Much of the care which is provided in nursing homes is of a routine nature: passing medications, taking vital signs, monitoring for signs and symptoms of infection, reporting changes in condition to the resident's doctor. While this is true, nursing home residents are ultimately under the care of licensed nurses who can and must be able to provide more skilled levels of care when the resident's condition requires it.
The federal regulations specifically call for this:
(k) Special needs. The facility must ensure that residents receive proper treatment and care for the following special services: (1) Injections; (2) Parenteral and enteral fluids; (3) Colostomy, ureterostomy, or ileostomy care; (4) Tracheostomy care; (5) Tracheal suctioning; (6) Respiratory care; (7) Foot care; and (8) Prostheses.
42 CFR Part 483.25(k)
Nursing home residents are not just entitled to good routine care; they are also entitled to be provided with good care even when the care needs call for a greater exercise of skill and knowledge on the part of the nursing home staff. Failing to meet the care needs of a nursing home resident even when higher levels of care are required can be a legitimate basis for a nursing home complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
-S.B., Filed nursing home complaint about Provena McAuley Manor in Aurora Illinois