The Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Health, a New York nursing home facility, was cited for failing to provide services that meet professional standards of quality in a June 5, 2008 inspection. The same inspection resulted in a citation for failing to provide services in accordance with the facility’s written care plans. As a result […]
Bainbridge Nursing Home In The Bronx Rated Much Below Average
Based on an inspection from September 24, 2008 conducted by New York State, Bainbridge Nursing & Rehabilitation Center received an overall score of “much below average.” The inspection took into consideration health inspections, nursing home staffing and quality measures. The Bronx facility was cited for the following: 1) Failing to hire individuals that DO NOT […]
New York Times Article Highlights Team Approach To Treating Bedsores
According to the New York Times article below, in a study of a collaborative program involving 52 nursing homes around the country, The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reported that team efforts had reduced the number of severe pressure ulcers acquired in-house by 69 percent. Experts estimate that two million Americans suffer from pressure […]
Are Bedsores An Epidemic?
Roni Caryn Rabin of the New York Times reports that the the number of hospital patients with bedsores (pressure sores, decubiti) has risen dramatically over a 14-year period. The development of pressure sores results in longer hospital stays and increased expenses. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, approximately 503,300 patients admitted to […]
Upstate New York Nurse’s Aide Accused Of Abusing 88 Year-Old
A former nurse’s aide in a New York nursing home has been accused of abusing an 88 year-old resident who suffers from dementia and visual impairments. The former aide is accused of hitting, grabbing and punching the woman last October, leaving her with a broken collarbone and facial bruising. The abuse allegedly occurred in the […]
Nursing Home Allegedly Tries To Cover-Up Elder Abuse
A Chicago, Illinois nursing home allegedly attempted to cover-up the rape of a 68 year-old resident. The nursing home claimed that the resident had engaged in consensual sexual intercourse. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the resident alleging that the facility failed to properly monitor the resident and failed to separate younger mentally […]
New Guidelines For New York Nursing Home Surveyors
The Long-Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) passed on the information below. The LTCCC is a non-profit group dedicated to improving long-term care through research, education and advocacy. Please visit their website and consider joining the group. In April, CMS issued new interpretive guidelines for state surveyors to help them assess nursing home compliance with the […]
Neglect Leads To Wrongful Deaths In Nursing Home Setting
The article below gives an insightful overview of some of most common causes of serious injury and/or death in the nursing home setting that are completely preventable: 1) Malnutrition;2) Dehydration; and3) Infected Pressure Sores. The article cites data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was analyzed by the Detroit Free Press. […]
Pressure Sore Stages Revised
In February 2007, the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel redefined the definition of a pressure ulcer (bedsore, pressure sore, decubitus ulcer), and the stages of pressure ulcers. Two new stages, suspected deep tissue injury and unstageable, were added. While the definitions include some specific medical terminology that may be difficult to understand, it makes sense […]
Attempt To Cap Nursing Home Damages Fails
Lawmakers in Tennessee have voted against a a bill that would have capped damages in lawsuits against nursing homes. The proposed legislation would have placed a cap of $500,000 on non-economic damages in nursing home cases. Critics of the bill argued that lawsuits are necessary to prompt nursing homes to improve patient care. The proposal […]
Upstate New York Nursing Home Employee Faces Charges For Abuse of Residents
A certified nurse’s aide at the upstate New York nursing home, Northwoods Rehabilitation Center, has been arrested for sexually abusing an elderly resident of the facility from December 15, 2007 – January 7, 2009. Robert Gundersen faces the following charges: 1) sexual abuse in the first degree, a class D felony;2) forcible touching, a class […]
Elderly In New York To Benefit From “Silver Alerts”?
