November 17, 2009 - Understaffing is a major source of stress for nurses and nursing assistants in the long-term care setting, finds this Commonwealth Fund-supported study. The lack of support raises concerns about the quality of care delivered to an estimated 1.6 million nursing home residents.
In the Literature
November 3, 2009 - To be successful, "culture change" initiatives—efforts to help nursing homes transform from institutional hospital-like settings to homes that focus on residents' preferences—depend critically on the care provided for and directed by nursing homes' professional nursing staff.
Literature Abstract
October 9, 2009 - To move toward a new model of nursing home regulation, the states and federal government must strike a balance between the traditional regulatory approach to weed out substandard facilities and a partnership model aimed at promoting high performance. This Commonwealth Fund issue brief highlights the importance of how such a model is structured, as well as the need to adequately train and educate regulatory staff and providers about culture change.
Issue Brief
September 9, 2009 - Long-term care specialists—including consumer advocates, providers, public officials, and policy experts—who participated in a national survey generally agreed on the need for long-term care reform. Key groups supported the establishment of government-sponsored financing strategies, a shift toward home- and community-based care, offering payment incentives to improve quality, and more effective regulation of nursing homes, home health care agencies, and assisted living facilities.
In the Literature
May 4, 2009 - A review of the literature shows that some of the most vulnerable Americans, low-income seniors, do not participate in benefit programs for which they are eligible. The two major obstacles to enrollment are lack of knowledge about public benefit programs and the complexity of application and enrollment processes.
Fund Report
November 24, 2008 - While African Americans use rates of nursing homes have now surpassed whites' rates, there has been little gain in equity in long-term care.
In the Literature
November 24, 2008 - In this study, researchers examined federal and state use of civil money penalties (CMPs) against nursing homes and found that CMPs are an underused tool for spurring improvement in the quality of resident care. Moreover, state enforcement varies widely from state to state.
In the Literature
October 29, 2008 - Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who feel empowered tend to perform their duties better, have a higher morale and job satisfaction rate, and are less likely to consider leaving their jobs, a Commonwealth Fund-supported study finds.
In the Literature
October 29, 2008 - A comparison of geriatric competency domains across five health care disciplines--dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work--reveals striking similarities. Based on these commonalities, it may be possible to improve interdisciplinary collaboration in the education and clinical training of health care professionals specializing in geriatrics.
In the Literature
July 21, 2008 - More than two-thirds of respondents to the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey believe it is important that the health reform plans of the presidential candidates address the quality and financing of long-term care.
Data Brief
July 21, 2008 - Pennsylvania is undergoing a demographic change that most other states will not see for another 10 to 15 years. Experts accurately refer to Pennsylvania as an aging commonwealth.
Commentary
July 21, 2008 - If our nation is to secure the health and quality of life of future generations of older Americans, long-term care must become a priority on the national health care agenda, says Carol Raphael of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.
Commentary
June 20, 2008 - This Commonwealth Fund-supported article examines U.S. efforts to improve outcomes for elderly residents in long-term care facilities, and finds valuable lessons for New Zealand.
In the Literature
May 15, 2008 - In invited Congressional testimony, the Fund's Mary Jane Koren explained how the Quality Improvement Organization program, in conjunction with two voluntary initiatives, are moving nursing homes to a higher level of performance.
Testimony
May 9, 2008 - The first national survey to measure "culture change" within the U.S. nursing home industry finds positive signs that long-term care facilities are beginning to transform themselves from institutional settings into more homelike facilities where residents' needs and preferences come first.
Fund Report