Texas Nursing Home Care Ranked WORST in Nation!
A new report published by the Families for Better Care recently put Texas in last place when it comes to nursing home care.
This report used eight federal measures to see the extent to which nursing homes and communities around the country took seriously their commitment to offering quality care for the elderly. The State of Texas failed six of those measures.
This comes hot on the heels of another report back in June published by AARP which found that various issues such as high staff turnover and an inordinate number of nursing home residents receiving antipsychotic medication contributed to this appalling ranking. The AARP report ranked Texas an embarrassing 49th place out of the 50 states.
Report Results Shameful For the State
Brian Lee, the executive director of Families for Better Care stated that the report was shameful for the Texas Legislature, nursing home operators in the area, as well as Governor Perry. Mr. Lee went on to state that Texas needed to enact tougher staffing rules in order to change the status quo. The report based its findings on how much direct care residents in these homes got on a daily basis. On average, Texas nursing home residents received 22 minutes less care time compared to other states. This was one of the defining factors of this report.
Some nursing homes in the state have severe deficiencies. In some instances, patients were left to roam around in 105 degree heat, leading to death. In another case involving University Park Nursing Home, a nursing home resident was allowed to smoke unsupervised without having a smoking apron on, resulting in him suffering burns to his clothes as well as 30 percent of his body leading to his eventual demise.
Deficiencies Should Herald a Change in Existing Laws
Families who decide to put a loved one in a home do so hoping that they will receive expert care. The last thing they would want to discover is that their loved one is being mistreated, abused or neglected. For a proud state such as Texas, these deficiencies are unacceptable and say something about the lax legislation that needs to be changed so that standards of care can improve.
If you have a loved one who was neglected or abused at a nursing home, please contact me today at 1-800-ATTORNEY so we can see on how best we can help you recover compensation and seek justice for your family.
Category: In The News