Thursday, October 1, 2009

Editorial: The Death of Nursing Homes

Elders often tell their adult kids to shoot them rather than send them off to the nursing home. We may not be disposing of our parents, but we are killing the nursing homes, at least as we know them. In not too many years, long-term care nursing home beds may be as rare as Republicans in Massachusetts.

Many may cheer at this news. But the need for the intensive level of care provided by skilled nursing facilities isn’t going away. As hospitals discharge patients “quicker and sicker,” many need a level of assistance they cannot receive at home. As medical technology keeps people with horrific injuries and severe illness alive for years, they will need careful monitoring and drug treatments that are beyond the abilities of most family caregivers or part-time paid aides. So where will they get this care?

The trend away from nursing homes is already clear. The number of facilities has fallen by nearly 1,000 to about 15,700 since 2000. More than 80,000 beds have been shuttered over those nine years. And the number of Medicaid-only beds—those certified for long-term care stays-- has plunged by half since 1995, to about 114,000.

All this is happening even as the population of those 75 and older—those most likely to need long-term services—has grown from 16.6 million to almost 19 million.

Why the change? In part, it is because Medicaid is gradually providing more long-term care at home, although the pace of change remains slow.

Full Article and Source:
The Death of Nursing Homes

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am pleased to see NASGA include editorials such as this on the Blog.

Yes, we all complain (rightfully so) about nursing homes, but the reality is they're not going away. Unless home care takes over - which it should.

StandUp said...

Home is better.

People who are taken care of at home bypass unnecessary germs and illnesses, thereby being healthier and saving the taxpayers additional expense.

Martha said...

People at home don't contract MRSA either, StandUp!

Anonymous said...

Home care is the way to go.

No one wants to be in a nursing home and subject to the will and sometime the control of strangers.

We all want to be in the comfort of our familiar surroundings.

Anonymous said...

I sure wish nursing homes weren't essential, but the sad truth is many times we just don't take care of our elderly as we used to not that long ago. For that reason, nursing homes will always be in business.

Norma said...

If nursing homes suffered a drop of business because of home care, they might clean themselves up.

Sadly, a person pays as much to be abused and neglected in a nursing home as if he/she were in a five star hotel.

Anonymous said...

Medicaid/Medicare is finally catching on!