Regarding Pleasant View Nursing Home, every taxpayer in Green County (and particularly our County Board members) should be asking themselves the following question: "How, where, and by whom would I want my parent(s) to be cared for when, due to physical or mental conditions, they can no longer remain in their own home?"
All you "boomers" out there also should do some serious soul-searching about your own situation. At any moment you could have to face the reality that living in your own home no longer is an option. Have you asked your kids yet if they will take you into their homes? Have you saved lots of money to pay for a private nursing home?
If you are completely honest with yourself, you will realize that maintaining Pleasant View, with its legacy of fine care, is essential despite the costs. And there is lots of data to support the need for this type of facility, which is summarized with the following information.
According to an article in USA Today (Dec. 31, 2008), "For profit nursing homes are more likely to provide worse care than their nonprofit rivals." And according to a survey by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "Nineteen percent of nonprofit facilities got five stars, compared with 9 percent of for-profits. Homes associated with hospitals ranked higher than those that were not."
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Green County has only four residential facilities providing 24-hour services for those requiring more than seven hours a week of nursing care due to their physical or mental condition. Rock County has nine, and Lafayette County has one. If you visit any one of these facilities you will find that most residents are at acute care levels. You also will notice these facilities are full. While there are community-based residential facilities in the area, they are not equipped to handle acute care medical needs.
Long-term care for many of us may not be that far away. So now is the time to demand support from our local and state government to ease the fiscal burden of public nursing homes, find alternative funding to support these facilities, and investigate options other than selling or closing them.
If the county ultimately refuses to support Pleasant View, then the board must do its homework and ensure that whomever runs Pleasant View is willing and able to maintain the high standards already in place. And don't even think about closing the facility!
Finally, if you have any doubts about supporting public nursing homes, talk to or go visit someone you know who is either a current resident or recently spent time in any area nursing home. Then you will understand that we, as a hometown community with strong family values, need to guarantee safe, quality care for all our family members regardless of age or need.
All you "boomers" out there also should do some serious soul-searching about your own situation. At any moment you could have to face the reality that living in your own home no longer is an option. Have you asked your kids yet if they will take you into their homes? Have you saved lots of money to pay for a private nursing home?
If you are completely honest with yourself, you will realize that maintaining Pleasant View, with its legacy of fine care, is essential despite the costs. And there is lots of data to support the need for this type of facility, which is summarized with the following information.
According to an article in USA Today (Dec. 31, 2008), "For profit nursing homes are more likely to provide worse care than their nonprofit rivals." And according to a survey by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "Nineteen percent of nonprofit facilities got five stars, compared with 9 percent of for-profits. Homes associated with hospitals ranked higher than those that were not."
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Green County has only four residential facilities providing 24-hour services for those requiring more than seven hours a week of nursing care due to their physical or mental condition. Rock County has nine, and Lafayette County has one. If you visit any one of these facilities you will find that most residents are at acute care levels. You also will notice these facilities are full. While there are community-based residential facilities in the area, they are not equipped to handle acute care medical needs.
Long-term care for many of us may not be that far away. So now is the time to demand support from our local and state government to ease the fiscal burden of public nursing homes, find alternative funding to support these facilities, and investigate options other than selling or closing them.
If the county ultimately refuses to support Pleasant View, then the board must do its homework and ensure that whomever runs Pleasant View is willing and able to maintain the high standards already in place. And don't even think about closing the facility!
Finally, if you have any doubts about supporting public nursing homes, talk to or go visit someone you know who is either a current resident or recently spent time in any area nursing home. Then you will understand that we, as a hometown community with strong family values, need to guarantee safe, quality care for all our family members regardless of age or need.
