Utah's Nursing Homes: Compromised Care
Source: Salt Lake Tribune (Original Article)
Click photo to enlargeAlvin Brewster sits in his room at the Salt Lake City facility for Majestic Care & Rehabilitation Center. Previously called Pine Ridge, Majestic’s new owners are working hard to get past a record of violations racked up by the previous owners. «12»RelatedUtah Nursing Home comparisonsJun 14:Call lights signal urgent need, but response time often slowSpecial Focus: Mt. OgdenAlvin Brewster has a hard time taking care of himself. He can’t walk very well. His memory slips. But despite his health problems, he could still recognize the conditions he was living in.
“It was a dump,” says Alvin, 66.
He’s talking about Pine Ridge Care Center, a Salt Lake City nursing home that racked up the worst inspection record in Utah since 2000. Inspectors say the staff ignored bedsores and failed to investigate abuse complaints, including a 2005 case where a resident was forcibly dragged down the hall.
Chyreisse Bullock, Alvin’s daughter, says the nurses and their aides rarely bathed her father and would leave him in soiled diapers.
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“The staff really didn’t care,” she said.
Then two years ago, Walter Matjesich bought the place. Pine Ridge became Majestic Care. The staff was fired, the furniture replaced and Alvin is clean and much happier. Inspectors haven’t found any major violations since the switch.
“It came down to ownership,” Bullock said. “When this guy took over, I started to see dramatic changes.”
A Salt Lake Tribune investigation of Utah’s 91 nursing homes shows that ownership is probably My Name Is Earl dvd the best predictor of quality care. …continue reading