Smoking ban raises problems for nursing homes

Ft Wayne.com ^ | Sep. 24, 2006

[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.

[Centurion2000]

of course, you will say..." they can just get another job"...well, SOMEBODY has got to work in nursing homes.....its labor intensive you know.....

So then hire smokers if non-smokers are too afraid to work there.

This just makes me wonder, how many non-smokers are firefighters and do they bitch about a little smoke?

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

How many visits have you paid to nursing homes recently? Do you really think that Alzheimers and/or patients with dementia are monitored VERY closely 24/7?

There is a HUGE nursing shortage, and it's getting worse, not better. Just talk to my sister who is a nurse practioner with a masters degree. She's seen it all.

I've seen it with my own eyes in the supposedly "great" hospital and rehab center where my 90 yr. old father-in-law was left unresponded to for nearly 45 minutes. I got there at 9:45pm to see how things were going after his knee replacement surgery. He was disoriented, couldn't find his glasses and his urine bag was nearly overflowing. I had to go down to the nurses station myself to ride herd on them so he would get proper care.

You are sadly mistaken if you think the nursing care is as diligent in most nursing homes as you would make it out to be.

[SheLion]

Bad enough that most nursing homes won't even let married couples room together...Now they won't let them smoke? If they can have a smoking lounge, I say let 'em puff away.

Can you imagine enjoying something for all of your adult life a and then the minute you are confined to a nursing home, this pleasure is yanked from you?  To me, this is cruel and unusual punishment.

To me, this is elderly abuse.  There is no other way to put it.

[SheLion]

Read what I just posted to Malacoda:

Can you imagine enjoying something for all of your adult life a and then the minute you are confined to a nursing home, this pleasure is yanked from you?  To me, this is cruel and unusual punishment.

To me, this is elderly abuse.  There is no other way to put it.

[Elyse]

You are sadly mistaken if you think the nursing care is as diligent in most nursing homes as you would make it out to be.

I made no such claim, I said that these patients should be supervised. Regardless of the nursing shortage, a nursing degree is not required to work with and supervise patients, especially in an assisted living facility.

I've paid quite a few visits to nursing homes lately. My mother lives in an assisted care home and my aunt, who has Alzheimers, lives in a nursing home.

[SheLion]

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.

Oh pulllllezze..............to millions of us, it's not an addition.  It is a pleasure.  Smoking enhances my quality of life.  I don't drink.  I don't do drugs.  Cigarettes are a legal commodity.  Why do you fault me for enjoying smoking in my life?  You don't pay my bills and you certainly don't pay for my cigarettes.  A lot of people in this life have something that they truly enjoy.  To me, smoking is one of them.

Oh!  I had a grandmother who smoked 3 packs of unfiltered Camels a day and lived to be 86.  Sorry for your loss!

Coffee and cigarettes are ME!!!

[SheLion]

I'm so sorry for your loss and God bless her. She is in a much better place now, but I feel sorry that she had to go through that hell on earth. How horrible!

[SheLion]

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.

Now you wait a minute!  We FReepers who smoke are NOT praising smoking.  We know that it isn't good for us, but it doesn't kill EVERYone!  My grandmother lived to be 86 and I hope I have her genes. You can't fault smokers because we enjoy it.

And what is YOUR  relaxation of choice?  Alcohol or prescription drugs???

And the most thing we smokers rights are for is the rights of the private business owners to run their business as they want without the interference of the government.  The ban loss has been enormous.

[NCLaw441]

SheLion, I don't fault you at all for smoking. I don't care for it, but I don't mind others doing it. I do tend to agree with those who complaint about the many (not all)smokers who leave a mess for others. I also think it should be up to property owners to decide whether there will be smoking on their property-- NOT government.

I am glad that you have something you truly enjoy. I live right here in the heart of tobacco land (Winston-Salem, NC) and many seem to enjoy it. Many others say they wish they could quit, but can't.

I won't go so far as to defend smoking, but I would defend your RIGHT to smoke (actually not a right, but a freedom, I guess). I do wish more of your cohorts would dispose of their butts properly though.

[justshutupandtakeit]

There is nothing I use for "relaxation" dozens of times a day. I like a drink with dinner but don't drink one glass after the other.

I even smoke a cigar every few weeks.

It is the obsessive smoking of cigarettes which is the problem. If smokers could limit themselves to a few a day that would be one thing but a pack or TWO? That is almost like coke addicts continually sniffing a line or lighting up the pipe.

It will be the tort courts which will reduce smoking to a small fraction of what we have now. Any employee of private smoking establishments who gets a lung disease or any smoking related illness can sue them into oblivion so allowing private businesses to allow smoking is not too likely.

[SheLion]

I won't go so far as to defend smoking, but I would defend your RIGHT to smoke (actually not a right, but a freedom, I guess). I do wish more of your cohorts would dispose of their butts properly though.

~whew

So happy for your post!!!!!

And about disposing of butts?  That is one of my pet peeves.  Smokers who throw their butts around really upset me.  They make the rest of us look really bad.

When I go out, I always take a Coke can with a little water in it to put my butts in.  There is NO excuse for just flipping the butts.  I HATE that!

[SheLion]

It is the obsessive smoking of cigarettes which is the problem. If smokers could limit themselves to a few a day that would be one thing but a pack or TWO? That is almost like coke addicts continually sniffing a line or lighting up the pipe.

This really isn't your business is it?

It will be the tort courts which will reduce smoking to a small fraction of what we have now. Any employee of private smoking establishments who gets a lung disease or any smoking related illness can sue them into oblivion so allowing private businesses to allow smoking is not too likely.

And don't you know the second hand smoke isn't the killer that the anti's want you to believe? I wish you would keep up with the news more.

The United Pro Choice Newsletter

[justshutupandtakeit]

I haven't made it my business.

Second hand smoke is not harmless. Particularly when constantly exposed to it. I speak from my own experience with it. Any time it is prevalent and I am exposed I have consequences the next day.

[SheLion]

Second hand smoke is not harmless. Particularly when constantly exposed to it. I speak from my own experience with it. Any time it is prevalent and I am exposed I have consequences the next day.

Second hand smoke is not harmless you say?  Then why did you have consequences the day after you are exposed to it?  And if so, why do you put  yourself in the position of being around it??

[justshutupandtakeit]

Then why did you have consequences the day after you are exposed to it? Huh? this make no sense.

I generally don't put myself in those situations.

[fanfan]

Not only that She Lion, but a lot of vets smoke because the government included cigarettes in their rations during WW2.

Save the free world for us, and then follow our rules?

I hate the smoke Nazi's.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[SheLion]

Save the free world for us, and then follow our rules?

I hate the smoke Nazi's.

I hate them too.  And to think they are being paid big time by the taxes we pay on our cigarettes is mind boggling.

They SAY they want smoke free, but if we went smoke free, they would be out of a job!!!!!!

[SheLion]

Then why did you have consequences the day after you are exposed to it? Huh? this make no sense.

I generally don't put myself in those situations.

What are you talking about?!  You are the one who said that you suffer consequences the next day after you have been exposed to shs!  Read your post #93!!!

Then why did you have consequences the day after you are exposed to it? Huh? this make no sense.

I generally don't put myself in those situations.

What are you talking about?!  You are the one who said that you suffer consequences the next day after you have been exposed to shs!  Read your post #93!!!

[phoenix0468]

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.

And thus begins the backlash of the nanny state.