Who's knocking now? New clientele for nursing homes

Because of a shifting of funding from federal to state treasuries, nursing homes are experiencing an influx of patients, including the chronically mentally ill, people with head injuries, the terminally ill, brain damaged drug abusers, and the adult developmentally disabled and retarded. When these patients arrive in nursing homes, they often find a lack of counselors, recreational and therapy programs geared to the younger age group, vocational rehabilitation, and other necessary services. Planning for long-term care of a varied population is needed, as well as state licensing authorities and advocacy groups to draft programmatic standards to meet the needs of these new residents.