High quality nursing homes available in Florida

Selecting a nursing home for a loved one is undeniably difficult.

I have made that decision myself.

So we understand the sentiment in the Miami Herald’s Feb. 24 article, Miami Mayor: More oversight of nursing homes needed.

Nevertheless, we are disturbed by the generalization that Florida’s nursing homes are “in crisis.”

Problems clearly exist with some Florida nursing homes.

But we must be careful to inform, rather than scare consumers.

LeadingAge Florida believes in two types of providers — the excellent, and the extinct.

We provide expertise to help struggling providers improve, but we will not defend providers who do not invest resources in providing high quality care.

There are nursing homes in Florida delivering high-quality care every day. We represent many of them.

Ten of the 32 nursing homes that have earned the Governor’s Gold Seal for quality care are LeadingAge Florida members.

Nine of those members have earned the Gold Seal more than once, five have earned the recognition six times, and three have earned it seven times.

Our Gold Seal members average 4.5 stars on the Florida 5 Star rating system, and our nursing home members overall average 3.9 stars — the two highest ratings of any nursing home category in Florida.

It’s simply unfair to generalize that Florida’s long-term care facilities are “in crisis.”

Based on certified nursing assistants per resident, nurses per resident and total staffing per resident, LeadingAge Florida members rank highest among all Florida nursing homes.

We encourage consumers to do their homework before selecting a nursing home.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 8:33 PM with the headline "High quality nursing homes available in Florida."