AARP Florida is working to make sure that nursing-home residents receive safe, high-quality care

While “COVID-19” may have exposed issues in Florida’s nursing-homes and other long-term-care facilities, those problems definitely aren’t new. That’s according to Jeff Johnson—the state-director of “A-A-R-P Florida”—who adds that lawmakers should focus on the increased need for accountability and safety in Florida’s long-term-care system… “Even before the pandemic, some facilities were being cited repeatedly for not following basic infection-control procedures—like washing hands, before interacting with another resident. Other facilities have had chronic, ongoing problems with understaffing—or with discharging residents inappropriately. So, we really need to double-down on ensuring that nursing-homes are safe places to live—and that they provide high-quality care. Unfortunately, some lawmakers here in Florida are proposing moving in the opposite direction—by trying to lower the current staffing-standard for direct-care nursing in these facilities. We need to put the safety and well-being of the residents first; they deserve the best care, instead of policies that both risk their safety and remove accountability from nursing-home operators.” To learn more, visit “a-a-r-p”-dot-org-slash-“f-l”.