[Headline] Alter Nursing Home Rules

Colorado legislators came face to face recently with what many observers consider one of the major concerns in the nursing home field: the need for some individualization of treatment groups within facilities.

Residents of the youth wing at Heritage House, 5301 W. 1st Ave., told lawmakers that for many months they had been encouraged to make remarkable progress toward self determination and varying degrees of independence. But late in 1974 the situation deteriorated into custodial and repressive care, resulting in deep bitterness between staff and patients and loss of self confidence by the patients, they said.

At first, the problem seemed to revolve around personalities of two former youth wing coordinators and whether one could communicate more effectively with administrators than the other.

But it developed during the hearing that there were indeed some apparent moves by administrators to intimidate staff members who had provided transportation to the hearing for several disabled young persons and their beds and wheelchairs. During an angry and tearful exchange, legislators learned that officials at the nursing home had “withheld” the time cards of staff members who, when off duty, had transported the young residents to the hearing. Those officials received a stern warning from Rep. Wellington Webb, D-Denver, chairman of the House Committee on Health, Environment, Welfare and Institutions, that their attitude was unacceptable and would be dealt with.

Beyond the immediate clash at Heritage House, a deeper problem more reflective of the problem throughout the nursing home industry arose. Administrator Tom O'Hallaran explained the home is required to meet rigid federal and state standards that don’t take youth wings into account.

One official suggested that the youth wing be reclassified to fit into a different regulatory category. But neither does that category address specifically programs for young persons.

The biggest villains are the state social services department and state legislators, who together decide how much money young and old persons need for nursing home care, suggested Sandy Anderson, a welfare caseworker in Jefferson County. In a strongly worded appeal, she said geriatric staffing patterns and programs aren't adequate in a youth wing and per diem funding isn't sufficient.

Miss Anderson’s point was the crucial one of the day. Different types of patients with differing needs shouldn't be mixed, yet that is the prevailing practice. A visit to almost any nursing home will find young and old, mental patients and senile retirees, able and disabled, and those needing custodial care and those who are bedridden mixed indiscriminately. The result is misery for patients and inefficient services from the nursing home staff.

While it is obvious that officials at Heritage House have attitudinal problems to work out, it is also clear that the larger problem needs to be seriously addressed by the legislature. Colorado lawmakers should make sure that state rules are changed to allow differential treatment and should take their concerns to officials in Washington who administer federal funding and regulation systems. The change must occur all the way to the highest level of regulation.

Created on

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Posted on

Sunday 21 February 2016

Tags

Heritage House, independence, intimidation, nursing homes, public hearing, state legislators, Tom O'Halloran, Wellington Webb, youth wing

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