There have been a number of studies over the years that seek to determine which type of nursing homes tend to provide a higher level of quality care. In most of these studies, researchers find that, when compared to commercial homes, nonprofits as a group provide better care for their patients. There are a number of possible reasons for this disparity, and one of them has to do with the happiness of the nursing home staffers.
In a New York Times blog posted this week, contributor Paula Span discusses a recent study published in The Gerontologist. According to this study, registered nurses working for nonprofit nursing homes displayed a significantly higher level of job satisfaction than their counterparts at commercial homes. The research team surveyed approximately 900 registered nurses from nearly 300 New Jersey facilities. Among the factors contributing to the observed higher level of satisfaction at nonprofits: supportive managers, adequate resources, and the ability for nurses to assist in setting policy.
What does this mean for people searching for the right nursing home? As Span notes, this study does not provide a definitive guide to picking a home; not all nonprofit nursing homes are inherently superior to commercial homes, and finding a quality facility should always include doing thorough research of all available options. That said, this study is another piece of growing evidence that, if nonprofit nursing homes are available in your area, they may be a good place to begin the search.
Charlie Nadler
Marketing & Communications