Elders
nursing homes
5 dangerous eldercare myths
Myths associated with selecting quality nursing
home care suggest quick and easy ways to identify
quality care. In fact, relying on these myths can
lead to disastrous results. I have identified a few
of the most common myths in hopes of helping
you avoid some of the problems commonly found
in many nursing homes.
1. the smell test
You’ve heard it repeatedly: “The best way to
determine the quality of care a nursing home
provides is to be alert to bad odors when you
visit the home.”
It seldom, if ever, works. Why? Nursing home
administrators have heard the very same advice.
As a result, they are particularly sensitive to
unpleasant odors in any area that might receive
visitors. Almost all will do their best to remove
offensive odors as quickly as possible, even when
it means avoiding their primary responsibility to
their residents.
2. the personal
recommendation
Recently, I heard a guest on a radio talk show
state that the very best way to find great nursing
home care is to get recommendations from a
friend. Like other myths, there is a grain of truth
here, but you must check whether your friend
has had extensive interactions with the nursing
home recommended. Often that is not the case.
I once dealt with an emergency call from Jim, a
friend who had placed his mother in a nursing
home recommended by a friend. Although she
was recuperating from a stroke, no nurse or aide
checked on her condition for more than 14 hours.
Jim discovered her in the morning with many cuts
and bruises, her bedsheets soaked in blood. He
was astonished that anyone would recommend
such a poor care facility.
“My friend said her grandmother was in this
particular nursing home,” he reported. “So, I
thought it would be good care.”
“How often does your friend visit her
grandmother?” I asked him.
“I didn’t think to ask,” he responded.
“And did you check the latest survey for that
nursing home?”
“No,” he answered. “I thought a personal
recommendation was all I needed.”
Jim’s mother is now back in an area hospital. No
one knows yet how much damage this experience
caused to her recovery.
3. you get what you
pay for
Nowhere is this statement less applicable than
in nursing home care. In fact, I’d replace it with
another shibboleth -- “Buyer Beware.” Our own
research, encompassing more than 6000 nursing
homes and more than 100 assisted living facilities
shows no relationship between cost and quality
of care. You may find quality care in an expensive
facility, or you may not! Similarly, the fact that
a facility is low-cost does not indicate whether
you’ll get poor, average, or quality care. You
have to do your homework. Relying on price
as the sole indicator of quality care can lead to
disastrous results.
20 WomanToWomanMagazine.com
/WomanToWomanMagazine.com