A story out of Seattle details the tragic death of an 87 year-old Alzheimer's patient -- who also happened to be a retired nursing educator -- after a number of untreated pressure ulcers, some of which had "burrowed to the bone," led to her death. Much of this article focused on the reported shortcomings of a unique system that Washington state employees as a state-funded, low-cost alternative to nursing homes (this, Read More

As previously discussed, nursing home reform advocates are up in arms -- and rightly so -- over a proposed law that unanimously passed through the state's House of Representatives that would force already time-strapped Department of Health officials to conduct a thorough review of a nursing home facility's past reported violations before being permitted to issue them a citation in the event of a serious injury or the Read More

Interesting, and troubling, news came out of Colorado as 21 residents and 7 staff members were reported ill with the norovirus at a suburban Denver nursing home. Norovirus, though not considered being particularly harmful to humans, causes stomach and intestinal inflammation that can lead to dehydration and, ultimately, hospitalization in the elderly. Although this matter has been reported to the Tri County Health Read More

As the Chicago Sun Times previously reported an Oak Park nursing home faced a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a dementia patient who was reportedly killed after a fight with another resident. As the Illinois Department of Public Health report indicates, the nursing staff apparently failed to witness the incident, as the alleged aggressor walked into the victim's room and an altercation ensued, which, as the Read More

In an unfortunate story out of a Tennessee nursing home, three nursing assistants were charged with abuse and neglect of a depended adult, while two others were charged with failing to report abuse and neglect. The charges stem from allegations that the nursing assistants sprayed residents with water from syringes -- sometimes while the residents were sleeping, and other times to "agitate" them -- and took Read More

In a very troubling story out of Kentucky, a Kentucky "rest home" was recently shuttered after repeated reports of abuse and neglect in the facility. Although the state's Attorney General asked to place the home in receivership due to complaints about mismanagement of residents' finances, the facility was also cited for reports of physical and sexual abuse to residents, frequent food shortages, and even several Read More

As two local news outlets reported, roof leaks at a Danville nursing home became so severe that Vermillion County took the drastic measure of declaring an emergency situation. As the article explains, the leaking was so severe that 17 patient rooms have been taken "out of commission" in the facility, which was built in 1972 and renovated in 1978. While certainly, nature appeared to have played the predominant role in Read More