Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect | InjuryBoard Roanoke

I have never sued a Sunrise facility - although I have loved ones who lived in one of their assisted living facilities in Northern Virginia many years ago. As the Nation investigates for-profit health care providers, it seems like Sunrise may not be without controversy themselves.The nation's largest owner of assisted living facilities, announced the departures of Thomas Newell, president since...

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We all are concerned, rightfully, over the care our family members receive in nursing homes. You would have to be blind and deaf not to read, hear, and see all of the problems the nursing home industry in America!The most critical aspect of getting good care in a nursing home is the quality and training of the nursing staff. However, the problem is that most nursing homes are under-staffed and...

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Resident of a North Carolina Nursing Home dies of a Bowel Impaction - $5.4 Million dollar settlement.This is such an awful example of nursing home neglect - but we see it all the time. Nursing Homes are supposed to record how often residents use the bathroom, so this doesn't happen - but we see it often. How sad.Failure to manage catheter leads to $1.75 million dollar verdict in West Virginia....

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The National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC) this week released a report entitled, Think Twice Before Signing: Improper and Unfair Provisions in Missouri Nursing Home Admission Agreements. The report summarizes the results of a study of admission agreements from 175 Missouri nursing facilities. Although focused on nursing homes in Missouri, we have seen these very same issues in our cases...

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I wish this were a fictional account.Today's LA Times reports story of an elderly man who " just stopped breathing," in the assisted living facility, or so his wife of 49 years was told. "Then came the anonymous phone call the day after the funeral.A woman claiming to be an employee of the nursing home told Rita that her 80-year-old husband's death had been anything but peaceful. She said Elmore...

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Because of our duty of confidentiality, we cannot blog about many case details. We can't share statements made by nurses, unless they are public record. Well, here is a public record about nursing home abuse and neglect, that is almost too awful to believe. Faye Clark, a nurse aide at Heritage Hill in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, had her license revoked in August after the board found her guilty of...

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In the last several weeks there have been reports in the news that many nursing homes in America are over-prescribing antipsychotics to residents who suffer from Alzheimer's disease. The medications include Seroquel, Risperdal, and Haldol.On December 12, 2007, letters to the editor of the ever conservative Wall Street Journal (WSJ) contained several readers' comments on their experiences with...

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We know it is confusing... but remember it this way. Medicaid is a state program for low income families - it is AID for those in need. Medicare is health benefits for older Americans - CARE for those who are 65/66 or older. Probably 95% of our clients are either on Medicare or Medicaid. This is something we ask immediately when investigating a claim. We ask for two reasons. (1) If you do...

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Does your mother, father, or other family member in a nursing home take Seroquel, Risperdal, Haldol, or other antipsychotics? If so, it is probably because they have a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Why do nursing home patients receive antipsychotics if they do not have a diagnosis of a psychiatric condition? Great question...and the answer is MONEY!Medicaid has spent more...

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It is about time! The Federal and State governments pay a substantial portion of the costs for nursing home care through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Taxpayers spend about $72.5 billion a year to subsidize the cost of nursing home care. So, shouldn't we demand good care for the residents and refuse to tolerate substandard nursing homes?Fifty-four nursing homes are being told by the...

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What in the world is going on in Tennessee? Either they have some of the worst nursing homes in America or investigators are just beginning to do a thorough job! In just the first 11 months of 2007 Tennessee has suspended admissions at 20 nursing homes this year -- that's double the number in 2006 and more than triple the 2005 amount!Talk about widespread abuse and neglect!This is an alarming...

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Pressure Ulcer case in Tennessee - $4 million for family of deceased resident (Stage IV ulcer)Nursing home staff fails to take blood tests to regulate Coumadin (I just wrote about this issue) - death results, $500,000Elopement case - woman allowed to leave facility, injured $$$ verdictAwful things happen every day in these facilities - please be careful when admitting a loved one!For more...

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Corporate owners of America's nursing homes are in for some strict scrutiny by Congress! It's about time! It's about time America stopped the abuse and neglect so widespread in our long term care facilities. Starting tomorrow, Congressional hearings in both the Senate and the House will feature presentations sure to widely criticize the state of affairs in nursing homes."It's been far too...

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Do you think 1 RN could care for 30 elderly patients that need help with all activities of daily living? What about 1 RN and 3 Nursing Assistants? Is that enough? Most states don't have minimum staffing level requirements - and while federal law has "minimum" goals for hours staff spend with each patiient, many believe specific requirements must be enacted.According to the CMS report to...

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Have you ever had to provide care for someone who couldn't walk without help, eat without help, or someone who had short term memory loss? What about someone with aggressive tendencies caused by illness such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease? It can be a very difficult, and tiring task.What about taking care of 48,000 people - in 278 different locations. Think this should be a difficult job? I...

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