Picking between a nursing home or a home health service is tough. There are a lot of factors that are considered including cost, location and quality of care. Recently, a new study reveals some shocking results; the nation’s largest for-profit nursing homes deliver significantly lower quality of care because they typically have fewer staff nurses than non-profit and government-owned nursing homes.
What’s behind the findings?
The research, conducted by the University of California San Francisco, is the first-ever study focusing solely on staffing and quality at the 10 largest for-profit chains.
“Poor quality of care is endemic in many nursing homes, but we found that the most serious problems occur in the largest for-profit chains,” said first author Charlene Harrington, RN, PhD and professor of sociology and nursing at the UCSF School of Nursing said.
Low nurse staffing levels are considered the strongest predictor of poor nursing home quality and that is where many of the nursing homes fell short.
“The top 10 chains have a strategy of keeping labor costs low to increase profits,” Harrington said. “They are not making quality a priority.”
What are the top 10 nursing homes?
The 10 largest for-profit chains in 2008 were HCR Manor Care, Golden Living, Life Care Centers of America, Kindred Healthcare, Genesis HealthCare Corporation, Sun Health Care Group, Inc., SavaSeniorCare LLC, Extendicare Health Services, Inc., National Health Care Corporation, and Skilled HealthCare, LLC.
What can be done?
Researchers advise everyone to do their homework. Make sure the nursing home you are selecting has adequate staffing and has recommendations from other families in your area. Tour the facilities and ask questions of those working in and outside of the facility.
Researchers believe there should be greater accountability and quality oversight to improve nursing care, along with effective funding incentives and sanctions for low staffing and poor quality.
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