Nursing home program measures quality of care
When the media report on nursing homes, more likely than not the stories will be negative, focusing on patient abuse and poor living conditions. That is not an accurate representation of the majority of nursing homes, which provide the elderly with excellent medical care and a quality of life that can no longer be given at home.
Over the past two years, nursing homes nationwide have been working to improve accountability through the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes campaign. This is the first national effort to measure quality by setting clinical and organizational goals.
Participating nursing homes pledge to focus on eight goals that include improved pain management, assessing patient and family satisfaction and consistent assignment of staff to patients to ensure continuity of care. If you have a loved one who is either currently in a nursing home, or may be in the future, you should research nursing homes you are considering and ask if they participate in the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes campaign. To learn more, go to www.nhqualitycampaign.org.
Kelly Foley
Greensboro