Survey Points to Signs of Transformation in the Nursing Home Industry
<p>The first national survey to measure "culture change" within the U.S. nursing home industry finds positive signs that long-term care facilities are beginning to transform themselves from institutional settings into more homelike facilities where residents' needs and preferences come first.<br><br>As reported in the Commonwealth Fund report, <a href="/publications/fund-reports/2008/may/culture-change-in-nursing-homes--how-far-have-we-come--findings-from-the-commonwealth-fund-2007-nati
">Culture Change in Nursing Homes: How Far Have We Come?</a>, many nursing homes have adopted at least some practices associated with resident-centered care, such as involving residents more in decisions related to their daily activities, and giving direct-care workers a greater say in the care of their residents. At the same time, critical structural and management changes have been slow to arrive: very few nursing homes, for example, have altered their physical environments to support resident-centered care.<br><br>But the survey findings provide evidence that culture change, when enacted, makes a difference. The more nursing homes adopt culture change practices, the more likely they are to report improvements in staff retention, reductions in staff absenteeism, greater market competitiveness, and higher occupancy rates.<br><br>On <strong>Monday, May 19, 2008,</strong> The Picker/Commonwealth Fund Quality of Care for Frail Elders Program and the Pioneer Network will co-host an online meeting based on the survey findings. Fund assistant vice president Mary Jane Koren, M.D., M.P.H., a co-author of the report, will moderate the event. Michelle Doty, Ph.D., the Fund's associate director of research and the report's lead author, will discuss the survey's findings. Presenters Bonnie Kantor, Sc.D., executive director of the Pioneer Network, and Karen C. Schoeneman, M.P.A., project officer for the division of nursing homes in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will help assess ongoing efforts to spread culture change within the nursing home industry.<br><br>To register for the event, which will be held from 1 to 2 p.m., EDT, go to: <a href="https://commonwealthfund.webex.com/commonwealthfund/onstage/g.php?d=559… in this online meeting will be able to see the presenters' PowerPoint presentations and listen to the presentations through their computer or by dialing in to 888-278-5522. The participant passcode is: 338 433 71. (The dial-in information will also appear on-screen.)</p>