The New York Times recently published an eye-opening expose detailing how many corporate nursing home chains essentially drain their nursing homes of funds instead of spending more on providing quality care. Some highlights include the following:
Nursing homes are often understaffed
Nursing homes often have a scarcity of nurses and aides
Nursing homes are short on supplies, such as diapers,sheets, linens
Operating expenses paid to related corporations also owned by the same nursing home owners, so that owners an take profits from multiple sources
Nursing homes outsource goods and services to other entities controlled by the same owners, so as to increase profits
Nursing homes pay inflated expenses resulting in less assets and operating income to nursing home
Paying inflated rents to sister companies to increase nursing home profits
Devise complicated corporate webs to hide assets from potential negligence and wrongful death lawsuits
Nursing home chains are pulling money away from staffing
Family members found soaked in urine, unwashed, with cold food, vacant front desks, rarely re-positioned to prevent bedsores
For profit nursing home conglomerates fare much worse in fines, complaints and staffing
