Daines Pushes to Stop Nursing Home Abuse, Protect Seniors in Montana

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today in a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing pressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure that horrific cases of nursing home abuse in Montana, such as a recent case in Lewistown, will never happen again.

Daines Senior Hearing

Download video HERE

“Last year, a state-run nursing home in Montana was cited for failing to protect patients from verbal, physical, and sexually abusive behaviors of fellow patients… according to reports, on 13 occasions, officials were not notified of incidents that included abuse in the facility’s wing which houses dementia patients,” Daines said.

At the hearing, Daines stressed the high rate of closures in nursing homes in rural areas such as Montana, stating “20 years ago in Montana, we had over 100 nursing homes serving this patient population. Today, we have just over 70.”

Daines also discussed the importance of telemedicine in providing these critical services to the elderly.

Download full video of Daines’ remarks HERE.

Daines is only the third senator from Montana to serve on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.

 

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