Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
State releases the results of nursing home inspections
By Shelley Grieshop
Briarwood Manor of Coldwater and The Gardens at St. Henry received the highest marks of all long-term care facilities in Mercer County following annual state inspections.
Both nursing homes were awarded a 98.8 percent compliance rate following detailed inspections by health officials. The pair also received the top scores in a resident satisfaction survey (see sidebar).
Both facilities netted just one citation, according to results released by the Ohio Department of Health, which oversees the inspection process and issues operating licenses to the long-term care nursing homes.
Ranking lowest of the six nursing homes in Mercer County was the Laurels of Shane Hill in Rockford at 86.4 percent compliant. It received 11 citations for a variety of violations that directly and indirectly put residents' health in jeopardy, the state report says.
In Auglaize County, Cridersville Nursing Home earned a perfect 100 percent compliance score with no citations issued - putting it at the top of the list of all nine nursing homes in that county, according to the state. Coming in a close second was Otterbein St. Marys, which was found to be 98.9 percent in compliance of state standards.
Scoring a 93.1 percent and the lowest score of all long-term care facilities in Auglaize County was Heritage Manor Nursing Home in Minster. State inspectors handed down six citations following their inspection approximately three months ago.
Ohio has more than 1,000 nursing homes that provide care to more than 80,000 residents. Statewide compliance rates the past year averaged 94 percent, with just under five citations each.
Marianne Bradshaw, regional director for the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, said the ratings are like annual report cards and advises the public to take note of all citations at the facilities where their loved ones reside.
"We encourage people to read the citations," she says, adding the information can be found at www.ltc.ohio.gov/consumer/index.asp. "Some are much more serious than others."
The single citations issued to Briarwood Manor and The Gardens at St. Henry involved the failure to dispose of expired medications and failure to ensure medications were administered by acceptable nursing standards, respectively.
The Laurels of Shane Hill, which at the time of the inspection housed 68 residents, was found to have walls with holes and chipping paint, stained toilets and loose towel bars and a black substance in common shower rooms. Other citations included failure to monitor: the alcohol consumption of an alcoholic resident, the status of pressure ulcers on two residents and the pulse rate of a resident before administering cardiac medication.
The rural Rockford facility also was cited for failure to: apply a care alarm for a resident to prevent falls, to educate three residents about immunizations, to serve therapeutic diets as ordered for two residents, maintain the kitchen floors, fans and ceilings free of dust and peeling paint, to discard expired medications, obtain laboratory tests as ordered by physicians and to hold fire drills according to policy.
Heritage Manor's citations dealt mainly with direct patient care deficiencies and included failure to: administer an inhaler according to manufacturer's instructions, ensure a resident wore geriatric gloves as ordered by a doctor, prevent falls and supply safety devices that led to injuries to five patients, ensure certified personnel fed residents who were at risk for choking or aspiration, properly educate state tested nurses aides (STNAs), complete blood work as ordered by doctors of two residents and properly record and evaluate disaster drills.
Bradshaw said nursing homes across the country are generally doing a good job. Many today are striving harder to meet individual care, instead of treating all residents as "just another old person," she says.
"The one-size-fits-all method won't work for baby boomers of today," she says. "That type of care just isn't going to wash anymore. People want choices and individual attention."
Besides keeping updated on facility ratings, she urges interested parties to make an actual visit.
"We recommend people visit several facilities before making a choice," she says. "It's important to get that 'warm and fuzzy feeling' when you're there. If you don't, you probably need to keep looking."
Survey results:
The Ohio Department of Aging released the following resident and family satisfaction survey results from studies performed in 2006 and 2007. Percentages/scores represent the number of residents and residents' family members who overall are satisfied with the care given at long-term care facilities in Mercer and Auglaize counties.
Resident survey (2007)
• Briarwood Manor, Coldwater - 97
• The Gardens at St. Henry - 95.9
• Heritage Manor, Minster - 94.8
• Celina Manor - 94.3
• Colonial, Rockford - 93.8
• Auglaize Acres, Wapakoneta - 93.1
• St. Marys Living Center - 92.9
• The Gardens at Celina - 9.28
• Otterbein Cridersville - 92.6
• Otterbein St. Marys - 91.6
• Wapakoneta Manor - 90.9
• Laurels of Shane Hill, Rockford - 90.3
• Cridersville - 90.3
• Joint Township Transitional Care, St. Marys - 89.6
• Golden Living Center, St. Marys - 89.6
Family survey (2006)
• Briarwood Manor - 90.2
• Laurels of Shane Hill - 89.4
• Wapakoneta Manor - 88.6
• Golden Living Center - 87.5
• Celina Manor - 85.8
• The Gardens of Celina - 85.2
• Heritage Manor - 80
(Too few respondents from others)
- Shelley Grieshop
