Nevada nursing homes have taken dramatic steps toward improving their services, according to a non-profit advocacy group. Each year, Families for Better Care grades each state on the quality of its nursing homes. In 2013, Nevada earned an F grade, ranking 43rd among the states. In 2014 (the most recent year for which data is available), Nevada showed the most improvement of all of the states, surging to 26th among all states and earning a C grade.
Nursing home abuse is common at poorly operated nursing homes, and Nevada personal injury attorneys handle many nursing home abuse cases each year.
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Key Report Card Findings
Families for Better Care, which grades each states’ nursing homes, is a Florida based non-profit advocacy group. It describes itself as being “dedicated to creating public awareness of the conditions in our nation’s nursing homes and other long-term care settings and developing effective solutions for improving quality of life and care.”
In its assessment of Nevada’s nursing homes, Families for Better Care highlights some of the significant areas of improvement:
- Staffers providing direct care spend an additional 10 minutes with each resident on a daily basis compared to 2013.
- In five of the eight areas that are measured, Nevada’s nursing homes showed improvement.
- The number of complaints received by Nevada’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman was the third lowest among all states.
Still, the survey finds room for improvement in Nevada nursing home care. About 20 percent of all nursing homes in the state were cited for having a severe deficiency and almost every nursing home in the state had some type of deficiency. Nevada also lags behind other states in the Pacific region and had the worst regional scores in four of the eight areas of measurement.
Data used to grade nursing homes is drawn from staffing information compiled by the Kaiser Health Foundation and performance measures from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Nursing Home Compare, as well as complaint data from each state’s long-term care ombudsman.
If a Loved One Has Suffered Nursing Home Abuse
The elderly and others residing in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, are particularly vulnerable to abuse. If you or a loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, there are legal options available. Contact Nevada personal injury attorney Matthew L. Sharp today at (775) 324-1500 to schedule a free initial consultation.