Ginny Speaks to Local Veterans About Historic Funding Increases for VA Health Care

Washington, D.C., Oct 20 -

Thankfully, this hurricane season has been relatively tame, especially compared to the wind-swept disasters of 2004 and 2005.  As all Americans saw in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, dozens of elderly seniors were not evacuated and were left to die in Louisiana nursing homes and long-term care centers.  Florida has strong patient protection procedures in place, but not all states have comparable plans.  That is why I introduced H.R. 6161, the Senior Safety and Dignity Act.

My legislation helps protect the 1.3 million Americans currently living in nursing homes and an estimated sixty percent of the American population that will require nursing home care in the future.  It has been nearly twenty years since Congress passed comprehensive legislation designed to improve the quality of nursing homecare.  While Congress has passed legislation like the Jessica Lunsford Act to protect the youngest among us, I also know that we can do more to protect those at the other end of the age spectrum, our seniors.

The Senior Safety and Dignity Act requires all nursing homes to have a clear and pre-established disaster plan and that those plans be shared with patient’s next of kin.  Having a clear and available evacuation plan for nursing home residents is one of the most important steps we can take to ensure the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina will not be repeated.  Patients and their families will have the peace of mind they deserve knowing that their loved ones will be protected in case of a natural disaster. 

It is also important that nursing homes be allowed to conduct background checks on potential nursing home care employees and volunteers.  Florida thankfully meets this standard, but more than a dozen states do not.  America needs a tough federal standard to ensure patient safety.  Among other rights, H.R. 6161 ensures that all patients have the right to freedom from abuse, mistreatment, and neglect.  The bill also states that all patients have the right to have their medical, physical, psychological, and social needs accommodated by a nursing home.

I know that the decision to place a loved one into a nursing home is never easy.  However, you should rest easier knowing that our Florida seniors have caregivers who are not violent individuals or criminals.  I believe all states and all Americans deserve that same protection.  We should also sleep easier knowing that when the next hurricane hits our shores that each senior and their family will know where they will be evacuated.  That is what our seniors deserve and what the Senior Safety and Dignity Act will accomplish.