Long-term care has long been the redheaded stepchild of the healthcare world, a sector doing amazing good but often doing it in amazing need and almost always out of the spotlight.
Add in underappreciation for the kind of care today’s nursing homes provide and their long-standing reputation as not-fun places to work, and one can see why it remains so hard for facilities to woo new workers even after the intense threats of the early COVID-era have eased.
But now an appellate judge in Illinois is in a position to right this very old wrong, to elevate the status of nursing home caregivers — and do so with legal authority.
At issue in the appeal is whether it should have been seen as a demotion for a county health department to move a nurse from its women’s health services team to the county-owned nursing home.
The county was earlier found at fault for discriminating against LPN Sandra Rojas, a devout Catholic who objected to a requirement to refer some patients for abortion services. Another court ruled in 2021 that the county violated Illinois’ Health Care Right of Conscience Act when it forced Rojas to consider other county nursing jobs or be terminated.
Rojas claimed she was fired, but the Winnebago County Public Health Department has disputed that claim, citing its offer of alternative placements.
Earlier this month, an appellate judge questioned whether making Rojas switch from pediatric and women’s care to geriatric care is “demeaning.” If an LPN position at the nursing home was considered an equivalent job, reported Bloomberg News, the court could decide that Rojas’ decision to turn down the alternative prohibits her from collecting a financial award beyond a $2,500 statutory minimum.
That would be a big win for Winnebago County, already on the hook for $375,000 in lawyers’ fees in the case.
It would be an even bigger win for nursing home workers, who have for too long been seen as somehow doing less than their peers in other settings.
Overlooked, overburdened and now overwhelmed by twin crises in staffing and reimbursement, nursing homes are almost always challenged to do more with less. That alone makes the job one meant for carers with a true sense of commitment, not to mention intelligence and resourcefulness.
Knowing that Rojas is someone who truly values life, I also would hope she’d understand the undisputed value of providing post-acute and end-of-life care to seniors. If she’s not just in it for the money, she must support nurses and others who care for those losing their ability to care for themselves.
The willingness such staff have for improving seniors’ quality of life while treating their chronic conditions and assisting them with daily tasks creates its own incredible workplace rewards. In that, I see opportunity, not a demotion, and certainly not something to be viewed as “demeaning.”
Nursing home nurses are increasingly being asked to work at the top of their licenses, to pursue further education and certifications, and to bring a passion for caring to a new, sicker and often more behaviorally involved patient population.
Let’s hope the judge deciding Rojas’ case recognizes that reality and decides to make a powerful statement about the importance of geriatric care that extends far beyond Illinois.
Kimberly Marselas is senior editor of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
Opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News columns are not necessarily those of McKnight’s.
