According to a report by the Minnesota Department of Health, Kenneth Allers suffered seizures for over 11 hours while a nurse (only identified in the report as “Alleged Perpetrator”) ignored him. Allers died the next day. The report states that on the morning of August 31, 2016 Allers had two seizures, approximately one-and-a-half hours apart. […]
Nursing Home Abuse
New York City Comptroller Report Calls for Long-Term Planning for New York City Seniors
As the number of senior-citizens in New York City is expected to rapidly increase in the near-future, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer is calling for a city-wide, long-term plan to meet the needs of New York’s senior population. Between 2005 and 2015, the number of senior citizens (those over the age of 65) rose […]
Nursing Home Staffer Charged with Multiple Felonies after Stealing the Identities of Nursing Home Residents
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that Channel Francis had been indicted for five felonies relating to allegations that she assumed the identities of three nursing home patients and illegally used their credit cards. Schneiderman charges that Francis obtained the information from residents of the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation in Queens, […]
Nursing Home Resident Dies as Result of a Fall on Christmas Morning
On Christmas morning, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Woodbriar Health Care in Wilmington, Massachusetts improperly placed a resident in a mechanical lift when transferring her from bed to wheelchair, causing the resident to slip out of the lift and fall, breaking both her legs. The CNA attempted the transfer alone in violation of an […]
Nursing Home Staff Arrested and Fired in Connection with Resident Death
Three nursing home employees in Nassau County have been arrested in connection with the death of nursing home resident at A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility. Registered nurses, Sijimole Reji and Annieamma Augustine and certified nurse aide, Martine Morland were charged with neglect and endangerment of a resident. The patient relied on a mechanical ventilator […]
Six Individuals Arrested for Stealing from Nursing Home Residents
On October 18, 2016, six individuals were arrested in New York for exploiting the financial vulnerability of nursing home residents; defendants are from Bronx, New York, Queens and Suffolk Counties. The five New York City defendants stole personal identity information from residents in order to secure cash or credit they were not entitled to; and […]
Nursing Home Residents Right to Sue Restored
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the Health and Human Services Department, has issued a rule that will prevent nursing homes receiving federal funding from requiring resident’s to sign admission agreements with arbitration clauses. An arbitration clause is a clause in a contract requiring parties to resolve issues through the arbitration […]
Four Upstate New York Nursing Home Aides Arrested for Abuse of Residents
Attorney General Eric T. Schniderman announced the arrest and arraignment of four former nursing aids in Oswego, NY on September 15, 2016. The aids were arrested for cases regarding nursing home abuse at two Oswego nursing homes. All four aids were charged with misdemeanors and felonies for taking “undignified” photographs and videos of residents at Pontiac […]
Study Suggests Cure to Alzheimer’s May Be on the Horizon
An experimental drug may have led researchers one step closer to preventing Alzheimer’s disease. The drug is called ‘aducanumab’ and was developed by Biogen, a pharmaceutical company based in Massachusetts who also funded the study; results were published on Wednesday on Nature.com. In patients with Alzheimer’s, scientists have found an abnormal structure called ‘plaques’ in […]
Nursing Home Staff Arrested For Failing to Provide Care to 94 Year-Old Resident
Four nursing home staff members were arrested for neglecting to provide care to a 94-year old resident at Focus Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Cooperstown, NY. The elderly female resident was diagnosed with a 4cm x 2cm pressure sore after allegedly being left in the same recliner for 41 hours over Memorial Day weekend this year. […]
Nursing Home Counselor Arrested for Alleged Sexual Abuse
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has announced the arrest of nursing home counselor, Jack Stanley, for alleged sexual abuse of 2 residents at the Northeast Center for Special Care. Both residents involved suffer from traumatic brain injuries. Also known as “Northeast, ” the facility specializes in the care of brain injury, spinal cord […]
CMS Cracks Down on Social Media Misuse in Nursing Homes
