Ohio Nursing Home Care: Improvement Needed

Skilled nursing care can be a lifesaver when seniors can no longer live alone. As the baby boomer generation ages, increased need for high quality healthcare is challenging the current system of elder care in the United States. Change is needed.

According to the Administration on Aging, in 2010, 14 percent of the population was 85 years of age or older, a figure that will be 21 percent by 2050.

In July, the Florida-based non-profit advocacy group Families for Better Care released report cards on nursing care in the United States. Using federal benchmarks, the organization recognized states that provided good elder care and states that failed. Awarded a C, Ohio ranked 30^th overall. The report states that:

• Ohio failed or received a below average grade in every staffing measure. Only nine other states earned this dubious distinction.
• Ohio has “the third worst percentage of facilities that failed to achieve above average direct care staffing.”

The report also made several general statements regarding nursing care in the United States:

• Facilities with higher levels of nursing staff usually provide better care.
• Inadequate staffing conditions are a problem in facilities throughout the country.
• Approximately 90 percent of all nursing homes were cited for violations in 2012.
• In about half the states, one in five nursing facilities was the subject of complaints of abuse or neglect.

The nation’s population is aging and this picture is not pretty. If you have a loved one receiving nursing care in Cleveland, stay alert and speak a legal representative from a reputable personal injury law firm if you suspect abuse.