It is no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on our physical and mental health, but this is especially true for nursing home residents and employees. McKnight’s Long-Term Care News author, Kimberly Marselas, reports that nursing home operators are conducting a new initiative that will provide a greater focus on the mental health of residents. Nursing homes not only want to improve the training of staff in order to recognize the memory or cognitive altercations in residents but also expand access for residents to receive mental health care. Additionally, nursing homes seek to provide quality care that will tackle substance abuse disorders, as well as, work one-on-one with residents who have language barrier difficulties.
We are currently living through unprecedented times, and as a result, mental health disorders are on the rise. Marselas mentions that many nursing homes have been hesitant to accept residents with “behavioral diagnoses without a cause” such as substance abuse patients. However, a particular health network called iCare, a “behavioral unit”, located in Connecticut next to a nursing home facility, aims to teach others about substance abuse and common mental health disorders. Also, iCare has programs where residents can undergo treatment programs. It is unknown if these measures will create an improvement in the mental health of residents, but I believe these measures are a step in the right direction for the nursing home industry.
Contact an Experienced Abuse and Neglect Attorney
Please reach out to your family members and friends at their nursing home or long-term care facility to make sure that they are doing ok and are receiving high-quality care. If you or a loved one has been a victim of nursing abuse and/or neglect, please contact our experienced attorneys at Dougherty, Leventhal & Price, L.L.P. Our team will fight for you! Remember: Injury? Call DLP! (570) C-A-L-L-D-L-P.
Works Cited
Marsellas, Kimberly. “A stressed sector must find a way to stress better behavioral care.” McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, 26 April 2022, https://www.mcknights.com/daily-editors-notes/a-stressed-sector-must-find-a-way-to-stress-better-behavioral-care/. Accessed 29 April 2022.
