Problems with Drug Rehab Centers
There are numerous problems associated with drug rehab centers. From the industry being lightly regulated to not having adequately trained staff from which to choose from, many of these center expose their patients to risks that can lead to further substance abuse. Below are some of the areas where problems may exist with drug rehab facilities:
Unregulated and Not Accountable
There are no national accreditation standards for addiction treatment and very little in the way of regulations. Further, there is no accountability for facilities and programs that do not provide treatment that is consistent with medical standards and proven treatment practices. Without accreditation standards, addiction rehabilitation and treatment facilities have great flexibility to design and implement programs as they choose with little regard to accepted medical standards or proven methods of success.
Drug Rehab Programs are Outdated
While science knowledge about addiction and treatment has progressed significantly over the last 20 years, few drug and alcohol treatment facilities have adopted newer approaches that are proven to be more effective in helping people overcome addiction. As addiction treatment facilities operating with significant financial success, there is little incentive to expand into or adopt new services that may be costly and difficult to implement.
Under-qualified Drug Rehab Staff
Because there are few standards or regulations, there is a profound gap between the knowledge and education available for addiction treatment and the education and training received by those who provide or should provide care. Most of those who provide addiction treatment are not adequately trained or educated to provide effective treatment. Without adequate education and training, staff members lack the knowledge, skills or credentials needed to provide evidence-based services such as prescribing proper medication and offering adequate therapy.
Additionally, many treatment facilities do not do adequate background checks on their potential employees and thus often are staffed by convicted felons or employees that had been fired by other rehabilitation facilities for misconduct.
Lack of Supervision
Inpatient programs often advertise and promise that patients will be supervised 24-hours a day. In practice, patients are consistently left unattended and given great freedom . This presents the opportunity for those who are still extremely vulnerable to relapse to access drugs or alcohol and lose all they have gained. Lack of supervision can have deadly consequences as it can lead to relapse and overdose as well as suicide. Addiction recovery is incredibly mentally challenging and is often accompanied by depression. Without proper treatment and supervision, some patients are driven to take their own lives while under the care of these facilities.
Drug Rehab Short-term Care
The typical inpatient rehab program lasts for 30 days. Due to the incredibly high costs of these programs few patients and families can afford more than one month. Research shows than many people have what is termed “chronic addiction.” This form of addiction requires individualized and continuous care that lasts for months or even years. According the to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, research shows that most addicted individuals need at least 3 months in treatment to significantly reduce or stop their drug use.
Incentive to Fail
One of the most perverse issues revolving around addiction rehabilitation centers is that there is a financial incentive for failure. Only 42.1 percent of people who enter rehab complete the process. Few rehab programs provide refunds when a patient does not complete the program or if the patient relapses after completion of the program. The centers are very adept at blaming failure on the patient and convincing the patient that he or she must return to the program to find success. This, of course, gives rehabilitation operators that opportunity to charge the outrageous admission fees again. Because they are rarely held accountable for failing to provide adequate or promised services, they are able to maintain a cycle of extorting money from patients and their families.
HOLD NURSING HOMES ACCOUNTABLE
Every life has value and dignity until the very end.
Don’t let abuse happen to our beloved elders. Don’t let those at fault get away with abuse.Contact Lanzone Morgan TODAY to hold abusers accountable for their actions.
