An Argument in Enhancing The Care Quality in a Nursing Home

Quality of Care in Nursing Homes must be Improved

It is a common occurrence for parents to grow old and require constant care, so many people decide to put their loved ones into a nursing home, where they can receive this attention. What many individuals do not realize is that they are putting their loved ones in more danger when sent to a nursing home. Thirty percent of nursing homes in America have been reported for elderly abuse within a two-year window. There are different types of abuse that occur in these places, including physical, emotional, and financial, and there are reasons for all of them, though not necessarily good ones. The legal obligations of these facilities must be improved and followed far more considerably to work towards ending the abuse these elder patients endure. The quality of care in nursing homes and other elder care facilities must be improved because currently, many elderly people are being treated inhumanely in a residence where they are meant to feel cared for. Just because they are old does not mean they are not still people and everyone, no matter their age, should be treated as they legally and morally deserve.

While there are many different forms of abuse that occur in these facilities, the most frequent three are physical, emotional, and financial abuse. It is surprising to people how these activities could be happening to their loved ones and they never even notice. Physical abuse is the most frequently reported type of abuse in nursing homes because it is the most obvious one to notice immediately. Any form of hitting, kicking, excessive restraint, withholding of prescribed medications, or unnecessary doses of medications are all considered forms of physical abuse and they all leave fairly obvious signs. These include bruises, broken bones, and side effects from medications. A less noticeable form of abuse is emotional abuse. The two most common types of emotional abuse are neglect and verbal abuse/assault; however, any deliberate form of causing anxiety, anguish, fear, or any other undesirable mental state is considered emotional abuse. While the signs of emotional abuse are far less apparent than those of physical abuse, this form is certainly not less frequent or abhorrent. One of the most manipulative forms of abuse that leaves no signs except a paper trail is financial abuse of the elderly. These people are typically confused and possibly unsure of what is going on with their finances entirely. They must rely on someone else to handle their mail and bank accounts and people take advantage of this. People will take advantage of elderly individuals so easily, causing the elderly to be susceptible t fraud and exploitation. The most common occurrences of financial abuse of the elderly include bank account/credit card account theft, scamming, and healthcare fraud. Often, people will convince the elderly to purchase things they do not need, including medical services among other things (Landers, par. 2-4). It is inhumane for people to be treated in such manners, especially in a care facility where the elderly are supposed to feel safe and be cared for. It is completely unnecessary and unreasonable for these situations to occur.

While there is never going to be an excuse to treat people in such ways, there are reasons why these instances occur. There are three large reasons: an uncaring staff, forgotten family, and profits. The most direct reason for the abuse of the elderly residing in nursing homes in the staff who are supposed to be taking care of them daily. Many of the nurses working in these facilities feel they are not getting enough reimbursement for the work that they are putting into their patients and some decide to take their frustrations out on the patients rather than their hirer. David Ruppe explains, “The reimbursements are low compared to what the residents' needs are, and so nursing assistants, paid through those funds, can average around $7 to $9 per hour” (par. 19). This amount is way below what the deserved amount is, and this is a reason that accounts for the three types of abuse previously mentioned. The nurses take their frustrations out physically and verbally on their patients and some feel so desperate, they steal money from their patients. This makes it seem as though nurses are cruel people for doing this, and they are certainly at fault, however, they are only given the opportunity to treat patients like this when they know they will not be getting any visitors. Extremely frequently, an elderly family member will move into a nursing home and only see their family sparingly or on rare occasions. These are the primary targets. Patients are so easily forgotten about, that the nurses feel they can treat them however they please to and that should not be the case. While the people directly involved, including untrustworthy staff and absent family members, are to blame, the companies that own these facilities are ultimately to blame for the neglectful way they choose to run these places. Sixty nine percent of nursing homes in America are run for profit. This puts money being made and saved ahead of the patients residing in these facilities. If there were more security and people actually keeping an eye out for this obscure behavior, it is impossible that the abuse would occur as often as it does. If overcharging the elderly and refraining from purchasing extra supplies to make them more confortable means the owners keeping more money, then they will choose to do so. Non-profit facilities often use fundraisers and volunteers to take care of the patients, which is why there are so fewer issues of abuse occurring from these places (Ruppe, par. 27). These are in no way excuses for the poor treatment of the elderly residing in nursing homes, but they are the main reasons that it happens and it is possible to end these actions through the rules nursing homes are legally supposed to follow.

