Medication errors in nursing homes are recognized as a common problem, and inspectors for the state will specifically analyze the rate of mistakes when grading a facility on its care. All nursing homes are required by law to maintain a medication error rate of less than 5 percent, and there…
Many nursing home residents are unable to walk or unable to walk any significant differences. Often, they use wheelchairs and require assistance to perform basic tasks, such as going to the restroom, bathing and getting in and out of bed. Although there are accepted industry protocols for the best and…
Admission to nursing homes in Florida is increasingly coming at a great cost, not just to residents’ bank accounts, but also to their rights. Many new admissions or their family members are being “asked” to sign mandatory arbitration agreements, typically included in the mounds of other necessary paperwork completed before…
It started with a broken finger. It’s not clear how the elderly woman’s finger came to be broken, but it was clearly not treated properly. As a resident of a state-run nursing home providing around-the-clock care, that was the one thing she should have been able to count on. But…
Four nursing home workers have been arrested and the state attorney general in New York is continuing to investigate allegations the facility actively concealed abuse and neglect of vulnerable residents. In all, there are 45 crimes listed in the indictment among the four workers, including: willful violation of health laws…
It’s been four years since a Miami Herald investigation revealed systemic problems leading to abuse, neglect and death of residents at some of the state’s more than 3,000 assisted living facilities, which serve approximately 86,00 elderly patients. That investigation prompted Florida Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, to draft bill after bill…
A 78-year-old former lawmaker in Iowa has been acquitted of criminal charges after it was alleged he had sexual contact with his wife, an Alzheimer’s patient residing at a nursing home. At issue was the prosecution’s contention that the woman lacked the capacity to consent to sexual contact. Defendant had…
In California, the non-profit Center for Investigative Reporting has been working hard to learn more about alleged abuse and maltreatment of developmentally disabled patient in the care of state-run centers. After drawn-out litigation over public records that the state refused to turn over, the journalists finally prevailed. What those records…
The recent case of Community Care Center of Aberdeen v. Barrentine is, at its core, an employment dispute. But the matter, reviewed by the Mississippi Supreme Court recently, holds relevance for those who care about the well-being of elderly, vulnerable residents of nursing homes because it involves someone who reportedly…
Usually when we discuss nursing abuse, we’re referring to staff members who take advantage of and victimize elderly patients. However, there is an increasing amount of evidence to suggest another problem may in fact be the violence that occurs between residents. In fact, a recent study conducted by analysts at…