The staff members mentioned that this could cause difficulties for them because patients and family members would express concerns with their familiar staff members that they might not address with doctors. This is actually an issue that is well-recognized by people in the healthcare community. AARP mentioned that, "Communication among families is so important that Medicaid and Medicare nursing homes are required to allow families to form councils that meet privately in the facility" (AARP, 2007).
Furthermore, the staff members made it clear that the communication issues were complicated by family relationships. One of the factors that they mentioned was that many times the residents in nursing homes are unable to meaningfully and reliably communicate with the staff because of dementia, strokes, or other health issues. Family members want to try to communicate resident's needs, habits, behaviors, and moods to the staff (Palmer, 2012). Sometimes this is complicated by the patient contradicting what family members have said, making it difficult for the staff to know the appropriate course of action to take for...
While is required in facilities that accept Medicaid and Medicare, it is often not fully developed. Moreover, in more expensive facilities, there is often little attempt to have a comprehensive communication approach. I believe that a roundtable communication approach that includes regular communication between staff, medical professionals, family members, and residents would be the ideal solution to the communication issues experienced in many nursing homes.
References
AARP. (2007). Nursing Homes: Learning the System. Retrieved May 13, 2013 from AARP.org website: http://assets.aarp.org/external_sites/caregiving/options/nursing_home_system.html
Palmer, J. (2012). Caregivers' desired patterns of communication with nursing home staff- just
TALKKK! Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 38(4), 47-54. doi:10.3928/00989134-20120207-03
