Adherence to Legionella control regulations and guidelines in Norwegian nursing homes: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Infection by Legionella bacteria is a risk to elderly individuals in health care facilities and should be managed by preventing bacterial proliferation in internal water systems. Norwegian legislation calls for a mandatory Legionella-specific risk assessment with the subsequent introduction of an adapted water management programme. The present study investigates adherence to legislation and guidelines on Legionella control and prevention in Norwegian nursing homes. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to Norwegian municipalities to investigate the status of Legionella specific risk assessments of internal water distribution systems and the introduction of water management programmes in nursing homes. RESULTS: A total of 55.1% (n = 228) of the participating nursing homes had performed Legionella-specific risk assessments, of which 55.3% (n = 126) stated that they had updated the risk assessment within the last year. 96.5% introduced a water management programme following a risk assessment, whereas 59.6% of the ones without a risk assessment did the same. Nursing homes with risk assessments were more likely to monitor Legionella levels than those without (61.2% vs 38.8%), to remove dead legs (44.7% vs 16.5%), and to select biocidal preventive treatment over hot water flushing (35.5% vs 4.6%). CONCLUSIONS: This study presents novel insight into Legionella control in Norway, suggesting that adherence to mandatory risk assessment in nursing homes is moderate-low. Once performed, the risk assessment seems to be advantageous as an introduction to future Legionella prevention in terms of the scope and contents of the water management programme.

Medicaid, the Supreme Court, and Safe Care for Nursing Home Residents.

This Viewpoint details the risk to Medicaid beneficiaries if the Supreme Court supports a decision that will allow states to deny benefits to eligible recipients and deny beneficiaries' ability to hold states accountable in federal court.

Federal Incentives to Reform Long-Term Care Under the Affordable Care Act: State Adoption of the Balancing Incentive Program, 2011-2014.

OBJECTIVES: The Balancing Incentive Program (BIP) was an optional program for states within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to promote Medicaid-funded home and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults and persons with disabilities. Twenty-one states opted to participate in BIP, including several states steadfastly opposed to the health insurance provisions of the Affordable Care Act. This study focused on identifying what factors were associated with states' participation in this program. METHODS: Event history analysis was used to model state adoption of BIP from 2011 to 2014. A range of potential factors was considered representing states' economic, political, and programmatic conditions. RESULTS: The results indicate that states with a higher percentage of Democrats in the state legislature, fewer state employees per capita, and more nursing facility beds were more likely to adopt BIP. In addition, states with fewer home health agencies per capita, that devoted smaller proportions of Medicaid long-term care spending to HCBS, and that had more Money Follows the Person transitions were also more likely to pursue BIP. DISCUSSION: The findings highlight the role of partisanship, administrative capacity, and program history in state BIP adoption decisions. The inclusion of BIP in the Affordable Care Act may have deterred some states from participating in the program due to partisan opposition to the legislation. To encourage the adoption of optional HCBS programs, federal policymakers should consider the role of financial incentives, especially for states with limited bureaucratic capacity and that have made less progress rebalancing Medicaid long-term services and supports.

Two New York Laws Set Hospital, Nursing Home Staffing Requirements.

Noncompliance could result in civil penalties.

The impact of COVID-19 on the elderly dependent population in Spain with special reference to the residential care sector. / El impacto de la Covid-19 en la población mayor dependiente en España con especial referencia al sector residencial.

The objective of this study is to analyze the residential care crisis in Spain in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on high mortality and abandonment of the user population. The direct, indirect and structural causes are analyzed. Specifically, precarious employment in residences over the past decade was analyzed as one of the main explanatory causes of the structural crisis of nursing homes. The theoretical focus of analysis is the comprehensive and person-centered care (CPCC) model based on the autonomy of people and the centrality of their rights. The methodology combines a quantitative analysis of employment and a qualitative analysis of documents and debates. The study concludes by proposing a comprehensive reform of long-term care that includes both a change in residential care in the form of small cohabitation units and reinforcement of care in the home and the community as a growing preference for the elderly population. An optimal combination of residential and home care is the basic proposal of this work.

