long-term care.

When he has discussed helping those who are being financially devastated by the costs of health care in general, McCain suggests that the government offer tax credits or other financial incentives.

For more on Sen. McCain's proposals on health care in general www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/

SABBATICAL IS OVER. Elderplanner Blog is Active Again

For the past few months I have had to focus my time and energy on another major project that I'm involved with and had to put the Elder Planner blog on hold.

Today I resume a schedule of posting 3 times a week. The theme of the blog will remain focused on the fundamental issue of the quality, availability, and affordability of long-term care.

As stated in the introduction, public policy at both the state and federal level has created a two-tiered system of long-term care services.

Those who can afford to pay for the care they need out of their own pocket have a variety of choices of where they will receive care, and from whom.

Those with limited resources have to rely on government programs that are funded by a mix of state and federal governments-primarily the Medicaid program- the health insurance program for the poor regardless of your age.

Medicare provides more generous health benefits but only for those who are over age 65. Medicare, however, like most other forms of health insurance, does not pay for long-term care. It will pay for skilled care such as physical therapy and short-term nursing care. The basic concept of Medicare is that it's a short term, acute care insurance program. Let me repeat. Medicare does NOT pay for long-term care.

Both state and federal governments are having serious financial problems and the fastest growing budget item in their budgets is the cost of Medicaid. To keep up with the rate of growth in Medicaid costs will require steep state and federal tax increases, which the American voters are fiercely opposed to paying. Medicaid offers very limited services, paying providers such as nursing homes less than it costs them to care for the patient. Increasingly this results in poor quality care that will continue to decline as funds to pay for this care continues to shrink.

That was the original focus of this blog. That will continue to be my focus moving forward.

Information, opinion and resources about home care, assisted living care, community based programs such as adult day care programs and nursing home care will be provided. Alternatives to pay for care such as long-term care insurance, reverse mortgages, life settlements and new loan programs to help families pay for care will be highlighted-sometimes favorably and sometimes the highlights will be anything but favorable.

The burden of solving the challenge of finding "the best care available and the means to pay for it" falls upon the family caregivers, adult children of aging parents, spouses, and sometimes siblings.

If you're faced with the challenge of caregiving and you feel that the deck is stacked against you-that's because it often is stacked against you.

The goal of this blog is to provide information to help you to ease that burden.