National Study Contradicts Common Belief of Low Satisfaction in Nursing Homes

PRLog (Press Release) – May 21, 2008 – My InnerView—an independent research firm—today released a report that reveals a majority of both consumers (82%) and employees (70%) rate their nursing home as “excellent” or “good,” and would recommend the nursing home as a place to receive care.  The report, 2007 National Survey of Consumer and Workforce Satisfaction in Nursing Homes, includes responses from 146,382 nursing home residents and their family members and 161,908 nursing home employees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2007.

“The report provides consumers with a statistical snapshot of the current state of nursing home performance,” notes Neil Gulsvig, Chief Executive Officer, My InnerView, “from the perspective of those who know best—residents, their family, and the people who work there. It gives consumers a more accurate picture of nursing homes and the people living and working there. It can also help consumers determine what to look for when assessing a nursing home.  What the data clearly show is that residents and their families say a caring and competent staff is most important, and that a nursing home with a satisfied workforce, is a nursing home with satisfied residents and family members.”

While consumers report modest improvements in resident quality of life and quality of care, the quality of services (such as meals, laundry, cleanliness and management responsiveness) showed a slight decline.  Data indicate that despite the demands of the profession, employees rank their ability to make a difference in people’s lives as the most satisfying aspect of their job.  Data also show, however, that nurses and nursing assistants have the lowest levels of job satisfaction in the profession.

The report provides direction for the profession to work toward in order to provide a stable, satisfied workforce that ultimately will care for the growing elderly population.  “For example,” notes Gulsvig, “we’ve found that the extent to which facility management listens to and cares for the needs of its employees is critical to employee satisfaction.  Leadership of the nursing home clearly drives satisfaction of the nursing home workforce.”

For a copy of the 2007 National Survey of Consumer and Workforce Satisfaction in Nursing Homes, visit http://www.myinnerview.com, or call (715) 848-2713.