Essay - Quality Care the Definition of Quality Care as it Applies...

Quality Care

The definition of quality care as it applies to nursing homes must be expanded to be inclusive on all fr*****ts. It must be ***** to allow any and all modalities that contribute to a perception and experience of a high ***** of care by the residents. It must also be expanded to encomp*****s the perceptions of and value to the o*****r significant stakeholders involved when a person enters a ***** home. The expanded definition of quality care in nurs*****g homes includes:

The *****est level of attention to the medical requirements of ***** patient's condition.

The highest level of attention to the physical comfort, insofar as it is achievable and ***** whatever means, of the patient.

The ***** level of concern for emotional/mental/spir*****ual *****s of ***** patient, whatever that entails.

***** to providing all caregivers, from cleaning staff to physicians both the incentive and freedom ***** deliver high quality customized care.

Avoiding the intrusion of regulatory and financial matters into the ***** and life of ***** *****.

An assessment ***** the shortcomings in these areas identified by other researchers make it clear ***** these are appropriate *****s to use to arrive at higher care ***** ***** nursing *****. For example, Uhlen*****rg noted that the average nursing home resident gets actual nurse attention for no more than nine minutes a day (1997 p. 71+); ***** is an obvious indication that more attention ***** be paid to patients' medical requirements.

Uhlenberg also noted ***** ***** comfort needs improvement. Those who cannot walk or bathe without assistance are entrusted to the c***** of aides who often have little training ***** virtually no motivation. In fact, they "treat [the patients] as w*****k objects" rather than human beings, and there is ***** social interaction (*****, p. 71+). A beginning of bringing the facts toward the expanded definition would be to improve the salary and fringe benefits ***** those workers, and offer prospects for advancement, which ***** be a complete reversal of the *****-antagonistic relationships Uhlenberg notes between this staff population ***** supervisors (1997, p. 71+).

The expanded definition also notes that the emotional/mental/spiritual concerns of ***** patient, whatever that entails, would also constitute quality care.

***** researcher h***** noted that it would be desirable ***** survey nursing home ***** directly concerning their satisfaction with services; often, proxies (other family members?) are surveyed, but ***** perceptions of what is valuable concerning emotional/mental/spiritual care might be far different from the perceptions ***** ***** residents. That researcher noted ***** "residents place a high ***** on the ability to exerc*****e control over their lives, to be treated with dignity, and to be *****d for ***** competent staff' while family ***** do not value autonomy as much (Peak & Sinclair, 2002, p. 75+) More*****, that research suggested ***** social workers ***** be the ideal workers to carry out such *****s beca***** of their communications ***** interpersonal skills and training. Also, it was noted that:

***** ***** strive to empower clients, and satisfaction surveys can be used as an empowerment