About 17,000 nursing homes are residences to more than 1.5 million mostly elderly Americans. These people reside at nursing homes for an average of about 900 days. However, many of these people are not living in nursing homes by choice. More than 80% of all our elderly say they would prefer to die at home if they could. Nevertheless, it is estimated that nearly half of all elderly Americans will move into nursing homes before dying. Studies have verified the rampant abuse of residents at some of these facilities. It found that one in three nursing homes had been cited for abuse violations within a two year span. Advocates say that nursing home abuse is underreported by residents who fear reprisal. Other studies have found that more than 90% of our nursing homes have staffing levels that are below minimum acceptable standards. There is compelling evidence that staff ratios are strongly linked to the quality of care in all nursing homes.

Pending Legislation: S.782 - Nursing Home Reform Modernization Act of 2021
Sponsor: Sen. Robert Casey (PA)
Status: Senate Committee on Finance
Chair: Sen. Ron Wyden (OR)