Este artículo tiene como objeto analizar la crisis de la atención residencial en España en el contexto de la Covid-19 y su impacto en una elevada mortalidad y el abandono de la población usuaria. Se analizan sus causas inmediatas, mediatas y estructurales. De manera específica se analiza la precariedad en el empleo en las residencias a lo largo de la pasada década como una de las principales causas explicativas de la crisis estructural de las residencias. El enfoque teórico de análisis es el modelo de atención integral y centrada en la persona (AICP) basado en la autonomía de las personas y en la centralidad de sus derechos. La metodología combina el análisis cuantitativo en lo referente al empleo junto con una metodología cualitativa basada en el análisis de documentos y debates. El artículo concluye proponiendo una reforma integral de los cuidados de larga duración que incluya tanto un cambio en la atención residencial bajo la forma de pequeñas unidades de convivencia, como un reforzamiento de la atención en el domicilio y la comunidad en cuanto preferencia creciente la población mayor. La combinación óptima de la atención residencial y domiciliaria es la propuesta básica de este trabajo.

Federal requirements for nursing homes to include certified nursing assistants in resident care planning and interdisciplinary teams: A policy analysis.

Starting in 2016, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented the first phase of a 3-year multi-phase plan revising the manner in which nursing homes are regulated. In this revision, attention was placed on the importance of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to resident care and the need to empower these frontline workers. Phase II mandates that CNAs be included as members of the nursing home interdisciplinary team that develops care plans for the resident that are person-centered and comprehensive and reviews and revises these care plans after each resident assessment. While these efforts are laudable, there are no direct guidelines for how to integrate CNAs in the interdisciplinary team. We recommend the inclusion of direct guidelines, in which this policy revision clarifies the expected contributions from CNAs, their responsibilities, their role as members of the interdisciplinary team, and the expected patterns of communication between CNAs and other members of the interdisciplinary team.

Connecting policy to licensed assisted living communities, introducing health services regulatory analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To document dementia-relevant state assisted living regulations and their changes over time as they pertain to licensed care settings. DATA SOURCES: For all states, current directories of licensed assisted living communities and state regulations for each year, 2007-2018, were obtained from state agency websites and Nexis Uni, respectively. STUDY DESIGN: We identified multiple types of regulatory classifications for each state and documented the presence or absence of specific dementia care provisions in the regulations for each type by study year. Maps and summary statistics were used to compare results to previous research and document change longitudinally. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: We used a policy analysis approach to connect communities listed in directories to applicable regulatory text. Then, we employed policy surveillance and question-based coding to record the presence or absence of specific policies for each classification and study year. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our team empirically documented provisions requiring dementia-specific training for administrators and direct care staff, and cognitive impairment screening for each study year. We found that 23 states added one or more of these requirements for one or more license types, but the states that had these provisions for all types of licensed assisted living declined from four to two. CONCLUSIONS: We identified significant, previously undocumented, within-state policy variation for assisted living licensed settings between 2007 and 2018. Using the regulatory classification instead of the state as the unit of analysis revealed that many policy adoptions were limited to dementia-designated settings. This suggests that people living with dementia in general assisted living are not afforded the same protections. We call our approach health services regulatory analysis and argue that it has the potential to identify gaps in existing policies, an important endeavor for health services research in assisted living and other care settings.

Isolating residents including wandering residents in care and group homes: Medical ethics and English law in the context of Covid-19.

This article investigates the lawfulness of isolating residents of care and group homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many residents are mobile, and their freedom to move is a central ethical tenet and human right. It is not however an absolute right and trade-offs between autonomy, liberty and health need to be made since COVID-19 is highly infectious and poses serious risks of critical illness and death. People living in care and group homes may be particularly vulnerable because recommended hygiene practices are difficult for them and many residents are elderly, and/or have co-morbidities. In some circumstances, the trade-offs can be made easily with the agreement of the resident and for short periods of time. However challenging cases arise, in particular for residents and occupants with dementia who 'wander', meaning they have a strong need to walk, sometimes due to agitation, as may also be the case for some people with developmental disability (e.g. autism), or as a consequence of mental illness. This article addresses three central questions: (1) in what circumstances is it lawful to isolate residents of social care homes to prevent transmission of COVID-19, in particular where the resident has a strong compulsion to walk and will not, or cannot, remain still and isolated? (2) what types of strategies are lawful to curtail walking and achieve isolation and social distancing? (3) is law reform required to ensure any action to restrict freedoms is lawful and not excessive? These questions emerged during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and are still relevant. Although focussed on COVID-19, the results are also relevant to other future outbreaks of infectious diseases in care and group homes. Likewise, while we concentrate on the law in England and Wales, the analysis and implications have international significance.

