Lisa Gaudet says the state’s plan for a $25 million package to stabilize nursing homes is good news, but it is only a Band-Aid on a bigger problem.
Gaudet, vice-president of business development and marketing at Berkshire Healthcare, the company that owns Charlene Manor Extended Care in Greenfield, said occupancy rates for many nursing homes across the state have been declining, mostly because of the decline in the 75 and older age group, although that is slowly reversing as baby boomers age.
LifePath Executive Director Barbara Bodzin said seniors have more choices than ever, including aging at home, and that’s a good thing for them, but not so good for some nursing homes.
Gaudet said the $25 million is meant to fill the gap between what nursing homes need from each resident per day and what state and federal governments pay for reimbursements.
“Most people in nursing homes — 70 percent in our network — are covered under MassHealth or Medicaid, not Medicare,” Gaudet said. “That means we’re $40 a day short per person, and that’s $26 million a year that we’re underfunded in our 15 nursing homes across the state.”
She said the occupancy rate at Charlene Manor is currently 92 percent, which is good compared to other nursing homes — the state average is an 86 percent occupancy rate, with many falling to 80 percent or below. Many nursing home residents spend four to six years there.
Bodzin said seniors who don’t have dementia or other serious and chronic conditions that need constant medical attention are choosing assisted living or living at home with assistance as they age, though, even some of those people eventually end up in a nursing home.
“It’s good that people have more and more options to age in place,” Bodzin said. “That doesn’t mean that nursing homes don’t have a role, because they do. If you have someone who has no caregivers, for instance, they’re going to need that kind of help. Someone who has serious or complex medical needs is going to need that help. Someone who would be better attended to than if they stayed home, or someone who needs a social network is going to need that kind of help.”
Gaudet said what Charlene Manor gives its residents is constant care with lots of social opportunities.
“We are constantly working with state and federal governments, legislators and others to bring attention to the fact that we also have to be able to pay our staffs a good, living wage with benefits and insurance. We want the best people working with our residents,” she said. “We also need to reinvest in our buildings, because these are their homes.”
Gaudet said when nursing homes aren’t reimbursed like they need to be, it creates challenges, like finding good, quality, dedicated people to staff the facility. She said it is also important for residents and their families to feel confident that nursing homes can care for residents the way they would be cared for at home.
“The industry is grappling with the fact that buildings are closing every year and there aren’t enough caregivers interested in coming into it,” Gaudet said.
MarylouSudders, secretary of the state Health and Human Services Department, told lawmakers at a recent budget hearing that more nursing homes are expected to close across the state, because one in four have low occupancy rates. The proposal to spend an additional $25 million is working its way through the Legislature.
New England Health Center in Sunderland, formerly Cozy Corner Nursing Home, closed late last year. At the time, its administrator said there were many reasons, including financial, behind the decision.
Sudders said as the state’s elderly population expands, state officials must rethink nursing home rates and come up with a long-term plan.
Bodzin said LifePath, formerly known as Franklin County Home Care Corporation, is constantly talking about how to better serve the county’s aging population. Currently, it provides intermittent and full-time care and more than 40 programs.
Bodzin and Gaudet both said what’s most important is that residents are happy and safe and everyone is able to maintain some level of success, wherever they live.
“As care providers, we are in a constant state of quality improvement at our facilities,” Gaudet said.
Other ways the state is helping nursing homes, besides financially, is through regulatory changes, like streamlining the closure process and enabling homes to use empty wings for other services.
For information about elder services in Franklin County, visit: www.lifepath.org