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Report: Nearly 90 percent of Georgia nursing homes had deficiencies
Violations were of federal health and safety standards
cschneider@ajc.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Nearly 90 percent of Georgia nursing homes received violations of federal standards for health and safety last year, federal investigators said in a new report.
Georgia’s performance echoed the national average of 92 percent of the nursing homes registering deficiencies, according to the report by the Inspector General’s Office of the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
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While Georgia has shown some improvement from 2005 to 2007, reducing its figure from 95 percent to 88 percent of homes with violations, investigators said the percent of Georgia’s homes with problems was still too high and concerning.
In addition, Georgia was slightly below the national figure for the average number of violations per nursing home. Georgia’s homes averaged 6.5 violations last year, while the national average was 7.
Georgia has 375 licensed nursing homes with 40,649 beds. The study, released Monday, was based on state Department of Human Resources inspections of nursing homes. Nursing homes are inspected about once a year.
The national report offered no further breakdown of the Georgia figures. Nationally, the most common problems were quality of care, resident assessment and quality of life issues. Specific problems included bed sores, urinary tract infections and medication mistakes, but can also include housekeeping issues and the need for repairs on the facility.
Becky Kurtz, the state long-term care ombudsman, said people considering a nursing home should obtain a copy of the state inspection, which the nursing home can provide.
“The general consensus is that there is a very wide variety of quality out there,” she said. “People need to do their homework.”
She said many of the violations have harmed nursing home residents.
Overall, she said, “We’ve got a ways to go on quality issues.”
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Comments
By Jennifer Hines, CNA, AD, Chairperson for CNA on the Move
Oct 5, 2008 7:18 AM | Link to this
Nursing Assistants provides 85% of care in Georgia Long Term Facilities. As a 20 year served nursing assistants I feel if the nursing home would provide better pay and material for services we could cut the quality of care numbers down. Ga CNA get less than 15% of pay working double shifts in their career just to make ends meet at home. That is one of the reason for such high number in care. I am Jennifer HInes of Certified Nursing Assistants on the Move. It is time for Georgia to take a look at CNA's duties and provide some assistants. You say the quality of life for the residents think about the quality of life for a CNA that works hard in her career but cant afford insurance for her family. There no safety legistation for her safety in lifing residents. Lets get the faciliries to stop pocketing all the money for services and pay for the services that are render.
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