By CHARLES R. CLARK on Sep 6, 2013, at 2:22 AM Updated on 9/06/13 at 4:09 AM
In the next 15 years, one in five Oklahomans will be age 65 or older.
That's a startling statistic considering that the state's nursing homes just received an "F" rating from Families for Better Care.
The organization ranked Oklahoma 48th in the nation in the overall quality of nursing home care. A number of factors explained Oklahoma's poor performance:
- The ratio of direct care staff - nurses, aides, therapists - to the number of residents is the single most important determinant in the quality of care received by nursing home residents.
- Facilities staffing at the minimum legal ratio frequently place in the lower quadrant of the Families for Better Care Report Card.
Unfortunately, Oklahoma's minimum staffing ratios have not been adjusted to address the increasingly acute conditions of residents.
- Oklahoma statutes relating to staffing ratios include a trigger that, when reached, would increase staffing levels. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority maintains that Oklahoma hasn't reached this trigger.
I believe, though, that Oklahoma has reached the trigger due to the higher level of care now required by needy and frail residents. Oklahomans must change this situation.
The Oklahoma Health Department and State Ombudsman program investigate quality of care issues and complaints.
Oklahoma's average number of reported and investigated deficiencies is twice what most other states report.
- Oklahoma has more for-profit nursing homes than almost any other state.
Oklahoma's statistics: 85 percent for-profit, 11 percent nonprofit, and 4 percent public.
According to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, in 2006 deficiencies in for profit nursing homes averaged 31 percent higher than in nonprofit nursing homes.
Oklahomans can help rectify this quality-of-care gap by reporting all nursing homes not following individualized care plans or providing subpar treatment by contacting the Health Department at (800) 522-0203.
- Attracting and retaining a qualified workforce in nursing homes also is a significant problem.
So, what's your perception of nursing homes? Do you see visiting and caring for Oklahoma's older population as a profession worthy of consideration?
There are many heroes and heroines that willingly choose this profession and add countless joy and longevity to older Oklahomans' lives. The recruitment of such individuals begins with Oklahoma's citizenry showing how much it values the professional individuals who care for our elderly neighbors.
The fact is everyone ages. And not all of us are fortunate enough to have ample savings to provide for our care as we age or to have family members who will be able to take care of us in our latter years.
As the number of older Oklahomans continues to increase rapidly, our state will require residences where individuals can receive professional and caring oversight in the twilight of life.
Please don't allow another day to pass without expressing your commitment to improving our state's poor rankings.
Before we know it, we will all be faced with the question: "Who will take care of me?"
Charles R. Clark, a member of the Oklahoma Silver Haired Legislature, Oklahoma Council on Aging and the Ponca City Senior Advisory Board, lives in Ponca City.
Reader Forum
The incarceration rate in Oklahoma is among the highest in the nation with approximately 26,000 people behind bars at any given time.
The Nov. 28, 2008, Tulsa World published my Readers Forum piece, "Antietam," in which I reported on a visit my then-8-year-old grandson, Stevie, and I made to Antietam battlefield in rural Maryland.
