Oklahoma nursing homes take 'home-run swing' for reforms

Twenty years ago, Oklahoma had more than 400 licensed nursing homes. Now, the state has fewer than 300, with the number continuing to drop.

Even the industry’s biggest advocates say the decline is not entirely bad news. Some homes provided poor care and needed to close, they acknowledge.

But it’s also a sign of the financial strain that nursing homes find themselves under, with Medicaid funding falling well short of actual expenses.

Nursing home care is getting more expensive partly because people are going into nursing homes late in life, said Mary Brinkley, executive director of LeadingAge Oklahoma, an association of not-for-profit organizations that serve aging residents. More and more Oklahomans are choosing to “age in place” at home until their health deteriorates to the point that at-home care becomes impractical, she said.

Read more: https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/oklahoma-nursing-homes-take-home-run-swing-for-reforms/article_6b719475-f8ff-5ed0-b026-9686502a20a3.html