Nursing Home Care in the County
* Thank you for your continuing coverage of the horrors of nursing home care in Orange County (“Nearly Half of County’s Nursing Homes Fined,” Aug. 17). I testified at the legislative hearing two years ago regarding my mother’s death in an Orange County nursing home. I am glad to see that hearing fueled some of the changes you’ve reported.
I take great exception to Carole Cavanaugh’s cavalier remark that citations are issued for “a green bean not cooked properly [or] a patient wearing different colored socks.” Don’t believe it. This is the very attitude that allows the abuse of elders to continue. It takes quite a violation to get a citation issued; most problems result in a warning issued to the home. The facility is given 30 days to respond with a “plan of action.” A one-paragraph response stating the problem is corrected is acceptable to the Department of Health Services.
I encourage anyone moved or concerned by this topic to contact the ombudsman service [of the Orange County Council on Aging]. The staff can answer your questions about the types of problems at nursing homes. Contact the Department of Health Services and get copies of complaints received and action taken on nursing homes nearest you.
MELISSA J. CHRISTIAN
Mission Viejo
* I have been infuriated since I read your article, “Review of Nursing Homes Called Lax” (July 28). I spend about 70 hours a week working as a nursing home administrator (which is about average for our profession). After over 30 years as a registered nurse, a credentialed educator, a director of nurses in long term care and now a nursing home administrator, I feel more than qualified to call your article ignorant and misleading on several fronts.
First of all nursing homes are besieged with advocates. And while we have no problem with that as an industry, where are all of those advocates when it comes time for support or help? You were right on one count. Many residents in nursing homes have been dumped for various reasons. We get to handle all of the problems. There are many families who have not aborted their responsibility and are wonderful with support to us while they find themselves unable to participate in keeping their loved one in the home setting. But most are not available once they have figured out a way to scam the Medi-Cal system and transfer even financial responsibility to others.
The Orange County Department of Health Services is designed to be the policing agency for nursing homes. After years of working with them and encountering numerous surprise visits with some subsequent deficiency statements and citations, I can attest to the fact that these government representatives do an outstanding job. They are astute and professional in every aspect. The problem (if one really exists, [which] I doubt) is that they are barraged with complaints from the so called advocates. They are compelled to answer every complaint with a facility visit and investigation, along with conducting annual licensing visits that have become a nightmare of paperwork due to the new federal survey process.
CAROLE L. CAVANAUGH
La Habra
* California’s nursing homes are more highly regulated and carefully scrutinized than any other part of the health care profession in this country. As such, your Aug. 17 story on Orange County nursing homes missed the mark.
The truth is that the average California nursing home is in compliance with 97% of the requirements--which is an “A” by anyone’s standards.
The biased and inflammatory California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform “report card,” as reported in your paper, does a real disservice to many Californians by unnecessarily frightening family members who can no longer provide care to their loved ones at home. There are many excellent nursing homes in every community in California. When faced with the decision of placing a family member in a nursing home, we encourage all Californians to visit several facilities and find the one that best meets their needs.
GARY MACOMBER
Executive vice president
California Assn. of Health Facilities
Sacramento