FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2007
Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062
Joins state officials to endorse campaign aimed at improving care during National Nursing Home Week May 13-19
Paul Johnson speaks from the voice of experience when it comes to nursing homes--thirty years ago, he placed his parents in one and, recently, his wife. So when he joined Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and other state officials Monday in Jefferson City’s Heisinger Bluffs to endorse a nationwide campaign aimed at improving care, people listened.
The two-year, voluntary campaign, Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes, tackles eight common problems in nursing homes, such as reducing bed sores and nursing staff turnover, and is the focal point of National Nursing Home Week, which ends Saturday. To participate in the campaign, nursing homes commit to monitoring and addressing at least three of eight concerns or goals, and are identified by decals displayed on windows and doors.
Over 175 of Missouri’s 497 skilled nursing homes have already joined the campaign, which also recognizes the critical role nursing home staff plays in improving quality of life and care for frail, elderly residents. Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder applauded their efforts and said the number of Missourians needing care will soon jump dramatically. “The first baby boomers have passed the age of 60, and as they age, many will no longer be able to live safely on their own and will need the care nursing homes provide.”
Johnson agreed with the lieutenant governor’s assessment. “In the years to come, the need for this kind of care will be huge. If you and I don’t demand the best care, we will not receive it. The Advancing Excellence Campaign is one way to make this demand.”
Anyone can go to the campaign Web site, <www.nhqualitycampaign.org>, and sign up, including nursing homes, residents, family members and concerned citizens.
“Ask nursing homes about their efforts to manage pressure sores and pain,” Johnson concluded. “Just ask. Standing up and saying we value quality nursing homes is a simple thing, but it can make a world of difference.”