Revenue over Residents
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are tasked with promoting a resident’s highest level of well-being. When this mission is overshadowed by the desire to increase profits, residents of these facilities are the ones who suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, it is becoming commonplace for once non-profit nursing homes to be bought by for-profit corporations.
The Growing For-Profit Trend
According to a recent article by the Times-Herald Record, “nonprofit nursing home companies are increasingly selling to commercial operators” in order to boost their revenue. (Daniel Axelrod, Goshen Nursing Home’s Troubles Reflect Larger For-Profit Trend, Times Herald-Record, August 11, 2018). These facilities promptly slash the number of staff employed or reorganize so that less expensive, less qualified staff is on hand. The result is that residents are left unattended, leaving them to lie in their own waste and beg visitors for bathroom help, meals, and common care.
For-Profit Mission to Cut Staff
This decision by many for-profit nursing homes to reduce the number of well-trained nurses they employ is not surprising. Staffing is the highest operating cost for these facilities and cutting employees can result in greater return per resident. However, the immediate result of this decision can be a failure to maintain a safe, clean, homelike environment for their residents. While families never expect their loved-one to be the victim of such practices, sometimes they are put in the horrible situation of realizing a family member has suffered from neglect. When this happens, Eric J. Hertz, P.C. strives to hold these for-profit corporations accountable.
Eric J. Hertz, P.C.
Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers