Nursing home reform: five years later.

In 1987 Congress enacted landmark legislation designed to overhaul federal oversight of the U.S. nursing home industry. Changes included creation of a "bill of rights" for residents, a new outcome-oriented inspection system, and new staffing requirements. Five years later, despite delays in the issuance of necessary regulations, portions of the law have succeeded in improving the quality of life of the estimated 1.5 million elderly and disabled American confined to a nursing home.