AARP issued a statement in response to today’s announcement of
improvements to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS)
“Nursing Home
Compare” web site. The statement, from AARP Executive Vice President John
Rother, follows:

“Choosing a nursing home is a daunting decision for any family, often made
even harder by a
rush to move a loved one into a new home. In such a difficult time,
transparency of quality and
safety information is essential. We applaud CMS for its work to simplify
the process of
choosing a safe, quality nursing home by making improvements to the
‘Nursing Home Compare’
web site.

“The star rating system proposed today could make it easier for families
to identify facilities that
consistently provide quality service and safety for their residents. AARP
is also hopeful that
added transparency will spur the industry to improve the performance of
every nursing home.
We look forward to working with CMS to refine the rating system announced
today as we work
toward making ‘Nursing Home Compare’ an even more valuable tool for
families in need of
long-term care.”

AARP has several resources, including a nursing home evaluation checklist,
to help families
make better decisions when exploring long-term care options. More
information is available at
aarp/health/longtermcare.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people
50+ have
independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and
affordable to them and society
as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make
contributions to either
political campaigns or candidates.

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