Is Video Surveillance in Nursing Homes Legal?
Discover the legal and ethical considerations of Video Surveillance in Nursing Homes, including consent rules, privacy laws, and family rights in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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Understanding Your Rights in Pennsylvania Nursing Homes
The search for appropriate long-term care for yourself or a loved one can be fraught with concerns and questions. Among the most important aspects to understand are the rights in Pennsylvania nursing homes. Knowing these rights ensures that residents receive the quality of care, dignity, privacy, and respect they deserve. This piece aims to guide…
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How to Find Current Staffing Information On Nursing Homes
For decades, academic research has shown that staffing levels reliably predict the quality of care in nursing homes and that shortages increase the risk of delayed response to daily needs, like toileting and eating, as well as medical emergencies, such as falls and strokes. A pivotal federal study from 20 years ago, when most nursing…
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New Nursing Home Staffing Mandate Is Under Threat
On April 22, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the long-awaited regulations on minimum staffing in nursing homes. This was a culmination of a two-year process, including a request for information, a study, and a comment period. Although the final rule is well below the 4.2 hours of direct care per resident per day,…
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Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Standards Finalized
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final rule, implementing minimum staffing standards for nursing homes intended to increase staffing levels and improve patient care in nursing homes. The Biden Administration’s announcement is controversial. CMS has faced fierce opposition from the nursing home industry and Republicans in Congress who see…
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Alternatives to Nursing Homes
For many families, placing a loved one into a nursing home facility can be a daunting and emotional decision. Fortunately, the spectrum of care has expanded, offering several alternatives to nursing homes that better suit older adults’ and their families’ needs and preferences. From adult daycare to innovative AgeTech solutions, the landscape of elder care…
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Involuntary Nursing Home Discharge: “We Have No Long-Term Care Beds”
I recently met with a family regarding their ailing father and a potential involuntary nursing home discharge. Their father fell in his home and was subsequently hospitalized. He then transitioned from the hospital to a local nursing home for rehabilitation covered by Medicare. The amount Medicare pays a nursing home for a resident undergoing short-term…
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Home For The Holidays: Leaving The Nursing Home During A Medicare-Covered Stay
A week prior to Thanksgiving, I met with a client whose husband was in a local nursing home for a rehabilitation stay following a fall that resulted in hospitalization. The wife communicated that her husband wanted to come home for the day to spend Thanksgiving Day with his family and would be devastated if he…
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Update on CMS Care Compare Website
For nursing home residents and their families, making a decision about what facility to choose can be a daunting and frustrating process. How do you know whether the nursing home you are considering for your loved one provides quality care? One resource is the federal government website which provides quality measures for every nursing home…
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Medicaid Coverage for Assisted Living: PA Legislation Proposal
In December 2022, Pennsylvania state Senators Michelle Brooks and Judy Ward proposed legislation that would expand Medicaid coverage for assisted living facilities. The proposal is designed to provide support for older adults who require assistance with daily living but do not require the high level of care provided by nursing homes. Under the proposed legislation,…
