Specifically, the guidelines direct nursing homes as to what must be done to prevent the development of bedsores, to heal existing bedsores, to provide proper nutrition and hydration, to prevent falls, and other requirements to try to ensure that the residents of nursing homes are well taken care of. Certainly, it is recognized that every resident of a nursing home has health issues.

The federal regulations, as a result, state that, if a particular nursing home cannot provide for the safety and well-being of the resident, that nursing home should not accept that person as a resident. If the nursing home down accept a particular resident, it is required to provide the staffing and services so that the resident can lead as vital a life as possible, considering the circumstances.

A nursing home is not a place where a person goes to decline and fail in his health. A nursing home must be a facility which recognizes the health problems of each resident, makes proper accommodations for those health problems, and provides the resident with as good as quality of life as can be provided.

Nursing homes hold themselves out as being staffed with professionals who are trained to provide for the challenges of these difficult residents and the federal government has the regulations in place which show that it is serious about nursing homes providing the right care for their residents.

As the population in this country ages, certainly it is to be expected that more and more people use nursing homes. The nursing homes certainly serve a very useful purpose but must serve that purpose in a way that provides vitality and dignity for the residents.