A PERFECT CAUSE : ACCOUNTABILITY

Who are the real victims in Oklahoma nursing homes, the owners or the residents?

One would think nursing home owners are the real victims, after reading "State's rural care homes fight closure" (news story, Feb. 11). The article reports that the census or number of residents to available beds cited in three nursing homes is too low, thus creating a financial hardship on their owners.

The article later points to the high cost of liability insurance, quoting the nursing home association's executive director, "It often comes down to a choice -- spend money providing quality care, or spend it on insurance."

My first question was, what does the cost of liability insurance have to do with the number of residents in nursing homes? Is your decision to place a loved one into a nursing home influenced by the cost of their liability insurance?

Could other factors impact the census in these nursing homes? The article reports the Leedey Nursing Center, with 29 residents in its 50-bed facility, is struggling because its insurance rates rose from $7,827 in 2000 to almost $39,000 this year.

Could the fact that Leedey Nursing Center has 13 deficiencies in the current reporting period be a factor? (The national average is eight and state average is nine.) Five of these were mistreatment deficiencies! Two were cited in February 2005, the same two deficiencies were cited again six weeks later, and one was cited a third time six months after that.

Mistreatment deficiencies are serious, like DUIs are serious. If you were picked up for DUI five times in the past year, what would happen to your insurance rates?

The Oklahoman stated Little Bird Health Care Home in Weatherford struggled to pay bills with only 17 residents in its 81-bed facility. Could the fact the nursing home owner has three counts of aggravated assault and battery pending against him for the alleged May 2005 assaults on a 78-year-old, wheelchair-bound resident have anything to do with the low census? The facility also was cited for nine deficiencies, three of which were mistreatment deficiencies.

Nursing home owners often blame others for the rapes, sexual assaults, physical assaults, abuse, verbal abuse, negligent acts, neglect, thefts, financial exploitation, over-medication, under-medication and the undignified care our loved ones receive while in their care.

Who are the real victims? The owners or the residents?

Bledsoe is president of the nursing home advocacy group A Perfect Cause.