National Nursing Home Week is Monday through May 16.
There are five nursing homes in Marion County and all have been rated four or five stars, with five stars being the highest rating.
Rated by Medicare, nursing homes are rated overall and on health inspections, nursing home staffing, and quality measures.
Five stars means the home is much above average. Four stars are above average, three is average, two is below average, and one is much below average.
The overall rating is a combination of the health inspection rating, staffing rating, and quality measure rating. Analysis was conducted on these three data sources and each of these ratings was combined into one overall rating.
A team of trained health inspectors conducts onsite health inspections, on average, about once a year. Inspectors look at the care of residents, the process of care, staff and resident interactions, and nursing home environment. Data from the past three standard health inspections and all complaint inspections that have been conducted in the past three years are used to calculate the rating.
Nursing home staffing information is self-reported by the nursing home and gathered during the most recent health inspection. This star rating is for overall staffing hours, which include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and certifying nursing assistants. Other types of nursing home staff such as clerical, administrative, or housekeeping staff are not included in this staffing calculation.
Quality measure also is self-reported by the nursing home and comes from data nursing home routinely collect on all residents at specific times. Only a subset of the 19 quality measures were used to calculate the quality measure rating.
During this week of national recognition, county residents are encouraged to visit family and friends in the local nursing homes. The visits are not only important for the person being visited but visits have positive effects on other residents and staff members.
Involvement by non-residents with nursing homes brings energy and enthusiasm. A common fear of senior citizens who move into a nursing home is they will “be forgotten.” Contact with family and friends helps to make those fears go away.
A nursing home staff is a key to finding a quality nursing home. For the most part, staffs are local people, being raised with the same values of respect and commitment. For most employees, their involvement with nursing homes is more than just a job but a commitment to the seniors they serve.
For more information about nursing homes in local communities, contact the local nursing home administrator.