U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America	Frequent Questions Search

Font Size     Print     Download Reader

This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated.

The grants are a joint initiative of the Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and have been awarded to organizations in Washington, D.C., and Miami.

Despite best efforts, physical abuse and neglect occur in America's nursing homes. Although there are many contributing factors, a large part of unintended weight loss, dehydration, and abuse can be avoided when the warning signs can be easily identified and the nursing home industry, as well as the general public, are better informed and aware.

"Ensuring the health and safety of nursing home residents has been a top priority of this Administration. People deserve nursing homes that are safe, care that is of high quality, and treatment that is dignified and compassionate," Secretary Shalala said. "Enlisting the expertise of these organizations will help those who care for nursing home residents to more readily recognize the warning signs of abuse and to better understand residents' needs."

In awarding the grants, Jeanette C. Takamura, assistant secretary for aging in the Department of Health and Human Services, and head of the AoA, said, "Education and empowerment are needed to help staff, residents, family members, and others fully understand nursing home requirements and standards so that every member of the nursing home community can play a role in providing quality care."

The grants are part of the Clinton Administration's aggressive initiative to promote quality care for the 1.6 million elderly and disabled Americans in nearly 17,000 nursing homes. In 1995, HCFA issued the toughest nursing home regulations in the history of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Those reforms led to measurable improvements in quality of care for nursing home residents. After implementing those reforms and monitoring their results, the Administration developed additional steps in July 1998 to further assure that all nursing home residents receive good quality care. In addition, HFCA's Nursing Home Compare Web site www.medicare.gov) allows consumers to compare inspection reports and other data about nursing homes, and a free new Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home is available by contacting 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

"These grants will further improve the quality of life for nursing home residents by tapping the creativity, commitment and expertise of these dedicated organizations," said HCFA Administrator Nancy-Ann DeParle. "Combined with our initiative's stronger state enforcement and federal oversight, the grants will help create safer, healthier and happier residents."

Grant recipients in this joint effort include:

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (NAAAA) in Washington, D.C. will organize intergenerational groups such as schools, service clubs, religious organizations, and pet therapy programs to bring companionship and other activities to nursing home residents. Selected quality-of-life categories will be measured at the outset and conclusion of the pilot to determine the impact of the programs on the residents' overall well being.

NAAAA will also assemble focus groups to evaluate the effectiveness of various nursing home publications and learn which sections best meet consumers' needs for choosing a nursing home and evaluating care, including information about residents' rights, abuse, and nutrition/hydration issues.

The National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center in Washington, D.C. under the auspices of the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, will solicit applications and fund two local ombudsman initiatives to address resident neglect and abuse. The State Long Term Care Ombudsman Programs provide advocacy, information, and support to residents of nursing homes and their families. The resource center will analyze the impact of each project on residents, their family and friends, facility staff and the general public. In addition, the center will identify local, regional and state ombudsman initiatives that specifically address treatment and prevention of neglect and abuse and analyze how successful initiatives can be replicated.

The National Center on Elder Abuse in Washington, D.C. will use focus groups to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate a "risk profile tool." This tool will assist professionals and non-professionals, who regularly enter or work in nursing homes, to target prevention and intervention efforts for nursing homes and individual residents most at risk for abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The risk profile tool will be developed with organizations of five groups in the selected state, which are key to ensuring the safety and well being of nursing home residents: long-term care ombudsmen; nursing home surveyors; Medicaid fraud control units; nursing home administrators and staff; and adult protective services.

The National Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging in Miami, Florida will have registered dietitians use the Nutrition Care Alerts to increase awareness of the signs of malnutrition and dehydration in nursing home residents and promote an interdisciplinary team approach to improving nutritional care. Nutrition Care Alerts are a tool developed by the Nutrition Screening Initiative to call attention to warning signs and action steps to help avoid unintended weight loss and dehydration. Dietitians will also evaluate and correct nutrition-related problems in fragile older adults. Researchers will then evaluate and compare nutrition and hydration in long-term care residents in the facility to residents in a control facility. Improved nutrition care would result in better health and improved quality of life for the residents, and help reduce health care costs.

###