Nursing homes aren’t homes, and they don’t provide medical care. Each patient is a meal ticket, allowing the facility to rake in big bucks. Most patients are unable to look after themselves or to defend their rights, so the facilities use them as the excuse to bill Medicare. They are hell on earth.
Technical correction—the largest source of Nursing Home revenue nationally is Medicaid not Medicare.
Some are, some aren't. My brother and I finally persuaded our mom to go to an assisted living facility, but only after she reached the point of no longer being able to drive, cook or clean. My wife & I visited her small condo with some take out and she fell on it like a starving wolf. She could no longer open cans or jars and reaching for pots and pans was too much for her. The place was also dirty, although anywhere she had ever lived before was kept spotless.
She still resented going to the home, but at least she got fed and kept clean. As she declined she wound up accusing staff of taking her license or meds but of course she was just forgetful and misplaced them.
Taking care of cranky, declining old people (a state to which I am slowly advancing myself) is not a bed of roses. So I have a lot of respect for the staff who do their jobs right.
But the low pay attracts some real low-lifes as well, which is also a problem in Europe and not just the US. And that problem is exacerbated by grasping owners and managers.