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by William J. Beerman, Sr.
A speech pathologist who has provided patient services in 40 different nursing homes during her career has published an exposé about the excessive lengths to which some nursing homes will go to make more money. The book is entitled, Nursing Homes to Rehabilitation Centers.
I spoke with the author, Phyllis Ayman of Greenwich, CT, for 2 hours recently by phone and we compared notes. While my book, Mary Regina’s nursing home, approaches the subject from the point of view of a patient’s son who happened to be a retired journalist, and describes the inadequacy of the government oversight system, Phyllis has the perspective of a healthcare-provider insider who, as a staunch patient advocate for improved quality care, frequently found herself at odds with nursing home managers and administrators.
Phyllis and I agree that our respective books make a complementary pair.
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The theme of Phyllis’s book is that the desire for profits often eclipses what should be the goal: the health and well-being of residents and patients. “Understanding how nursing homes function will help you become more effective advocates and make more informed decisions for yourself and your family,” Phyllis said.
She has sprinkled through the chapters of her book anecdotes that provide a valuable perspective about how the system is often misapplied — prioritizing profit over patients’ welfare. For example, one story relates that management unnecessarily delayed the discharge of a patient who was very anxious to go home just to maximize billable charges. In another example, a patient was coerced to participate in therapy despite being sick.
“Quality-care facilities exist against a landscape of those that exist only to make their owners rich,” said Phyllis.
Nursing Homes to Rehabilitation Centers begins by providing a historical evolution of these facilities and concludes with a comparison of how America’s culture differs from others in terms of their respect for their elders. The book’s subtitle is “What every person needs to know.” The book also includes information ranging from insurance types to the state inspection process and the duties and qualifications of various nursing home staff members.
Phyllis’s website is at http://www.nursinghomestorehabilitationcenters.com/
