This eye-opening report combines nursing home quality data with a survey of family members to rank the best and worst states for nursing home care. The study also illustrates how Americans truly view nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities. Whether you are considering a nursing home for long term or short-term care, for you or a loved one, DiFranza Law recommends for your family to understand the nursing home rating system and how to ease into this new way of living.
The Nursing Home Study
To identify the states with the best and worst overall nursing home quality ratings, the website Care.com analyzed Medicare’s nursing home ratings. By leveraging Medicare’s five-star nursing home rating system, Care.com found that nursing homes in Hawaii had the highest overall average ratings (3.93), followed by the District of Columbia (3.89), Florida (3.75), and New Jersey (3.75). The states with the lowest average rating were Texas (2.68), followed by Oklahoma (2.76), Louisiana (2.80), and Kentucky (2.98).
Nursing Homes Make Americans Feel Guilty
To determine their impressions about nursing homes, Care.com also surveyed 978 people with family members in a nursing home in the United States. The surveyors found that the family members visited their loved ones in a nursing home an average six times a month, and more than half of those surveyed felt that they did not visit enough. Those who thought they visited enough visited an average of nine times a month. In addition, a little over half felt somewhat to extremely guilty about their loved one being in a nursing home, while slightly less than one-quarter (23 percent) did not feel guilty at all. If the tables were turned, nearly half of the respondents said they would not want their families to send them to a nursing home.
Most Americans are Satisfied with Their Nursing Home
While the survey indicates that the decision to admit a loved one to a nursing home was difficult, a majority (71.3 percent) of respondents felt satisfied with the care their loved ones were receiving. Only 18.1 percent said they were dissatisfied and about 10 percent were neutral. A little over half said that they would like to provide care at home if they could. The most common special request made on behalf of a loved one in a nursing home is for special food. Other common requests include extra attention and environmental accommodations (e.g., room temperature).
To read the full results of the survey, click here.
To learn more about DiFranza Law and how Elder Law Attorney Lisa DiFranza can help your family prepare the necessary documents and estate plans to ensure a smooth transition into nursing home life, schedule a consultation today.