After a recent suit was filed against Golden Senior Living involving allegations of inadequate care in 14 of the company’s nursing homes, Pennsylvania’s Department of Health decided to form a nursing home task force to identify and implement ways to ensure enhanced quality care in nursing homes across the state.
Why a Quality Improvement Task Force was Needed
Nursing home residents deserve to have quality care and to live free from the fear of abuse and neglect. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect is a prominent problem of which many people are unaware. After the Pennsylvania Attorney General had announced legal action against Golden Senior Living nursing homes, some of the families of residents spoke to the local news reporters about their complaints.
Some of the complaints include the following.
- Very short staffed
- Poor conditions
- Not feeding residents proper meals
- Failing to give residents appropriate medical attention
- Not helping residents with general hygiene
- Fire safety deficiencies
Robert Montone, who took his mother out of a Golden Living Center facility in Wilkes-Barre after he learned they weren’t caring for her, properly told WNEP News: “It’s like an assembly line. Believe me, all they’re worried about is how much money can we get.”
The Task Force’s Plans to Raise Nursing Home Standards
The Department of Health nursing home task force comprises these members.
- Nationally-recognized experts in long-term care management
- Members of the Governor’s Office
- The secretaries of the Pennsylvania departments of Aging, Human Services, and State
- Senator Pat Vance
- Representative Mathew Baker
- Panel of medical experts
The task force’s priorities will center on identifying ways the department can advance quality improvement in Pennsylvania’s nursing home facilities. “The goal,” according to a press release, “is to review current regulations and identify areas that the department may improve to ensure that nursing homes are operating at the highest level regarding the quality and safety of their residents.”
The Department plans to consult with industry leaders, medical field professionals, and various consumer interest groups to obtain their input on creating new quality improvement measures.
Another of the task force’s initiatives is related consumer complaint practices. The Department has enlisted the help of the Auditor General’s office to audit the complaint management policies and procedures in place at nursing homes.
Lastly, the force plans to create new strategies that expand communication amongst long-term care facilities and ensure that the correct department addresses and resolves consumer complaints.
Was your loved one mistreated in a nursing home?
If your loved one sustained harm or died because of nursing home abuse or neglect, you might be entitled to compensation. Cordisco & Saile LLC offers a nursing home abuse and neglect blog that outlines some options available to you if you suspect nursing home abuse, as well as how to identify signs of nursing home abuse in a loved one.
