WE WERE disappointed with Patricia Wen’s Nov. 27 front-page story “Nursing home clashes mar the golden years,’’ which we feel overstated the problem of resident-on-resident violence and downplayed the role that nursing facility staff play in resolving disputes when they occur.
Seniors entering a nursing facility can sometimes find themselves sharing a room with someone with whom they are not compatible. In our experience, however, staff quickly pick up on these situations and take prompt steps to find a better roommate pairing, as was the case in the example cited in the article. Rarely are these disputes allowed to continue for long.
The only exception is if residents refuse to be moved, which is their right under the state’s consumer protection regulations. In its most recent satisfaction survey, the Department of Public Health found that nine out of 10 family members would recommend their loved one’s nursing facility to others - a testament to how effectively the state’s 50,000 nursing facility staff handle an array of complex interpersonal and care issues.
The great untold story is the changing role of nursing facilities in our society. With nearly 90 percent of patients now referred directly by hospitals and nearly half returning home within a month, nursing facilities have become an integral part of our health care system, providing short-term rehabilitative care to people of all ages as well as care to seniors and individuals with disabilities who have exhausted other care options.
Abraham E. Morse
President, Massachusetts Senior Care Association
Newton Lower Falls 
