Nursing homes get 3 strikes

Getting old is hard to do.

It’s even harder when you’re aging in a facility with low standards of care.

According to the Kaiser Foundation, Texas is among the worst states in nursing home quality.

In September, Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, singled out some of the worst offenders in a hearing of the Sunset Advisory Commission.

And in February, that body recommended that the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services develop a plan to impose progressive sanctions on repeatedly poor-performing homes. It also suggested that the agency improve tracking provider violations.

The Legislature took a step toward raising such standards this session.

It passed Senate Bill 304, also known as the “Three Strikes” bill, which requires the department to revoke the operating licenses of nursing homes cited for the most severe violations three times within 24 months.

The head of AARP in Texas praised the bill but also said it could have gone much further to protect aging Texans from the dangers of poor care.

We quite agree.

Maybe next session.

This story was originally published June 24, 2015 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Nursing homes get 3 strikes."