Nursing Home Residents Receive Inadequate Cancer Services

Liz Perry for Leaders in Healthcare – Feb. 16, 2008

According to a recent study by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center, Medicaid-insured nursing home residents have little access to cancer services, which could be cause for concern as the population ages and more people enter nursing homes.

Cathy Bradley, Ph.D., and colleagues published their findings in the Dec. 25, 2007, Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Among 1,907 nursing home residents diagnosed with cancer, results showed that: 62 percent of the residents with cancer had late or unstaged disease when they were diagnosed; almost half of all residents diagnosed died within three months; 28 percent of late stage cancer patients received hospice care; only six percent had chemotherapy or radiation.

The authors wrote, "An aging population, coupled with trends in cancer diagnosis and treatment, will shift more cancer care ... to nursing homes and make investigations into the care of nursing home cancer patients particularly relevant. At present, nursing homes may be unequipped to recognize and care for their residents with cancer."

The study's results demonstrate a critical need for long term care administrators who will coordinate delivery of the quality healthcare needed by a expanding aging population. Individuals possessing a wealth of hands-on knowledge can transition into managing care and use the opportunity to advance their careers. As opportunities in the field grow at an unprecedented rate, those with specialized knowledge about long term care have an extra edge. Potential long term care administrators benefit from earning degrees that help them become leaders and culture change advocates throughout the long term care continuum.