Disability Rights Iowa Accuses Governor of Abandoning Those in Nursing Homes to Greater Abuse and Neglect

There’s a really disturbing story out of Iowa that could be the tip of the iceberg in terms of what could be playing out nationally in the current economic and political climate.

Clark Kauffman, of the Des Moines Register, writes that Group says Branstad actions cause nursing home deaths

An organization that advocates for disabled Iowans says decisions made by Gov. Terry Branstad are causing the state’s nursing home residents to suffer and die.

Disability Rights Iowa, which is part of a national network of advocacy groups established by Congress, published a scathing, open letter to Branstad on Wednesday, questioning the governor’s pursuit of a less punitive method of regulating Iowa’s nursing homes.

Sylvia Piper, the organization’s executive director, told Branstad in the letter that because of his “political choices, people are suffering and dying on a regular basis in Iowa’s nursing homes.” Piper invited Branstad to join her on a two-day tour of care facilities.

“I want you to see what I have seen,” she wrote. “I want you to witness up close the effects of abuse and neglect. I wager that less than 24 hours after our return, if you are even remotely human, you will double the number of nursing home inspectors on your staff.”

The open letter that Kauffman cites is located on the website for Disability Rights Iowa.  While Kauffman recounts the complaints in Ms. Piper’s accurately, the actual language she uses is much more harsh and blunt than Kauffman’s column:

Terry Branstad believes nursing home residents, many who have witnessed or experienced abuse or neglect, no longer need anyone to protect them. Rod Roberts, director of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, gets his marching orders directly from Branstad. They both agree that no inspectors are needed; the nursing homes should be left to police themselves, much the way Wall Street polices itself.

Branstad has a lucrative arrangement with the nursing home lobby. They give his campaign tens of thousands of dollars, he helps them run under the radar by removing those who would hold them accountable. Under this egregious arrangement, nursing home residents are left alone and helpless in an environment historically notorious for abuse and neglect.

When Roberts fired 10 nursing home inspectors last year (under the guise of budget cutting), the Iowa Legislature appropriated $640,000 to reinstate these positions. Legislators understood that oversight is critical when politics threatens to corrupt the system designed to protect Iowa’s most vulnerable citizens. Roberts took the money, but used it for purposes other than rehiring nursing home inspectors.

This isn’t your “normal” story of abuse and neglect in nursing homes. (In which case we tend to oppose giving more money to those facilities and argue that the best remedy for institutional abuse and neglect is to provide people support they need in their own homes in the community.)

Nope – this story is about dismantling the barely adequate monitoring system that exists so that nursing facilities won’t have to fear being held accountable any more.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist – or a policy analyst – to predict that having less oversight and accountability will result in a decline in the quality of care – including increased incidents of abuse, neglect and preventable deaths.  But, at the same time, the state’s newest reports on nursing facilities – based on less oversight – will make them look better than ever.

But I fear that’s what we’ll see more and more of in the current climate in which older and disabled people are seen as drains on the economy. Match that up to a philosophy that says that business needs less “regulatory burden” and you have a perfect storm for this alarming scenario to be played out in many states across the country.  –Stephen Drake