Medical Malpractice

• 18 Veterans Committ Suicide Every Day - Outrageous!

  Dan Frith | April 22, 2008 9:03 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Talk about a country that has failed its Veterans! In a stunning admission, top officials at the Veterans Health Administration confirmed that the agency’s own statistics show that an average of 126...

• Medical Errors Cost Billions...And Lives!

  Dan Frith | April 15, 2008 6:14 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  From 2004 through 2006, HealthGrades, a health care ratings organization, found that patient safety errors resulted in 238,337 potentially preventable deaths of U.S. Medicare patients and cost the...

• Dementia Patients Taking Antipsychotics have Shorter Life Spans

  Dan Frith | November 02, 2007 3:09 PM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Dementia is a fairly common diagnosis for patients in nursing homes. The condition is typically diagnosed by its symptoms - a significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity which is severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Dementia is typically treated by the use of antipsychotics such as Haldol, Risperidal, Zyprexa, Seroquel, and others. While...

• Sex Offenders in Nursing Homes - You Have To Be Kidding!

  Dan Frith | October 23, 2007 1:58 PM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  I cannot believe it! We place our elderly and infirm family members in a nursing home so they will be watched over and taken care of in a safe and supportive environment. No one would ever think that those same family members are at risk for being sexually assaulted! Right? Unfortunately, I'm wrong!Convicted sex offender Dennis Strong will spend at least his next eight months in far less...

• FDA licenses new vaccine to reduce risk of shingles for older Americans

  Staff Writer | June 23, 2006 11:51 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has licensed a new medication called Zostavax which is designed to reduce the risk of shingles in people 60 years of age or older. Shingles is a disease caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. After an attack of chicken pox, the virus can lie dormant in certain nerve tissues. As people age, sometimes the virus will reappear in the form of shingles...

• Drug therapy may partially reverse plaque buildup in arteries

  Staff Writer | March 30, 2006 10:39 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  A study presented in a recent meeting of the American College of Cardiology demonstrates, for the first time, that significantly lowering cholesterol with a statin medication can partially reverse the buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries. Prior research had indicated that aggressive statin therapy could prevent the progression of coronary arterial plaque buildup, but this is the first...

• Alzheimer's Project - well worth your time and tears

  Lauren Ellerman | May 13, 2009 8:57 AM | 1 CommentRoanoke, VA

  I spend my days speaking to families who have learned their loved one may have been a victim of nursing home neglect. As a sensitive person, I am touched by their stories of loss, sadness and...

• Is Your Surgeon a "Temp"?

  Dan Frith | January 15, 2009 6:00 AM | 2 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Yes...I am afraid this is a serious question. It appears that many hospitals have decided to meet the need for general surgeons by hiring temporary surgeons to work a day or two or maybe a week. I...

• Be an Informed Consumer of Health Care

  Dan Frith | January 14, 2009 10:11 AM | 1 CommentRoanoke, VA

  Information is power. I don't know who first said it, but this little 3 word sentence packs a wallop! Nowhere in our lives is information more important than when it comes to making health care...

• Seniors - Get Your Flu Shots!

  Dan Frith | November 04, 2008 6:33 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  It's that time of year again...flu season! And seniors are especially at risk for complications from the flu. Don't believe me, well how about these facts: 5-20% of the U.S. population...