The son of a man who died from thirst in a nursing home has filed a lawsuit against the nursing home. Read the full article here. According to an investigation by the Department of Health, staff noticed the man undergo weight loss but didn't notify doctors. The Department of Health found the nursing home be in neglect. When sending loved ones to nursing homes, investigate the nursing homes for past instances of Read More
New Rating System for Nursing Homes Unveiled…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") has just launched "Nursing Home Compare" which provides quality ratings for each of the nation’s 16,000 Medicare and/or Medicaid-certified nursing homes. The rating system is a five-star system based on health inspection results, quality measures, and staffing levels and an overall rating is also provided. Visit the rating system here. CMS suggests using these Read More
New Rating System for Nursing Homes Unveiled…
A former nursing home director was sentenced to 19 months in prison and 3 years of probation for neglecting a 60-year-old woman. For the full article, click here. According to the article, the resident was in agony for 5 days before staff called an ambulance. Apparently, aides had dropped the resident while moving her into her bed. Unbelievably, the nurse waited 5 days before ordering X-rays: despite multiple Read More
CNA indicted for abuse of nursing home resident…
A certified nursing assistant has been indicted for felony abuse of a nursing home resident in Jackson, Mississippi and was arrested Monday, December 8, 2008. For the full article, click here. According to thearticle, the attorney general noted that: she struck the patient -- an elderly woman -- in the eye, causing pain and suffering... Residents have rights to be free from such abuse and neglect. If your loved ones Read More
Nurse Jailed in Neglect of Nursing Home Resident…
A former nursing home director was sentenced to 19 months in prison and 3 years of probation for neglecting a 60-year-old woman. For the full article, click here. According to the article, the resident was in agony for 5 days before staff called an ambulance. Apparently, aides had dropped the resident while moving her into her bed. Unbelievably, the nurse waited 5 days before ordering X-rays: despite multiple Read More
New Illinois Law to Notify Coroners in a Nursing Home Death?
Some Illinois County coroners would like to see a new law requiring nursing homes to report every death for investigation into potential abuse or neglect. For the full article, click here. According to the article, the Illinois State Department of Public Health conducted a pilot project in 10 Illinois counties over the course of a year to determine whether a policy to investigate nursing home deaths by a coroner Read More
Critical Shortage of Care Providers in Nursing Homes…
A recent article notes a critical shortage in nurses and nurse's aides in nursing homes. For the full article click here. The article notes that at a time when the population is aging and more people are entering nursing homes, care is short. According to the article, an American Health Care Association survey released just last month noted alarming statistics: 26 percent, or more than a quarter, of registered nurse Read More
Teens criminally charged with abusing nursing home residents…
Two teenagers working at a nursing home were recently charged with abusing residents in a Minnesota nursing home and four others for failing to report the incidents. They were charged with poking, taunting and groping vulnerable residents according to the article in the Grand Forks Herald. Sadly, it was noted: The Minnesota Department of Health released a report in August showing that 15 residents with Alzheimer's Read More
What is Sepsis Exactly?
Sepsis is infection of the blood and according to at least one source, it is "a condition in which your body is fighting a severe infection . . . [that] can develop either as a result of your body's own defense system or from toxic substances made by the infecting agent (such as a bacteria, virus, or fungus)." Elderly individuals are more susceptible to acquiring sepsis. According to at least one source, many Read More
Nursing Home Abuse Recorded on Secret Video…
Desperate to learn the truth, the family of an 84-year-old resident of a Kentucky nursing home hid a video camera in the resident's room after discovering dozens of bruises all over her body and not receiving satisfactory answers from the staff. Read the full article here. The videotape captured the staff "pulling the resident out of bed by her wrists and neck," and "roughly moving the resident from side to side," Read More
