As the number of older adults in long-term care facilities grows, challenges such as increasing resident disputes are leading to a greater need for ombudsman staff and volunteers, according to policymakers. To that end, new legislation aimed at improving the ombudsman program was introduced this week by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.). […]
NASEM
As the comment period for the federal government’s staffing proposal winds down, advocates for both nursing homes and residents alike are looking at ways to reach a middle ground. Among these advocates for measured change are members of the Moving Forward Coalition – an organization formed in April 2022 following the National Academies of Sciences, […]
A national coalition of more than 120 individuals and organizations focused on nursing home reform released a series of action plans on Tuesday, outlining ways to improve nursing homes over the next 12 months. The Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition released several action plans to enhance quality of life for residents and working conditions […]
This year, Skilled Nursing News held a magnifying glass to various roles within the nursing home as the sector continues to evolve – and receive mandated change from federal and state entities. All the while, skilled nursing staff shortages fuel a reshaping of roles to take on more responsibilities and rely more on technology to […]
Lenders, operators, industry lobbying organizations and consumer advocates all agree that an expansion of skilled nursing financing programs through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) could be a game-changer in driving much-needed innovation. Building on suggestions from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), the authors of a recent Health Affairs […]
Loans and other types of financing through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) may be key to incentivizing operators to seek innovation, such as scaling the small home model in a meaningful way – but the program isn’t quite at that point yet. The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report […]
Administrators and executives with decades of experience believe leadership in the skilled nursing space has fundamentally changed. A reactionary mindset has taken hold among nursing home administrators, affecting morale within facilities and slowing the evolution of the sector. It’s incredibly difficult to look at overall recovery and have a wider perspective when there’s such a […]
Policy decision making – especially around infection control and prevention – needs to be more inclusive as the sector moves forward. Namely, residents, their family members and direct care staff need to have a seat at the table when it comes to broader decisions on policies. This all starts with a cultural change in long-term […]
The Workforce Linchpin: Nursing Home LPN Role Weaves Together Resident Knowledge, Clinical Expertise
The licensed practical nurse (LPN) is a crucial, but often overlooked piece of the nursing home workforce puzzle, according to industry leaders, with minimum staffing ratios focusing more on the certified nursing assistant (CNA) and the registered nurse (RN). LPNs are in the building every day and know the residents, but also have the clinical […]
While clinical leaders in skilled nursing facilities welcome new hires to their staff, many are seeing an influx of nurses with less real-world experience. Nurses fresh out of school were unable to complete their clinicals on-site due to Covid, leaving students to learn as best they could in online skills labs and other solitary training, […]
The federal government could soon require nursing homes across the country to spend most of their Medicaid payments on direct patient care, according to a Kaiser Health News report. While not yet formally proposed, the Biden administration’s strategy would limit the amount of Medicaid dollars used on operations, maintenance and capital improvements or considered profits. […]
The push to improve the nation’s nursing homes needs to go beyond calling for increased oversight and higher quality resident care as the sector largely remains in the spotlight. Federal officials should also provide skilled nursing operators ways build up the workforce and take steps to reduce staff turnover, in addition to offering residents and […]
Recent calls for nursing home reform and actions from regulators and lawmakers have drawn renewed attention to the role that certified nursing assistants currently play in care centers – and how their role could evolve. Some skilled nursing operators have responded to calls for expanding the CNA role by creating more specialized positions, and legislatures […]
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