Nursing home negligence is a serious problem in our society today. In my opinion, this problem will only get worse as more and more baby boomers head in the direction of the nation's nursing homes. The biggest problem that has contributed to nursing home negligence and abuse is understaffing in nursing homes. As these facilities try to maximize their profits, they try to do it by cutting out quality, trained staff and that seriously affects the quality of care they provide to nursing home residents.

Debate Over Nursing Home Law

Currently, according to a news report in the Chico Enterprise Record, there is a debate over what effect a 2004 law has had on the quality of care in California's nursing homes. The California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF) states that Assembly Bill 1629 has made significant improvements in nursing home staff levels. The law basically changed how nursing homes are paid through Medi-Cal. Instead of being paid a flat rate, the homes are now paid according to how much they spend. But the watchdog group, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), maintains that the quality of care provided in California's nursing homes remains "unacceptably low." The law is set to expire in the middle of next year unless it is renewed.

Staffing Issues in Nursing Homes

CAHF says the law has helped nursing homes pay staff better and has also saved several nursing homes from becoming bankrupt. In its report, the state agency says nurse staffing hours are increasing. The state requires these facilities to provide at least 3.2 hours of nursing care patient per day. The report states that nursing hours have increased from an average of 3.3 hours in 2002 to 3.57 hours in 2007. However, CANHR representatives argue that some of the skilled nursing facilities have used the increasing in funding to improve care and staffing, but many others have not done that.

I can only hope the level of nursing home care and their quality has improved. However, all data and information that has been made available to us, back up what the consumer safety advocates at CANHR have to say. According to Medicare's Nursing Home Compare rankings, more than 44 percent (nearly half) of California's nursing homes were rated worse than average – receiving only two stars out of a possible five. What this indicates is that AB 1629 was a good start, but it is not enough. It is not enough to give nursing home operators a blank check and be done with it. Nursing home operators must be made accountable and actually show that they are spending this money to improve care and staffing.

If you have been a victim of nursing home negligence or abuse, please contact a reputed California personal injury lawyer who has an excellent track record handling these cases, to find out more about your legal rights and options.

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