A 21 bed Vermont Nursing Home sadly closes recently after being in operation for more than 50 years. This facility was the smallest in the state, which allowed for more intimate interactions with patients and staff. The size of this facility enabled it to be a very intimate kind of environment.
The residents were inevitably shipped to the 4 various other local nursing homes in the area. This must have been devastating for the residents as the other 4 homes have an occupancy capacity of 100 to 177 residents. Many of these residents had been at the quaint family like atmosphere of the 21 bed facility for years. It will take them months to adjust to new sets of rules and regulations of the new homes and get used to all new care givers and some will never adjust. I cannot imagine the pain that these residents and families are going through as well as the staff that cared for them over the past several years.
This nursing home received a 4 out of 5 overall rating from CMS of the Dept. of Health and Human Services in October of 2010. This score means the Nursing Home was rated above average overall based on health inspections, nursing home staffing and quality measures. One of the other 4 local nursing homes received a score of 2 out of 5 overall rating from CMS of the Dept. of Health and Human Services in November of 2010 which means this home scored below average. Another received a score of 3 out of 5 overall rating from CMS of the Dept. of Health and Human Services in May of 2011. This score means that this particular home was just average overall based on health inspections, nursing home staffing and quality measures.
The president and owner of the Nursing Home said the environment for nursing homes isn't good. The impetus of Vermont State over the last 15 years has been to reduce nursing home beds, get people into homecare with Medicaid waivers or into assisted-living community care which are all less costly options. The president and owner of the 21 bed facility stated the closing is a “sign of the times,” indicating a shift in philosophy and state funding from nursing homes toward home care.
With all this being the "sign of the times," New York State also has a Medicaid Waiver program. If you are interested in more information regarding the Waiver program visit Applications for Medicaid Waiver services can be initiated statewide at all Area Agency on Aging (AAA) offices, local Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) offices, and Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) field offices. For more information on the Medicaid Waiver program and other Medicaid programs available visit http://www.in.gov/fssa/ompp/2549.htm.
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