Sunday, February 23, 2025, 10:34AM |  27°
MENU
Advertisement

Power to the elders: A worthy effort to support nursing home residents

Power to the elders: A worthy effort to support nursing home residents

The population of senior citizens in Pennsylvania has been growing for some time, and the number of residents 65 and older now exceeds 2.1 million. Our state ranks fifth among the 50 states for the percentage of seniors within its borders.

Many of these seniors will require nursing home care at some point in their lives, and the quality of that care is a great concern to family members. Cases of elder abuse have made news in recent years. Government regulation and inspection can accomplish only so much, so we are pleased to learn of a program that trains the residents themselves to be advocates for better care.

As reported last week by the Post-Gazette’s Gary Rotstein, the program is called Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents, or PEERs. It has trained 2,200 residents in the state on how to address concerns with their care facilities instead of remaining quiet or relying on the county government.

Advertisement

The program offers 10 hours of training about the rights of residents and how to work with an institution’s chain of command to address problems.

“The sad thing,” said Dennis Govachini, who coordinates the program in Allegheny County, “is I have to go train people about rights they didn’t know they have.” Most residents would never speak up about their problems without this training.

Unfortunately, only six of the 62 nursing homes in Allegheny County have signed up to participate in this voluntary program. Administrators of the other homes should be rushing to sign up so that their residents can learn to deal with problems in constructive and appropriate ways.

While this program is not appropriate for the severely impaired or short-term residents, it can have a significant impact on the quality of life for long-term residents.

Advertisement

First Published: January 15, 2017, 5:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
1
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Pirates outfielder DJ Stewart gets congratulations from teammates after his home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the Grapefruit League season at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
2
sports
5 takeaways from Pirates' spring training victory over Orioles
A new report advises retirees in 2025 to aim for just 3.7% when withdrawing from savings -- down from 4%. Over a 30-year retirement, that could mean the difference between financial security or outliving your cash in your 80s or 90s, financial experts say.
3
business
How much can retirees safely withdraw from their nest eggs? Financial experts weigh in.
York County District Attorney Timothy J. Barker reacts during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
4
news
Police officer killed, gunman dead in shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York
Preston Coleman, 52, was beaten and strangled inside an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5, 2025, in what police described as a vicious, unprovoked attack.
5
news
Bartender working at Aliquippa VFW during beating that left man unconscious facing charges
Advertisement
LATEST opinion
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story