CMS issues new guidelines
U.S. News & World Report had a great article summarizing the spirit and intent of the new federal regulations for nursing homes. The article states "A warm, welcoming environment where residents are free to make choices regarding their care." These recommendations or standards are long overdue and need to be enforced right away.
The CMS guidance aim to "transform nursing homes into environments that are more like [residents'] homes through both environmental changes and resident-centered caregiving," CMS wrote in an agency news release. The guidance will serve as an outline that CMS nursing home inspectors will use to make sure a particular facility is reaching federal regulations on good quality care.
Included in the new proposals:
A call to "de-institutionalize" the nursing home's physical environment by doing away with things such as meals served on "institutional" trays, blaring noise from overhead paging speakers, and large nursing stations.
Efforts to individualize and personalize care, stressing the importance of personal one-on-one relationships between residents and staff, and a warm, welcoming environment.
Giving residents real choice over daily routines, including the scheduling of waking, bathing, mealtimes and bedtimes.
