There are a lot of good people who work in nursing homes. There are a lot of good people who run nursing homes. All of these people care deeply about the residents that they are responsible for. Where does it go wrong? Why doesn't all this good will translate to good care? The nursing homes will always complain about over regulation and lack of resources. The advocates will always complain about lack of staffing and too little regulation/oversight. And so here we are. At a standstill, where both sides are so entrenched in their thinking and mindset that it's difficult to find common ground.
Our expert panel on improving the survey process took its own survey on items that a California Advocacy group had put forth to improve care in nursing homes. Our group spans the gamut of people with expertise related to nursing homes. Including the nursing home industry itself. Fortunately, the findings of the poll weren't completely lopsided. Nevertheless, they demonstrate a chasm that certainly exists in the discussion of nursing home quality.
It's ironic that a colleague emailed me this morning about extraordinary efforts that his nursing home chain is taking to make a difference. In fact, that was the second such communication that I've had this week and I'm not surprised that there are others who recognize that now is the time for change. It's never too late to try to change.
I was a little tired when I woke up this morning, started this blog, sent some emails as I wrote the blog because the blog triggered some thoughts, then went shopping because we're running out of food. Now, I'm finishing the blog, I'm still a little tired, but my fourth day in a row of an 8 mile run awaits. Not sure how hard I'll take today's run, that has tended to show itself once I hit the road and assess how I feel. While I'm a little tired, I also want to let off some steam. We'll see how it goes.
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