GAPNA’s anniversary theme “Preserve the Past, Enhance the Present, and Secure the Future,” reflects our shared vision for gerontological advanced practice nursing.
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the first major revision of the federal standards for nursing home care since the 1965 creation of both Medicare and Medicaid 42 U.S.C1396r, 42 U.S.C. 1395i-3, 42 CFR 483. The landmark legislation changed society's legal expectations of nursing homes and their care.
Long term care facilities wanting Medicare or Medicaid funding are to provide services so that each resident can "attain and maintain her highest practicable physical, mental, and psycho-social well-being." The Federal Nursing Home Reform Act or OBRA '87 creates a set of national minimum set of standards of care and rights for people living in certified nursing facilities.
This landmark federal legislation comes by its common name "OBRA" through the legislative process. These minimum federal health and care requirements for nursing homes are to be delivered through variety of established protocols within nursing homes and regulatory agencies.
And as minimum standards, Long-Term Care Ombudsmen should view OBRA as a baseline that should be built upon to reach not only resident "well-being" but also happiness and fulfillment. National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center Website, http://www.ltcombudsman.org/ombpublic/49_346_1023.cfm.
