Did you know that nursing homes are not required by federal statute to have a Registered Nurse on staff 24/7? The only federal requirement is that in Medicare or Medicaid facilities a nurse must be on duty eight hours a day. While some states require a 24 hour RN on staff, most do not.
Do a Google Search for an article published last week titled "Where are the nurses?" This is absolutely unbelievable! If only emergencies ALWAYS happened between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. And the cost of skilled nursing is very high, in my area it starts at about $8,000.00 a month. That is probably for a facility that does not have 24/7 RN.
What other regulations are in place that are not effective at caring for people, not just elderly, that are not providing the care needed.
With corporate monies speaking louder than humans this situation escalates. We can stop it in the voting booth and with activism. Ask yourself which candidate is truly compassionate toward those of us in need and vote accordingly.
The presence of an RN doesn't necessarily mean a better quality of care. For the most part I have found it is all about the work ethic or lack of in regards to the staff that IS there.