Under the new law, nursing homes would no longer be fined for not having competent, licensed administrators or caregivers in their facilities; not having a qualified nurse on duty, or for understaffing at the facility, one of the leading contributors to resident neglect.

The few fines that can be imposed can be reduced by 35 percent if the nursing home agrees not to formally appeal the state’s findings. Financial penalties for intentionally killing or injuring residents will be doubled, though state regulators say such violations are unlikely.

A spokesman for the governor’s office said the bill was signed to “promote better care by encouraging nursing homes to develop pro-active quality assurance programs and allowing facilities to identify and correct problems right away.”

John Tapscott, an advocate for Iowa seniors said the new law “only proves that our legislative leaders and governor are willing to sell out the most vulnerable of our citizens – the sick and elderly residing in nursing homes – for a few thousand campaign dollars.” The bill was opposed by the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.

The legislation was supported by the Iowa Healthcare Association, which last year made political contributions totaling nearly $90,000.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Nursing homes that jeopardize safety no longer face fines in Iowa

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The NDP reports were created by a union representing health-care workers. Those producing the report recorded each time one of the five facilities surveyed were short-staffed. Staffing levels at nursing homes in Alberta were reportedly as low as two aides per 79 residents. NPD alerted an assistant deputy minister of health last fall and recommended staffing levels be legislated at one aide per five residents.

A spokesperson for the health ministry says that efforts have been made to address the staffing shortages at area nursing homes, including increasing funding in each of the past three years so that nursing homes could hire more employees. Determining effective patient-to-staff ratios, he said, should be well thought out and allow for flexibility rather than be randomly selected.

Canada’s nursing shortage has been an issue for years, prompting a series about “Failed Cure” in The Star. According to the 2008 report, as many as 20,000 nurses were needed in Canada and 40 percent of the country’s 250,000 nurses were poised to retire within the next five years. That report showed Canadian nurses working 18 million hours of overtime each year – the equivalent of 10,000 full-time jobs.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Canadian nursing shortage leads to resident neglect

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