Posted on 09/26/2006 12:45:51 AM PDT by SheLion
Delaware County's ban on smoking in most work places has become a problem for some nursing homes, which are both work places for employees and homes for the residents.
The smoking ordinance does not prevent people from smoking in their homes, but it does ban smoking in most public buildings and work spaces.
If a nursing home bans smoking, they could lose federal funding for failing to comply with regulations, but if they allow smoking they could face fines or a lawsuit from the county health department, officials said.
Federal regulations state that if a nursing home changes its policy and bans smoking, it must create an appropriate area for current residents to continue smoking.
Robin Shackleford, a policy and research specialist for the Indiana Health Care Association, said nursing homes could jeopardize their Medicaid and Medicare funding if they follow the county's ban.
"This is not a health issue - it's a patients' rights issue," Shackleford said. "The facilities are caught in the middle of deciding which law to comply with."
To fix the problem, Delaware County commissioners have introduced an ordinance to exempt nursing homes from the smoking ban. But two of the three commissioners say they don't plan to approve the exemption when final action is taken on Oct. 2.
Commissioner Larry Crouch said smoking should not be allowed in nursing homes.
"How many people are in these nursing homes because of a smoking habit?" Crouch asked.
I never said it should be banned. I said fires from smoking is a serious issue and the smokers on this thread threw a fit over it. The irrationality that fires from smoking is not a serious issue demonstrates just how fanatical these folks are.
As a reporter I covered a nursing home fire that killed five, injured others and closed the whole building for months. Yep, started by a guy who fell asleep in his wheelchair while smoking.
Well, I've just never seen a smoking ban that you weren't for...I'm sorry if I made a false assumption. So, you aren't against them having a supervised smoking room in nursing homes?
Oh, Ray is never FOR a smoking bans. (barf)
He just won't fight AGAINST them.
How about the geezer with Alzheimers who smokes? Suddenly he forgets where he's supposed to smoke and lights up in a room where there's an oxygen tank?!
Sure, but there are more complexities than just supervision. Scheduling, storing, patients own health etc.
We are fanatical about our rights and the rights of private business owners!
Do you really think nursing home operators want to allow residents smoking?
I may not smoke, but I can't see limiting someone else's right.
You go, girl! LOLL My aunt was in a nursing home before she died (their fault!!) Anyway, she smoked and at that place as in many other nursing homes there was a smoking area for them to smoke. NONE of the staff were subjected to smoke unless they themselves smoked and went out to that partucular area. IMO, if no one wants smoke where they work, then they can look for work in a workplace that doesn't have smoke. When someone has to go into a nursing home, they try to make it as much like home as possible since it is NOW THEIR HOME! If someone has a worker come into their home (normal homeplace)to do work (repairs etc) they have to put up with any smoke there or don't take the darn job. Should eb the same in nursing homes.
BTW, non smoker here for those that don't know - never have - never will, but I believe it is the businesses place to set what the (legally) allow or don't allow. Not the government.
Any geezer with Alzheimer's should be monitored and supervised. That has nothing to do with the rights of responsible senior citizens. They aren't all suffering from dementia and they shouldn't be treated like they are.
You said, in part: But if I ever have to go to a nursing home, and they want to cut off my smoking JUST SHOOT ME!!
***
I think nursing homes should provide smoking lounges or residence areas for smokers. That said, is smoking really THAT important that you'd rather die than live without tobacco? Either smoking is REALLY REALLY fun (I never smoked, but my parents and sister do/did: mother died at 43, father quit, sister still smokes) or the addiction degrades reasoning skills.
I might also add that the particular nursing home she was in kept charge of the cigarettes and matches/lighters until a resident asked for one and they were taken back when the resident was through smoking.
I know it's unbelievable to you, but yes nursing home/assisted living home operators are in business to please all the people that pay good money to live in their facility. Contrary to popular belief all old people aren't just plunked into some state home against their will and some of them actually have a good income to pay for any place they wish to stay and they choose their own facility. Nursing home/assisted care facilities owners know that there is a demand for smoking facilities among many of thier potential residents and they will try to fill that demand if possible.
In Texas, both my aunt and mother in law was able to keep a percentage of their income for "neccessities". With my MIL it was $45 and since everything else was included in the nursing home fee, this was enough to buy her depends and extra candies she might want.
Two private pays, one smoker and one nonsmoker. Which do you think the home rather have?
Treu. My aunt died in a nursing home that was so clean and looked like a frikkin' swanky hotel. She dies because she had some food hidden (she weighed 80 lbs when she does BTW) and aspirated it at night and choked to death because the little CNA thought she had a DNR and she and an RN did nothing to clear her airway - she lay there for some while choking to death on her won vomit according to the autopsy. Had myself and my sister not badgered my mother to get an autopsy done before she was cremated, the nursing home would have gotten by scot free. Her estate won a large lawsuit against them (Round Rock TX), the cna was fired and the nursing home was cited big time by the state. When you have older people and are taking care of them, as in a nursing home, you have to be vigilant. The people who were burned per Raycpa's post were not supervised as they should have been. Aunt Bert was on oxygen and the nurses certainly made sure she did not have the oxygen on when she smoked.
uhmmm...Both.
Anyway, why do you assume that all these owners are anti-smokers?
Thanks for practicing your spamming skills on FR's dime.
Even if you listed THOUSANDS of these deaths as I am sure you could easily do it would not stop the DENIERS. Anything which does not praise smoking as the acme of freedom arouses their ire.
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