These types of abuse are allowed to take place because of the unspecific wording of the laws and federal regulations of these facilities. One law, known as the Nursing Home Reform Act, says that nursing homes “must provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident in accordance with a written plan of care” ("Federal Nursing Home Regulations and State Laws” (FNHRSL), par. 1). This basic law is clearly broken in nursing homes where the patients are abused in any manner and frankly, it is a shame that people are not being provided these basic rights. There are also a number of federal regulations that nursing homes must follow that get frequently broken by the nursing staff. The first regulation of which states the facility must have sufficient nursing staff. Many nursing homes have nurses that are responsible for too many patients and this stresses them out to the point of taking out their frustrations on their patients. If there were more funds provided to these facilities, they would be able to hire more staff and many issues of violence would be solved or at least assisted in. If these issues were to get resolved, other regulations that are currently commonly broken would be able to be followed, including one that states nursing homes must “Prevent the deterioration of a resident’s ability to bathe, dress, groom, transfer and ambulate, toilet, eat, and to communicate” (FNHRSL, par. 2). When patients are being abused, they lose their ability to complete many of these tasks on their own, whether they are in physical pain or severely depressed. Nobody should lose their ability to take care of themselves in terms of cleanliness and communication. This is directly correlated to another regulation that states the dignity and respect of each patient must be maintained (FNHRSL, par. 2). There is no way that any elderly person being beaten, yelled at, or stolen from is going to be able to keep his/her dignity or respect. For example, Charles Ornstein explains in his article on abuse in nursing homes relating to social media, “A nursing assistant was accused of taking a photo of [a nursing home resident] on the toilet and sharing it on Snapchat” (Par. 19). This type of embarrassment would be terrible to happen to anyone, never mind an elderly person being “taken care of” by these nurses. It is truly embarrassing for anyone to lose the ability to care for themselves, never mind being abused at the same time. This loss of dignity can cause mental illness for people, including anxiety and depression, commonly. According to the American Psychological Association, these mental disorders can lead to death or suicide, especially for elderly people ("Mental and Behavioral Health and Older Americans”, Par. 11). More people are dying than should be because the nurses and other aspects of life in nursing homes are leading people to lose their dignity and in some cases, their mental health. These federal laws and regulations seem simple to follow, and simply morally correct, however, many institutions are not complying to these rules, therefore, elderly people are being treated illegally and inhumanely.

While this abuse is fairly common throughout the United States, of course, not all nursing homes and other care facilities take part in this abusive behavior. Many individuals tend to see the many positive aspects of nursing homes. For example, the constant availability of care, when provided in a fair, caring manner, is very beneficial to some patients whose family simply cannot take care of them as much as they have to (Wood, par. 3). A large benefit to this constant care is a structured schedule that the patients adapt to in these residences. Once people get older, they tend to rely on repetition and scheduling to assists in their memory and daily tasks that need to be accomplished. Having the ability to follow a strict schedule everyday can be beneficial to many patients’ mental health, although patients tend not to appreciate the lack of freedom that comes along with following such a tight schedule everyday (Wood, par. 5). However, there is a lot of free time and social time that is scheduled daily in appropriately run nursing homes. This includes games, or presentations for the residents. It is truly important to get up and interact with other people and be active once a certain age is reached. People begin to lose their mind if they are lying in bed mindlessly watching cable television all the time (Wood, par. 7). Within the structure of a reliable, caring nursing home, there are many beneficial aspects of the senior care they provide. However, not all nursing homes are as reliable as they should be and it is important that people realize what they should be watching out for.

If it is the best option for an elder family member to be placed in a nursing home, then that is what should be done. Not all nursing homes have horror stories arising from them. However, there are many places run for profits that put money above the elderly people residing in these nursing homes and it is necessary to know what types of abuse could possibly take place. Physical, emotional, and financial abuses are the three most frequently reported types of abuse. They occur mainly due to the lack of caring staff, absence of family members, and, most of all, the profits being made for the companies that own the facilities. These obscene acts are able to keep continuing despite the laws and regulations these places are legally required to obey. The basic human rights of these patients are being stripped away without anyone even noticing and yet the issues would be tremendously easy to fix. The quality of care in nursing homes and other elder care facilities must be improved because currently, many elderly people are being treated inhumanely in a residence where they are meant to feel cared for. While many nursing homes treat their patients with the upmost care and respect, too many facilities are getting away with treating these individuals like objects or animals. Even though they may be old, the elderly are still humans and deserve to be treated as such.