Committee finds that nursing homes routinely provide quality care

Volunteer inspector check many boxes when they visit Johnston County nursing homes and rest homes.

 

SMITHFIELD — Rest homes and nursing homes face staffing shortages and turnover in leadership. Their residents, meanwhile, complain about the food and lack of activities.

Those are among the common findings of the Johnston County Nursing Home and Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee, the volunteer group tasked with inspections of homes.

But James Coleman, the committee’s chairman, also wanted County Commissioners to know this. “Certainly, there are improvements to be made,” he said. “But for the most part, our senior citizens are being cared for by dedicated, committed, compassionate fellow citizens.”

In 2025, the committee’s 10 active volunteers spent 448 hours in Johnston’s five nursing homes, 11 adult care homes, and 19 family care homes.

“What cannot be overemphasized is the caring nature of the staff that do work, some of them in the same facility for 20 years, and the homelike environment that so many of the residents speak about,” Coleman said.

Recently, the committee changed how it visits homes. “In the past, our teams would visit different facilities each quarter,” Coleman said. “We changed that to visit a facility for two consecutive quarters. This enables us to better follow up on any issues that are identified. That has worked well, and we will continue with this schedule.”

While they are volunteers, the committee’s members are well trained.

“Three years ago, the required training increased from 15 to 36 hours for new advocates,” Coleman noted. “Additionally, each year all members are required to complete 18 hours of continuing education.”

At their monthly meetings, committee members share their most recent inspections. Summaries of their reports are available on the County’s website under Health and Human Services.

The committee works closely with the Adult Services Division of the Johnston County Department of Social Services, Coleman said. “Each month, three of their employees attend our meeting,” he noted. “Since we are volunteers and not regulators, we share our findings with DSS as appropriate, and they can take official action if warranted.”

Page last updated on:  April 13, 2026