Task Force to improve Ohio nursing home quality of life and care established

To improve quality of life and care in Ohio’s nursing homes, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s Nursing Home Quality and Accountability Task Force was recently established.

The organization is comprised of experts in aging, long-term care, and other disciplines, along with long-term care consumers and advocates, who were appointed by Gov. DeWine to study issues surrounding quality of life and care in Ohio’s over 960 nursing homes.

The task force is chaired by Ursel J. McElroy, Director of the Ohio Department of Aging. Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff serves as vice-chair for the organization.

Due to their expedited timeline, the task force will travel to communities across the state between now and May to hear directly from nursing home residents and their loved ones about their experiences, then issue a report on their findings. In addition to community listening sessions, the task force will also hold regular meetings to discuss input and draft recommendations on how to improve quality of care and life in Ohio’s nursing homes.

“I promised that this task force would move quickly because we can’t afford to wait,” Gov. DeWine said. “While many of our state’s nursing homes are very good, others are not meeting the standards we expect for those caring for our older loved ones. All too often – we hear of preventable tragedies occurring: medication errors, failure to provide, poor infection prevention and control, and sometimes even elder abuse.”

The task force’s inaugural meeting will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2023 in Columbus at the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Shipley Atrium.

The first community listening session will be held on Friday, March 3, 2023 at Columbus State Community College’s Event Center at Mitchell Hall.

A full schedule of event times, dates, and locations will be shared once available online at aging.ohio.gov/nhtaskforce. Ohioans who are unable to attend the in-person events, but would still like to provide input will be able to share their insights online. More information will be available on the Ohio Department of Aging’s website.

Full Article & Source:
Task Force to improve Ohio nursing home quality of life and care established