The Problem of Nursing Home Safety and Security
Safety and security in nursing homes are some of the most important factors in maintaining patients’ health and well-being. There are several issues that influence nursing home safety and security in a negative way. First of all, there are problems of understaffing, inadequate training, and poor equipment, which are rooted in improper funding of medical facilities. Second of all, there are issues of elderly, ethnic and racial minorities not being able to access apt healthcare in the face of the dangers of a pandemic.
Major unfavorable consequences stem from the issues described above; for example, lack of funding can impact safety conditions, creating such adversities as poor infection control and inadequate prevention measures. Another problem that comes with a lack of monetary support is understaffing, which can lead to feelings of isolation and neglect among patients. The sense of being isolated and neglected can result in severe weight loss and depression among patients (The Consumer Voice, 2022). In addition, elderly and ethnic and racial minorities are proven to be at a larger risk of immune system diseases, including COVID (Li et al., 2020). The research conducted on ethnic and racial minorities shows that African American and Native American groups face a greater risk of contracting an infectious illness (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2018). Older people are at risk as well due to detrimental immune and physical factors such as age and already acquired diseases and conditions.
The purpose of the paper lies in describing major problems that arise in a nursing home environment. Due to recent developments of the COVID pandemic, several groups of people have been endangered more so than others. In order to adequately provide healthcare and prevention measures for them and the population at large, factors contributing to disruptions in the nursing home system need to be observed and discussed.
Description of Findings
The variables in both of the articles are relatively similar. The dependent variables concern the patients’ well-being, and the independent variables include factors that negatively influence the patient’s health status and longevity. However, the independent variables in the second article reflect a larger scope of the research. The study designs of these articles are qualitative analysis and cohort study. In the first article, qualitative analysis is used in order to review the impact of understaffing in nursing homes. The scale of the sample places the research’s level of confidence at 95%. The second article employs a cohort study, which is ideal for research concerning demographics. Given the fact that the data used for this study is up-to-date and thorough, the confidence level equals 95%.
The first article contains research on the demographics of nursing home residents, and the information provided in the study concerns health adversities they have faced during the COVID pandemic. The second article examines the demographics of Connecticut nursing home patients from racial and ethnic groups and considers data regarding confirmed deaths from COVID in nursing homes. Both articles used surveys as their research instruments, and their reliability and validity are confirmed by the use of authorized and proven sources. The first article uses data from Kaiser Family Foundation regarding deaths from COVID. The second article employs a report published by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care with a survey containing nursing home residents’ families’ input on the effects of lockdown.
The findings made in the articles show that safety and security in nursing homes depend on the level of health care quality in the facilities as well as several external factors. These factors include residents’ demographics and unpredictable constituents within the healthcare system during the COVID outbreak. Considering the information and findings made in the two articles, certain questions could be posed to guide the group’s further efforts. First of all, what impacts does understaffing have on already established diseases? Second of all, which factors contribute most to racial and ethnic minorities’ disparities in nursing homes?
Summary
In conclusion, there are several findings that shed light on the specifics of safety and security in nursing homes. Understaffing ultimately leads to weight loss and depression, and age, as well as the racial and ethnic background of the nursing home residents, influence their well-being. The COVID pandemic has led to a worsening of patients’ safety conditions, as shown by the study of documents and records conducted in the two given articles. The designs of the research are qualitative analysis and cohort study, which were possible to undertake due to the employment of such research instruments as surveys. Considering the outcomes of the pandemic, one wonders whether it would prove to be a sufficient learning experience in tackling a similar issue in the future if need be.
References
Li, Y., Temkin-Greener, H., Shan, G., & Cai, X. (2020). COVID-19 infections and deaths among Connecticut nursing home residents: Facility correlates. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68(9), 1899–1906.
The Consumer Voice. (2022). Inadequate staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic. National Consumer Voice. Web.
Kaiser Family Foundation (2018). Low-income and communities of color are at higher risk of serious illness if infected with coronavirus. Web.