Nursing homes are here for you when you can no longer care for your loved ones. These facilities are staffed by qualified professionals who can help keep your friends and family safe and comfortable, prolonging their quality of life for many years.
Each state handles its care regulations differently, so it’s important to research, especially if you are deciding between cross-state care. Below, we’ll discuss nursing home regulations in Pennsylvania and Illinois to help you choose which state to seek care for your loved one in.
Below, we’ll look at an overview of general nursing home regulations in Pennsylvania and Illinois to help you understand which state you would like to seek care in.
Once you are ready to look at individual nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides a comprehensive guide to find local nursing homes and compare their ratings. These ratings examine the facility’s health inspections, staffing levels, and quality measures. It will also flag if there have been any instances of abuse within the facility.
Together, these resources should help you find the right nursing home for your loved one.
The care hours are the number of hours your loved one is required to receive direct attention from medical professionals daily.
In Pennsylvania, residents should receive at least 3.2 hours of care daily from skilled nursing professionals. This can include nurses, nursing aids, and other trained medical professionals. These care hours will help address their routine care and provide any additional skills and services they need, including speech pathology, physical therapy, and more.
In Illinois, the number of care hours a resident receives varies depending on their needs. Individuals who need skilled care should receive 3.8 hours daily, while those who need only intermediate care require at least 2.5 hours. These are the minimum hours required, but select facilities may receive more or less depending on their staffing levels.
Individuals with more complex medical needs will receive more direct care in Illinois, while those who require intermediate care will receive more attention in Pennsylvania. This does not include any socialization and other activities that the residents participate in, so they will not be alone for the remaining hours.
Due to staffing shortages, many facilities may struggle to maintain the minimum staffing requirements outlined by Medicaid to provide services for its residents. The states also have individual requirements regarding staffing levels that they must adhere to.
Pennsylvania has strict guidelines on the number of residents a licensed practical nurse should oversee, which varies by the time of day. During the day, they can handle 25 residents, which increases to 30 in the evening and 40 overnight. At least one registered nurse should be available or on call at all times, and that number increases if there are more than 250 residents.
Illinois has no laws limiting the number of residents a nurse should be responsible for. Illinois nursing homes are adequately staffed if they meet the care hour requirements. Illinois nursing homes are required to have an RN on call at all times.
Pennsylvania nursing homes have better staffing requirements, and you may receive higher care as a result. Illinois nursing homes have no current limitations on how many residents each nurse is responsible for as long as they can hit the minimum care requirements.
This could leave Illinois nursing residents vulnerable to abuse and neglect. There are fewer staff members present who could witness negative behaviors like physical, sexual, or financial abuse. If you know someone who has been a victim, contact a nursing home sexual abuse lawyer in Chicago. They can help hold nursing homes accountable for abuse and neglect and help them get justice.
Nursing home residents should be assessed to ensure their needs are met and that no adjustments to their care are needed.
In Pennsylvania, nursing homes conduct a pre-screen to ensure they can meet the residents' needs. Once admitted, residents must undergo an assessment within 15 days so the nursing home can understand their mobility, medical needs, medication, and more. They are reassessed annually.
Illinois nursing homes conduct an assessment within 14 days of admission, which is used to develop the residents' care plans. Residents are reassessed after 90 days to ensure their needs are being met. Following the initial reassessment, they are reevaluated every six months.
Changes in abilities and behaviors may be caught sooner in Illinois because they are re-evaluated more frequently. When they can compare results over six months, it can indicate something is wrong sooner than the annual evaluations Pennsylvania residents receive.
Pennsylvania nursing home regulations are stricter, which may benefit its residents. Explore nursing homes in person, read reviews, and get testimonials from residents to understand what life is like inside the home. This will help you choose the right care for your loved one.
