Nursing Home Care

Linda A. Treiber

Nursing homes are facilities that have at least three or more beds at which health care workers (nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, and registered nurses) regularly provide nursing care services for persons unable to care for themselves due to physical or mental health problems, cognitive impairment, or disabilities. Despite extensive governmental regulation, nursing home care has become a social problem that is often synonymous with elder abuse, neglect, maltreatment, and despair. Many Americans see nursing homes as places of last resort for the unwanted elderly—a place where one goes to die. Recent studies by the Institute of Medicine confirm these categorizations: care deficiencies in nursing homes have caused harm to patients, and the numbers of nursing home staff are often not adequate to provide quality care. However, many older people also receive superior care and benefit from the security and stability that nursing homes provide. Despite a common belief that ...

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