El impacto de la Covid-19 en la población mayor dependiente en España con especial referencia al sector residencial / The impact of COVID-19 on the elderly dependent population in Spain with special reference to the residential care sector

Resumen Este artículo tiene como objeto analizar la crisis de la atención residencial en España en el contexto de la Covid-19 y su impacto en una elevada mortalidad y el abandono de la población usuaria. Se analizan sus causas inmediatas, mediatas y estructurales. De manera específica se analiza la precariedad en el empleo en las residencias a lo largo de la pasada década como una de las principales causas explicativas de la crisis estructural de las residencias. El enfoque teórico de análisis es el modelo de atención integral y centrada en la persona (AICP) basado en la autonomía de las personas y en la centralidad de sus derechos. La metodología combina el análisis cuantitativo en lo referente al empleo junto con una metodología cualitativa basada en el análisis de documentos y debates. El artículo concluye proponiendo una reforma integral de los cuidados de larga duración que incluya tanto un cambio en la atención residencial bajo la forma de pequeñas unidades de convivencia, como un reforzamiento de la atención en el domicilio y la comunidad en cuanto preferencia creciente la población mayor. La combinación óptima de la atención residencial y domiciliaria es la propuesta básica de este trabajo.

Abstract The objective of this study is to analyze the residential care crisis in Spain in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on high mortality and abandonment of the user population. The direct, indirect and structural causes are analyzed. Specifically, precarious employment in residences over the past decade was analyzed as one of the main explanatory causes of the structural crisis of nursing homes. The theoretical focus of analysis is the comprehensive and person-centered care (CPCC) model based on the autonomy of people and the centrality of their rights. The methodology combines a quantitative analysis of employment and a qualitative analysis of documents and debates. The study concludes by proposing a comprehensive reform of long-term care that includes both a change in residential care in the form of small cohabitation units and reinforcement of care in the home and the community as a growing preference for the elderly population. An optimal combination of residential and home care is the basic proposal of this work.

Supports and gaps in federal policy for addressing racial and ethnic disparities among long-term care facility residents.

Older adults from racial and ethnic minority groups are likely to face disparities in their health as well as care experiences in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities just as they do in the United States as a whole. Policymakers in the United States face concerns around long-term services and supports to address the growing demands of a rapidly aging population through public and private sector initiatives. It is important to create inclusive and culturally responsive environments to meet the needs of diverse groups of older adults. In spite of federal policy that supports minority health and protects the well-being of long-term care facility residents, racial and ethnic disparities persist in long-term care facilities. This manuscript describes supports and gaps in the current United States' federal policy to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in long-term care facilities. Implications for social workers are discussed and recommendations include efforts to revise portions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, amending regulations regarding long-term care facilities' training and oversight, and tailoring the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program's data collection, analysis, and reporting requirements to include racial and ethnic demographic data.

[Aging and dying in diversity-implications of an intersectional perspective for analyzing care policy discourses]. / Altern und Sterben in Diversität ­ Implikationen einer intersektionalen Perspektive für die Analyse pflegepolitischer Diskurse.

In view of the growing population, which is increasingly aging in diversity, questions of social justice and of avoiding discrimination in end of life nursing care become increasingly more relevant from an ethical point of view. This article addresses the discrepancies between normative claims of an equitable approach to provision of nursing services and the sources of structural barriers. In particular at the end of life, often already vulnerable groups are subjected to discrimination in nursing care. Further reflections refer to implications of intersectionality for care-ethical approaches and for the methodology of discourse analysis. This study investigated how diversity and justice are formed in the care policy discourse. It becomes evident how parts of the care policy discourse largely ignore individual ethical implications. Accordingly, critical reflections on inequalities in nursing care remain unconsidered in the discourses. Starting points for processes of change that begin from concepts of individual care ethics are presented.

