Washington Ranks Number 2 Out of 51 States In Overall Long-Term Care
Long-term nursing home and care facilities in the State of Washington have been named number 2 out of 51 states (including the District of Columbia), based on the types and quality of long-term care provided to nursing home residents and dependent adults in long-term care facilities.
Using a ranking system that compared each state in its success in such areas as: quality of life, quality of care and accessibility of care, “Raising Expectations: A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers” was recently published by the AARP Public Policy Institute, the Commonwealth Fund, and the SCAN Foundation.
It also compares in each state sub-categories, such as affordability and access, patient choice about their long-term care, and quality of life and care. The “Scorecard” is described as the first of its kind.
Only bested by Minnesota – ranked number one – the State of Washington appears to do a better job than most states in meeting the needs of the majority of its long-term care residents in affordability, access, choice of setting and provider, and support for family caregivers.
In sub-categories, out of 51 states, Washington nursing homes rank:
- Affordability and Access to Care 6
- Choice of Setting and Provider 2
- Support for Family Caregivers 2
- Quality of Life and Quality of Care 18
The study considers any percentage of high risk residents developing pressure sores to be inappropriate. Therefore, Washington’s statistic of just under 12 percent of high risk residents developing pressure sores is unacceptable.
Similarly, the study believes that long-term care should be of such quality that hospitalization rates should be excessively low, as is Minnesota’s. In Washington, approximately 15 percent of long-stay nursing home residents require at least one hospital stay during their residency.
The next scorecard will likely be released in two years.
