When your elderly parent or another elderly loved one needs to move into a nursing home in Orange County for care, it can be difficult to know how to choose the right facility. While safety records, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Five-Star Quality Rating System, and personal nursing home visits can help families to make informed decisions about nursing homes in Southern California, there are also other factors that you should consider. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, suggests that staffing instability may be among the most important factors in identifying the quality of care a nursing home can provide. Our Orange County nursing home neglect attorneys can tell you more.
Staffing Instability Impacts the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes
Consistent staffing may be among the most important factors that families should consider when deciding on a nursing home for a loved one, the recent study from UC Irvine suggests. That research, published in the journal Health Affairs Scholar, “showed that nursing homes either gained or lost a quality star when the staffing instability measure was included in the Five-Star metric,” a news release from UC Irvine reported.
One of the authors of the study, Dana Mukamel, who isa distinguished professor of medicine at UC Irvine, emphasized that “consistent, adequate staffing is vital to ensuring the health and well-being of residents.” What do the authors of the study mean by consistent staffing? There are two components that families should look at closely: the number of nursing staff and hours of care per patient, as well as turnover at nursing homes.
Importance of Assessing Specific Numbers Rather Than Averages
The recent study underscored that families assessing nursing homes for quality of care should look at specific numbers rather than averages, since “capturing inconsistency” in staffing “might not be obvious when only looking at averages,” the study suggested.
Which numbers should families be paying close attention to when they are hoping to determine whether a nursing home is likely to provide a high quality of care for a loved one? According to the study in Health Affairs Scholar, the following are significant factors to consider:
- How many hours of care per day per resident at the facility;
- Whether the facility is always fully staffed;
- Whether there is any difficulty covering shifts at the facility;
- How often there are issues with residents receiving care;
- Whether there are issues with consistently timely meals; and
- How long staff members have been working at the facility, and the general turnover rate.
Contact Our Orange County Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers
Determining whether a nursing home is the right place for a loved one can be extremely difficult, and many facilities with previous records of quality care can experience problems that result in resident injuries due to elder abuse and neglect. As the UC Irvine study suggests, taking a close look at staffing in a nursing home may be among the best ways to make an informed decision about the quality of care your loved one is likely to receive. In the event you have any concerns about nursing home abuse or neglect, it is important to seek advice from an Orange County nursing home neglect lawyer as soon as you can. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to learn more about how we can assist you.
See Related Blog Posts:
Preventing Repeat Mistreatment Among Nursing Home Abuse Victims
How Employee Well-Being Impacts Nursing Home Safety