Infection preventionist staffing in nursing homes.

Infection preventionist (IP) staffing in nursing homes (NHs) is now required as part of new federal regulations. In this study, we examined IP staffing changes from 2014 to 2018 and found relatively few changes over time. IP staffing in NHs remains low but does vary between for profit and non-profit facilities.

The Impact of the Long-term Care Homes Act and Public Reporting on Physical Restraint and Potentially Inappropriate Antipsychotic Use in Ontario's Long-term Care Homes.

BACKGROUND: We report on the impact of two system-level policy interventions (the Long-Term Care Homes Act [LTCHA] and Public Reporting) on publicly reported physical restraint use and non-publicly reported potentially inappropriate use of antipsychotics in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: We used interrupted time series analysis to model changes in the risk-adjusted use of restraints and antipsychotics before and after implementation of the interventions. Separate analyses were completed for early ([a] volunteered 2010/2011) and late ([b] volunteered March 2012; [c] mandated September 2012) adopting groups of Public Reporting. Outcomes were measured using Resident Assessment Instrument Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) data from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2014. RESULTS: For early adopters, enactment of the LTCHA in 2010 was not associated with changes in physical restraint use, while Public Reporting was associated with an increase in the rate (slope) of decline in physical restraint use. By contrast, for the late-adopters of Public Reporting, the LTCHA was associated with significant decreases in physical restraint use over time, but there was no significant increase in the rate of decline associated with Public Reporting. As the LTCHA was enacted, potentially inappropriate use of antipsychotics underwent a rapid short-term increase in the early volunteer group, but, over the longer term, their use decreased for all three groups of homes. CONCLUSIONS: Public Reporting had the largest impact on voluntary early adopters while legislation and regulations had a more substantive positive effect upon homes that delayed public reporting.

Civil Money Penalty Enforcement Actions for Quality Deficiencies in Nursing Homes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Civil money penalties (CMP) are fines collected by CMS and then redistributed to states for the sole purpose of improving resident care and quality of life through reinvestment in quality improvement projects. This study examined state variation in civil money penalty enforcement actions for quality of life (QOL) and quality of care (QOC) deficiencies in nursing homes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: 2015-2016 cross-sectional CASPER nursing home survey data obtained from the CMS QCOR database were used to explore the pattern of enforcement actions for QOL and QOC deficiencies across states. Fixed effects regression models examined relationships between state-level characteristics, quality deficiencies, and enforcement actions imposed by states. RESULTS: State enforcement actions resulting in a CMP were more likely for QOC deficiencies (M = 0.143, SD = 0.097) than for QOL deficiencies (M = 0.070, SD = 0.056) and states exhibited variability in imposing enforcement actions. The presence of severe QOC deficiencies resulting in actual resident harm contributed to CMP enforcement actions for both QOL and QOC deficiencies. States with primarily for-profit status providers had more enforcement actions. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The variability noted in state enforcement for quality deficiencies actions parallels inconsistencies in state regulatory oversight of nursing homes.

[Health and survival in Icelandic nursing homes 2003 - 2014, before and after the setting of stricter criteria for nursing home admission in December 2007].

INTRODUCTION: Many factors influence the nursing needs and survival of nursing home residents, including the admission criteria. The aim of the study was to compare health, survival and predictors for one- and two-year survival of people entering Icelandic nursing homes between 2003-2007 and 2008-2014. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective, descriptive, comparative study. The data was obtained from a Directorate of Health database for all interRAI assessments of Icelandic nursing homes from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2014 (N = 8487). RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the health and survival of new nursing home residents before and after December 31, 2007. In the latter period, the mean age was 82.7 years. In the previous period, it was 82.1 years, and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, diabetes and COPD increased between the periods. One-year survival decreased from 73.4% to 66.5%, and two-year survival decreased from 56.9% to 49.1%. The strongest mortality risk factors were heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as high scores on the CHESS scale and ADL long scale. CONCLUSION: After 2007, new residents were older, in poorer health, and their life expectancy was shorter than for those moving to nursing homes before that. The results suggest that the aim of the regulatory change was achieved, i.e., to prioritise those in worst health. Their care needs may therefore be different and greater than before.