Sen. Wyden Issues Statement at Hearing on Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes
"Generations ago, with
"Seniors in nursing homes are among the people most vulnerable to the life-threatening consequences of abuse and neglect. Across this country, that vulnerability is being exploited in unimaginably cruel ways in nursing homes that are unsafe, under-staffed and uninterested in providing even the most basic, humane level of care. This morning the committee will hear stories of seniors being sexually and physically abused, starved, dehydrated and left for dead. These stories, unfortunately, are too common around the
"Last November, I released a report, Sheltering in Danger, examining the tragic deaths of 12 residents at a nursing home in
"Just this week, a news report from
"First, the Trump budget is coming out next week, and it's a safe wager it'll include another draconian attack on Medicaid. That program helps cover costs for two out of three seniors in nursing homes. I'll fight this cut with everything I've got, because it would turn back the clock on the effort to improve care, and it would inevitably lead to more nursing homes closing their doors.
"Second, at a time when the federal government ought to be raising standards and rooting out harmful, substandard care and those who provide it, the Trump administration and CMS is going in the wrong direction.
"The basic regulations on nursing homes date back three decades. Since then, a 2003 study found 20,000 complaints of exploitation, abuse and neglect. Reports from the National Center on Elder Abuse and a state agency in
"That's why there was an effort in 2016 to update the basic rules for nursing homes. The update required nursing homes to develop plans to prevent infections. It mandated concrete policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, mistreatment and theft. It said that nursing homes shouldn't pump residents full of psychotropic drugs unless they are necessary to treat a specific, diagnosed condition.
"It banned the practice of forcing seniors to sign away their legal rights with pre-arbitration contracts as a precondition of admission to a nursing home. It established tougher financial penalties for nursing homes that harm residents or fail to meet safety standards.
"Come 2017, under the banner of deregulation, the Trump administration decided to roll back those changes and more. Other examples, related to recommendations in my Sheltering in Danger report: I'm worried Trump rollbacks will mean nursing homes are underprepared for natural disasters in the future. And there is still no federal rule mandating that nursing homes have emergency power generators.
"So whenever I hear the Trump administration throw around the phrase "patients over paperwork," I think of how they're letting criminals and substandard caregivers off the hook when they hurt vulnerable seniors.
"Next, it's time for a hard look at the way the federal government rates nursing homes. At a hearing in the Aging Committee years ago, I pointed out that it was easier to get accurate reviews of washing machines than of nursing homes.
"After that hearing, the
"Too much of the information that goes into the rating system is self-reported. It is not a reliable indicator of quality. For instance, one of the witnesses coming before the committee today will tell us about how her mother passed away after suffering extreme neglect at a facility in
"I'll close with this final point. I know in
"I spent a lot of time visiting people who lived in sordid conditions, who needed a lot of help just to get through the day, who were victims of scams and abuse. For me, those memories still serve as a reminder that the job of working to ensure seniors have a dignified retirement is never complete.
"So I'm pleased the Chairman has brought this hearing together. There's a lot to be done on this issue, and I look forward to working with both sides of the committee on it."
[TheHill]
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