Many states are considering using “silver alerts” (similar to the amber alerts used missing children) in attempt to find elderly individuals who have gone missing. Many individuals suffering from dementia and/or Alzheimer’s wander as part of their disease process. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that 6 of 10 adults suffering from Alzheimer’s will wander away from […]
Long Island Nursing Home Aide Charged With Abuse
A nurse’s aide at a Long Island, New York nursing home is accused of tying an 80 year-old resident’s legs together for an eight hour period. She has been charged with endangering the welfare of a physically disabled or incompetent person and violating the public health law in the District Court in Central Islip. The […]
New York Nursing Home Employee May Have Swine Flu
A certified nurse’s aide at Orange County, New York nursing home, Valley View Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation, is believed to have been diagnosed with the swine flu. The nursing assistant had recently returned from a vacation in Mexico on April 21, 2009. All residents at the nursing home have been given Tamiflu as a […]
Nursing Home Staff Abuses Residents By Taking Inappropriate Photos
A Nursing Home in Lexington was recently cited by the state of Kentucky when members of its staff used personal cell phones to “inappropriately photograph and make audio recordings” of residents without their knowledge. The staff members then attached songs with sexual lyrics to the photographs and circulated them to other employees at the facility. […]
Bronx Nursing Home Settles Case Involving Falls
A Bronx, New York nursing home settled a matter with one of our clients for $150,000. In sum, this claim involved two falls suffered by an eighty-two year-old resident that resulted in a fractured left humerus and a left parietal temporal intraparenchymal hemorrhage (bleed in the brain). Surgery was not required as a result of either injury. […]
New York Guide To Recognizing and Acting Upon Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
According to a survey conducted by the New York State Attorney General, 98% of New York’s nursing homes surveyed failed to meet federal recommendations for nurse staffing. Based on these statistics, it is not surprising that nursing home residents often do not receive the appropriate attention and care. What follows is a basic guide to […]
Nurse Charged With Elder Abuse and Assault
In February, California Attorney General Jerry Brown announced the arrest of a nurse, physician and a pharmacist of a skilled nursing facility in Lake Isabella, California. All were charged with elder abuse for forcibly administering psychoactive medications for their own convenience and for causing the deaths of three residents. According to the website of the […]
Two Nurses Arrested For Elder Abuse In New York
Two Certified Nurses Aides in upstate New York nursing homes were arrested as a result of the investigative efforts of Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo. A C.N.A. who was working at Kirkhaven Nursing Home is accused of kicking an 88 year-old resident in the ribs. In addition, a former C.N.A. at the Edna Tina Wilson Living […]
Federal Government Implements Rating System For New York Nursing Homes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) have implemented a system whereby each nursing home in New York, as well as all other states, will receive a rating from one to five stars. The ratings are available at the CMS Nursing Home Compare website. These ratings will be based on each nursing facility’s inspection […]
Nursing Home Employees In Rome, New York Arrested For Stealing Resident’s Engagement Ring
A certified nurse’s aid and a dietary technician in an upstate New York nursing home have been charged with Petit Larceny (a class A Misdemeanor) and Possession of Stolen Property (a class A Misdemeanor). The two employees allegedly stole the engagement ring of an 89 year-old resident and pawned the ring for $15.00. According to […]
New York Nursing Home Cited For 30 Deficiencies
An Orange County Nursing Home, Wingate at Beacon, was fined almost $50,000 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for violations found during a February 5, 2008 inspection of the facility. Four of the violations were designated as placing residents’ in immediate jeopardy to their health or safety. CMS found that the nursing home: […]
Sobering Facts Regarding The Elderly And Elder Abuse
Dr. Eva Mor has authored a book entitled “Making the Golden Years”. Dr. Mor’s research has revealed many disturbing truths the elderly population will encounter, from insufficient incomes to elder abuse. According to her book, the U.S. Dept. of the Aging has estimated that by 2019 the number of Americans over 85 will increase to […]
Nursing Home In California Fails to Conduct Daily Blood Tests Resulting in Wrongful Death
La Jolla Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was cited by the California Department of Health Services in January 2009 for failing to follow a physician’s orders regarding the administration of the medication, Coumadin. According to a Department of Health Services report, the nursing home failed to conduct daily blood tests to monitor the resident’s response to […]
