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| Dennis Ryan, a resident at Vecino Sanos assisted living facility in Santa Rosa, said he’s seen improvements at the facility recently. The key to any good facility, he said, is to have enough staff on hand to ensure residents get plenty of social interaction. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) |
SANTA ROSA – As a former certified nursing assistant, Dennis Ryan understands the importance of adequate staffing to help care for residents in nursing homes.
Sometimes, he said, a person wants more than just help addressing physical needs.
“There’s nothing wrong with sitting on the edge of the bed and shooting the bull,” he said in a recent interview.
Ryan, 75, is a resident at Vecino Sanos Assisted Living Center in Guadalupe County, where a confidential complaint in June, state officials say, raised concerns about health and safety. Since then, residents interviewed by the Journal say they’ve seen improvements.
State officials cite the changes at Vecino Sanos – including the appointment of a temporary administrator to complement the existing staff – as an example of the importance of getting more eyes and ears inside facilities that care for some of New Mexico’s most vulnerable residents, especially as the state’s population of older adults grows.
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| Margaret Booth, a caretaker at Vecino Sanos assisted living facility in Santa Rosa, talks to a resident in July. New Mexico is looking for volunteer ombudsmen to help comfort residents and to monitor conditions inside long-term care facilities. |
They are hoping that as New Mexicans visit friends and relatives in nursing homes and similar facilities, they’ll alert the state to any potential problems.
To support that effort, the state Aging and Long-Term Services Department is aiming to expand its network of volunteer ombudsmen from 50 to 200 to help better cover the state.
Once trained, volunteers are assigned to a specific facility within their area and asked to commit to three hours a week.
The ombudsmen serve dual roles – comforting residents while strengthening accountability at long-term care facilities, officials say.
Changes at Vecino Sanos, for example, came after a complaint came through the ombudsman program, state officials said.
“Volunteers are an essential aspect of the ombudsman program,” said Gigi Greco of the ombudsman program. “… If you see something, say something.”
When complaints come in, the Department of Health investigates by reviewing records, conducting interviews and doing observations. The person who filed the complaint isn’t identified in any statement of regulatory violations issued to the facility, according to the state.
The state has the option of pursuing receivership, a legal process that allows the Department of Health to take over a facility temporarily.
That wasn’t the case for Vecino Sanos, where the governing board agreed voluntarily to make changes, according to state officials.
In
fact, Rebecca Maes, administrator at Vecino Sanos, said she sought help
from state agencies before the June incident that triggered a broader
state response. (Click to continue reading)
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