To the Editor:
Re: “At Many Homes, More Profit and Less Nursing” (front page, Sept. 23):
We are facing a quagmire: the need for nursing home care in a system that compromises its goal of offering quality care in order to enhance profits. The government must redirect policy to meet increasing demands to provide accessible and safe long-term care.
Unfortunately, people’s understanding of the magnitude of this problem usually occurs only when they face a serious medical issue. We must not tolerate deficiencies in care, neglect or deplorable conditions. We must be able to live without the fear that profiteers will harm this potentially vulnerable population.
Teri Koff
New York, Sept. 24, 2007
The writer is an elder care specialist.