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Quality. Such a simple, yet complex concept. The level of quality is what makes the difference for everything, whether it’s food service, schooling or ageing services.
Quality of life incorporates so many aspects of life and if you don’t have a high quality of life, everything else is difficult. When you throw in old age and/or poor health, quality of life becomes extremely important. That’s where My Home Life comes in.
My Home Life is an innovative programme based in the United Kingdom. It is a programme designed to optimise life in care homes based on the following eight practice themes.
* Managing transitions
* Maintaining identity
* Creating community
* Sharing decision-making
* Improving health & healthcare
* Supporting good end-of-life
* Keeping workforce fit for purpose
* Promoting a positive culture
You can find out more about the themes here.
I have the pleasure of working with a leader from My Home Life on a presentation for AAHSA’s annual meeting in Chicago, USA. I look forward to learning more about the programme then. If you are in Chicago, please stop by the session. If you aren’t, let me know if you have any comments or questions I can pass along.
Use of the internet by government to help consumers learn more about nursing homes has been going on in the US for a number of years. The latest in the US was the launch of the Five Star Quality nursing home rating system. It drew swift criticism from the IAHSA US Chapter AAHSA, stating that the system is “ is based on significantly flawed and inadequate information that has stacked the public relations deck against nursing homes.”
The Australian government has now followed suit. According to an article in Australian Ageing Agenda, the government will update is consumer site featuring information about the compliance and safety standards of Commonwealth-approved facilities.
Provider groups in Australia, like those in the US, agree that consumers have the right to information about care homes but there is ongoing concern about the validity of the data.
Government and providers have the same mission – quality care for the elderly. Its too bad we can’t agree on how to show it.
The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid [CMS] launched this week a new 5-star rating system for nursing homes. A nursing home can obtain up to five stars based on criteria such as staffing and how well they fare in state inspections. The lowest ranking possible is one star.
Launch of the system has led to reactions from provider groups who feel that it is too simple to reflect the complexities of caring for the elderly.
In an article in the Washington Post, AAHSA CEO Larry Minnix said “The system is poorly planned, prematurely implemented and hamhandedly rolled out.” Similar reactions have been heard from provider groups on the state level as well.
CMS however seems to be unfazed and plans to issue similar reports on a quarterly basis.
Nursing care in Ireland is provided by the government, by private companies and by the voluntary sector. However cost for the resident is much greater if he or she is staying in a home run by the private and voluntary sector than by a public home.
The current system of state support of nursing homes costs has been recognized as inequitable, complicated and unfair.
Hence the Irish “Fair Deal”. According to an article in The Independent, the Irish Government plans to significantly reform state supports for nursing homes through the new “Fair Deal” scheme, which will make imbursement for care more equitable for all nursing home providers.
A majority of Australians over 50 have no intention of moving into a nursing home when they get frail and expect governments to support the development of alternative forms of aged care and accommodation, a recent Galaxy Poll has found.
The research, conducted for The Benevolent Society of Australia, showed that the low opinion of traditional care homes has resulted in most baby boomers putting off a decision on their futures when they can no longer live at home.
Overall, 78% believe that the government must start to budget now for the blow-out costs that is expected to occur in the next 10-15 years.
As we noted on our blog earlier this week, the European Union is also looking at this issue in determining more clearly the role of government in meeting the needs of the rapidly expanding older population.
The Institute for the Future of Aging Services recently published a new report based on analysis of the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey [USA]. The report shows that 1 in 4 nursing home residents aged 65 and older has diabetes. The report also examined the association between diabetes and ethnicity, activities of daily living, source of admission, payment sources, length of stay, pressure ulcers, emergency department visits and medication usage.
Not only does this brief demonstrate the extremely high prevalence of diabetes in U.S. nursing homes, but it raises important issues related to planning for the special needs of this large segment of the nursing home population.
And even though it is based on US data, the lessons learned can be applied in many countries around the world.
Unfortunately bad conditions are often the drivers for government to get involved in regulating private businesses. You’ve seen it in all types of industries and long term care is no exception.
And ageing services in Ireland is the latest example. The recently issued standards of care and welfare, announced by Ireland’s Health Information Quality Authority, were a result of an abuse scandal at a Dublin nursing home.
As the Irish Times reported, the 32 standards are aimed at keeping residents safe from physical, financial, material, psychological or sexual abuse and neglect. The new regulations are welcomed by Age Action Ireland as well as the association that represents nursing homes, Nursing Homes Ireland. However Tadhg Daly, CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland, noted that “It’s fair to say that regulations, no matter what sector, will have an increase in the cost both to the provider and also for those in our care.”
We all know that regulations do increase costs. And our hope is that they also result in an increase in quality. But sometimes ageing service providers need to create their own quality systems, such as Quality First in the US and My Home Life in the UK. Check them out and let us know what you think.
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