North Texas Nursing Home Abuse: A Huge Problem
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Around 1/4 licensed nursing homes in Dallas County have been cited for violations of state and federal standards that put residents in harms way. In Denton County, around 1/6 of the nursing home facilities had similar problems documented in their last annual inspection, according to the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Service's Web site. In Tarrent County, around 1/7 did. In Collin County, around 1 in 13 Nursing homes had considerable problems.
Amazingly (or disappointingly) most North Texas nursing homes were cited for some form of violation. These numbers are consistant with national numbers that found around 90 percent of nursing homes in Texas and 91 percent nationwide have been cited for deficiencies.
The report found that 17 percent of nursing homes nationwide had more serious types of problems. These deficiencies don't surprise those advocates of nursing residents, who say that facilities by and large are under funded and rely on poorly trained/under paid employees.
Around 90,000 people lived in 1,175 nursing homes in Texas in August, according to the state figures. Experts believe that these numbers will rise as the baby boomer population ages. The question is: how can we be assured that our loved ones will be okay, when these numbers clearly indicate that the odds are high that they will be put in harms way?
These facilities AREN'T cheap. In fact, many of them can cost upwards of $350 a month! Something must be done, and soon. Legislation MUST be changed so that these facilities are punished much more severely for their violations. Our loved one's lives are at stake here!