A recent AARP Bulletin warns that Indiana has the highest number of poor performing nursing homes.  The Bulletin discusses the plight of a nursing home patient who was neglected in two Muncie area nursing homes due to understaffing.   The Bulletin reports that in one facility, two certified nursing assistants were required to care for 20 or dementia patients, some of whom were incapacitated.  The patient ultimately developed “horrific pressure sore” as a result of the inadequate care.  The Bulletin describes how Indiana nursing homes scored the worst of any state in a recent federal government report:

In 2009, Indiana had more poorly performing nursing homes, 52, than any other state, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report icon. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)found only 57 of Indiana’s 500-plus nursing homes without deficiencies. Forty-six were cited for immediate jeopardy, meaning residents had been seriously injured, harmed or had died.

The Bulletin goes on to discuss how Indiana facilities are significantly understaffed according to a government study on the necessary number of nursing hours required to avoid malnutrition, pressure sores, dehydration and other harm:

Indiana nursing homes average 2.9 hours of direct nursing care (which includes all levels of nursing staff except the director of nursing) per resident per day. A CMS study found that care for less than 4.1 hours, including at least 45 minutes of care by a registered nurse, raises the chance of malnutrition, dehydration, pressure ulcers and hospitalization.

The Bulletin can be found at: http://www.aarp.org/health/doctors-hospitals/info-12-2010/indiana_faces_a_nursing_home_crisis.html