A Failing Grade – Advocacy Group Gives Nevada Nursing Homes An ‘F’

People who remember what it was like being graded in school probably remember that in many settings, these grades were handled with some sort of curve. Basically, your work was not only measured on its own merits, but it was also compared to the work of others in order to arrive at a final grade. If you were ever in a class of 51 students and you were seen by the instructor as having been the 43 ^rd best student in that class, you would most likely be looking at repeating that course during the next term or the summer.

Unfortunately, there is no repeating or ‘do-overs’ when it comes to nursing home care despite the fact that Nevada was recently ranked 43 ^rd out of 50 states and the District of Columbia with regards to the quality of oversight that it provides for its residents. This so-called report card was completed by a group known as Families for Better Care, and a link to Nevada’s performance can be found here. Below are just a few of the findings that were contained in this report for the Silver State:

• Every Nevada nursing home was cited for a deficiency during the time period that was analyzed.
• Fewer than 25 percent of Nevada nursing homes scored an above average health inspection.
• More than 1 in 3 nursing homes in the state were cited for a severe deficiency based on abuse or neglect of residents.
• Nevada’s ombudsmen verified the second-fewest number of complaints in the United States.
• Nevada is the worst nursing home state in the Pacific Region.

It’s difficult to spin these findings in any way other than as damaging and completely unacceptable. What’s worse is that there is much more information like this at the link above. Families for Better Care is a non-profit group comprised of citizen advocates who work to bring awareness to situations of substandard care in nursing homes. The group put together these grades and rankings by:

• Utilizing staffing data courtesy of the Kaiser Health Foundation
• Analyzing performance measures available through Medicare and Medicaid
• Reviewing complaint data from the Office of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman

A link to the full scope of methodology can be found here. All of these steps led to a completely deplorable ranking for Nevada’s nursing homes, and this is something that everyone should be aware of when they begin to approach the age or level of illness where they will encounter the need for long-term care in such a facility. People in this position should also be aware of their options if they are neglected, abused or both while living in an assisted living center. One of those options is to make sure that they hold these facilities accountable by way of filing Nevada personal injury lawsuits against facilities that mistreat them.

This should only be done, though, with the help of Las Vegas nursing home abuse lawyers who have a track record of successfully standing up for the rights of clients. If this has happened to you, contact High Stakes Injury Law today to schedule a free initial consultation.