Officials hope senior citizens surveys will provide insight

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ State Health Department officials hope information gathered from surveys of Oklahoma's senior citizens will help them rank the state's 425 nursing homes. <br><br>For the first-time,

Sunday, December 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ State Health Department officials hope information gathered from surveys of Oklahoma's senior citizens will help them rank the state's 425 nursing homes.

For the first-time, the state Health Department will send out 40,000 surveys to gauge the quality of nursing home care. The surveys will be sent in mid-December to residents and patients in Oklahoma nursing homes.

The surveys cover four categories: quality of life, quality of care, quality of service and overall satisfaction.

``With the atmosphere out there now, we expect to get a high percentage of surveys filled out and returned to us,'' said Darren Burgess, assistant deputy commissioner for special health services at the Health Department.

``We'd love to get back 100 percent.''

The nursing home scandal at the state Health Department this year, which resulted in the bribery convictions of former Deputy Health Commissioner Brent VanMeter and nursing home owner Jim Smart, inspired the surveys, Burgess said.

About 27,000 surveys will be sent directly to nursing home residents or legal guardians. Another 13,000 will be dispensed through ombudsmen to other caregivers, relatives and friends of patients.

The survey packets will include a cover letter from acting Health Department Director Jerry Regier, the one-page survey, information about local health services available to senior citizens and a return envelope.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Alliance on Aging is preparing to send out more than 500 of its annual nursing home surveys. Its surveys asks respondents to give a priority rating on 14 questions.

Alliance volunteer Vivian Smith said the information gathered from the surveys will lead to educational reports and white papers, which are often used to present to legislators.

The questions include: legal issues including public guardianship for vulnerable adults; funding for mental health and substance-abuse services for older Oklahomans; rural health care access; support services for Alzheimer's patients and their families; and ways to fight fraudulent telemarketing, mail and Internet solicitations.