Bridge Lunch Break recap: Experts call for tougher nursing home regulations

Bridge Michigan’s Lunch Break series resumed Wednesday for a conversation about nursing homes
The event followed a Bridge investigation that revealed thousands of cases of abuse, neglect and death in state homes
Two advocates called for policy changes

Policymakers need to act to end everyday misery that is pervasive in some Michigan nursing homes, two experts said during a Bridge Michigan virtual discussion on Wednesday.

The state’s 34,000-plus nursing home residents need “the kind of decisions, the quality, the dignity that they deserve, and that they’ve deserved throughout their entire life, said Paula Cunningham, state director of AARP Michigan.

Cunningham was one of two panelists Wednesday in the latest in the Bridge Michigan Lunch Break series, which was moderated by senior health reporter Robin Erb.

The hour-long discussion followed a Bridge investigation that documented nearly 6,000 cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation or quality of life and care violations and nearly three dozen deaths in about four years.

About 100 readers participated in the conversation, which can be watched in its entirety here:

Citing a Bridge story about efforts elsewhere to improve care, consumer advocate Alison Hirschel said Michigan lawmakers must address staffing and training in nursing homes and require homes be more transparent about how they spend the some $3 billion they receive from the federal government each year for care.

Related:

Lawmakers could change the law to allow residents and family members to install cameras, Cunningham said. Lawmakers passed legislation to do so in 2021, but the measure failed when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer failed to sign it into law.

“Put the cameras in there, so if there’s an issue, we can all see that,” Cunningham said. “Do you realize how many people then would see someone who had fallen, or didn’t get their meds, or were in pain, if the cameras were there?”

Michigan needs rules to prevent problem providers from setting up businesses, said Hirschel, program director and managing attorney of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative.

“We shouldn’t let them come and make money here if they’re not going to take good care of Michiganders living in their homes.”

Bridge’s series also explored the industry’s struggle to hire and retain staff and the red tape around a $35 million fund designed to improve quality of life. Revelations about problems in nursing homes have prompted some lawmakers and gubernatorial candidates to vow change.

The stories were part of Bridge’s ongoing coverage about issues related to aging in Michigan and the industry of aging.

Bridge’s monthly Lunch Break series focuses on timely topics facing our state. Previous events have discussed Michigan’s education crisis, the collapse of the whitefish population in the lower Great Lakes, Michigan summer tourism , the changing landscape of deer hunting in the state, spending of Michigan’s opioid settlement funds, solutions to gun violence in Michigan, Michigan’s population crisis, youth mental health in Michigan and the legacy of the automotive industry on the state’s environment and economy.

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