$138 million dollars in funding for Florida’s 656 nursing homes may be on the chopping block.
That’s not good, especially for the residents of the nursing home and retirement facilities across the state. According to an article on FloridaPolitics.com, Nursing Home Advocates Heading to the Capitol Wednesday, more than 400 nursing homes will lose more than $300,000 – each.
That’s a staggering amount of money per facility, a figure that could severely impact the quality of care provided to the seniors living in those homes.
According to Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) Executive Director Emmett Reed as quoted in the article, “funding and quality go hand in hand, and one year of adequate funding is simply not enough for centers to recruit and retain the right staff to maintain the quality outcomes they’re achieving.”
As a law firm here in Miami that’s handled numerous nursing home abuse cases over the years, reading between the lines means that residents will potentially be subject to the care of nursing home employees who are less experienced and less well trained.
As someone with a loved one in a nursing home and who is reliant on Medicaid to pay for their care, should they be worried? Will these facilities and the residents be able to access resources they need? These are important questions to ask.
Will nursing home companies here in Florida be able to provide appropriate and safe care for their residents? Will executive leadership at these companies be able to provide adequate training and support for their employees? Will oversight and proper management of these employees be impacted? And what – if any – trickle down effects may impact the health and well being of these nursing home residents?
According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA) “approximately 1 in 10 Americans aged 60+ have experienced some form of elder abuse. Some estimates range as high as 5 million elders who are abused each year. One study estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of abuse are reported to authorities.” More statistics are available here. What happens when funds are suddenly cut?
For more information, read the entire article Nursing Home Advocated Heading to Capitol Wednesday at FloridaPolitics.com by clicking here.
To speak with an attorney about concerns you may have regarding improper care, neglect or abuse please contact our law firm today. Call us at 305-670-0101, fill out the form on the right hand side of this page or complete the form on our Contact Us page.
