But most of those problems, recorded in a document called a statement of deficiencies, are minor.Inspectors categorize the deficiencies to give the public some idea of their severity level. The vast majority of violations are not considered to be serious — that is, they don’t show an isolated incidence or a pattern that jeopardizes the immediate health or well-being of residents.There are 12 categories of severity.Just a handful of nursing homes — six in Maine — have been guilty of the three most serious categories, according to the inspectors, a team of state-employed nurses, licensed social workers and health facility specialists trained to inspect long term care homes on behalf of both the state and federal governments.But, in each of those serious cases, the implications have been frightening.
'Endangering Maine’s elderly | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME:
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