Since we last wrote about nursing home rankings published by the organization, Families for Better Care, Illinois has fallen from the 44th spot to the 49th spot making it third worst in the country. The data was published in June, 2019 based upon research conducted in 2017.
The most recent report state Illinois nursing home residents receive about 1.6 hours of professional nursing care per day and 2.2 hours of personal care including meals, trips to the bathroom, and repositioning in bed. That means, on average, a resident’s personal needs are only tended to approximately 2.2 hours in a full day.
Beyond food and nourishment, the avoidance of bed sores is a significant priority and the turning of residents in their beds play an important role in that regard. Various state guidelines require repositioning every 2 hours. Federal guidelines require a resident seated in a wheelchair to be repositioned at least every hour.
While Illinois has slipped in its position, other states have moved up showing that improvement is possible. In the 2014 report, Iowa was ranked 46, 2 below Illinois’ 44th ranking. In the newest study, Iowa is now ranked 37 surpassing Illinois. Similarly, Louisiana was the 2nd worst at number 50. It has increased its rank to 43 also surpassing Illinois.
The question becomes in light of the most recent report, how and will Illinois make improvements in their care of its residents or will it be content with the 3rd worst label and risk moving down the scale even further.
Kevin T. Yen