A report published by ProPublica, a non-profit investigative newsroom journal, showed a spike in cases of elder abuse and invasion of privacy in nursing homes on social media. Twelve incidents were investigated within the first 7 months of 2016, totaling the amount of these occurrences in 2015. As a result, federal health agencies have announced […]
Dementia Patient Chokes on Grilled Cheese Sandwich in NY Nursing Home
An Upstate New York Nursing Facility is being sued by the son of a 63 year-old patient, who died after choking on a grilled cheese sandwich. Maureen A. Bali, a resident at Huntington Living Center from May through December 2015, suffered from dementia. As part of Bali’s resident plan of care, she was fitted for […]
Cortland Nursing Home Aide Pleads Guilty to Stealing Resident’s Credit Card
A Nursing Home Aide in Cortland, NY has pleaded guilty to stealing a credit card from one of the patients under her care. Hope Pearson, a Certified Nurse Aide at the Crown Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on Kellogg Road in Cortland, pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a […]
76-year-old woman missing from Bronx Nursing Home
On June 14, 2016, a 76-year-old woman with dementia wandered out of Citadel Rehab and Nursing Center in the Bronx, NY. She can be seen on surveillance video standing in the Center’s lobby and leaving the facility with a group of people. Rufus Dunbar, the woman’s son arrived for a visit to find out that […]
83-year-old Alzheimer’s patient punched by security guard at Staten Island Nursing Home
On Friday night July 1, 2016, Michael Adagba, a security guard at the Verrazano Nursing Home, Staten Island punched an elderly Alzheimer’s patient. The 83 year-old elderly resident was apparently trying to leave the facility when Mr. Adagba hit her. The resident suffered multiple injuries including bruising and swelling to her face, head and body. […]
Resident-On-Resident Abuse Prevalent in NY Nursing Homes
A study published June 14, 2016 in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that at least one out of five seniors residing in a nursing home has experienced resident-on-resident abuse. Reports of resident-on-resident abuse were tracked over a period of one month in 5 urban and 5 suburban New York nursing homes through interviews, observation […]
Nurses Caught on Video Abusing Nursing Home Resident in Queens, NY
On June 2, 2016, two nurses were indicted after being caught on video surveillance ignoring an injured patient at Peninsula Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The incident occurred in October 2015. A 51 year old disabled male patient fell in the hallway at the facility, injuring his head and jaw. Nurses Funmilola Taiwo and Esohe Agbonkpolor […]
Buffalo Nursing Aide Arrested for Physically Abusing Resident
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the arrest of a certified nurse aide in Buffalo, NY on June 14, 2016. Angelene Burton, 53, is charged with slapping an 88 year old nursing home resident. She was arrested after a witness reported her slapping a resident at Highpointe on Michigan Health Care Facility. The resident, who was not named […]
CMS Survey Shows Decrease in Nursing Home Deficiencies
The Nursing Home Data Compendium for 2015 was published March 25, 2016 and showed the percentage of nursing homes with deficiency-free surveys is increasing; this data was collected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Compendium includes data on nursing home characteristics, survey results and resident information which was gathered through the […]
Aides Plead Guilty After Posting Degrading Photos of Nursing Home Residents on Social Media
Nursing home staff members were accused of violating a resident’s privacy by posting degrading photographs and videos on social media. Jane Bosquet, a 76 year old woman suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease and resident of Wingate Belvedere in Lowell, Massachusetts had “unflattering” photographs of her taken and posted on Snapchat by two nurses’ aides. Sabrina […]
Nursing Home Resident Dropped From Lift Breaks Both Legs and Dies Two Days Later
Woodbriar Health Center of Wilmington, Massachusetts faces up to $100,000 in fines following the death of a resident that resulted from a fall on Christmas day of 2015. The nursing home has been accused several times of poor care by the state and families of residents. An 83 year old resident, Mary Meuse, was dropped […]
Monroe County New York Nursing Homes as Repeat Offenders
Monroe County nursing homes have been cited for numerous deficiencies that often place residents at risk, yet they are still open for business; a Rochester nursing home remained open for two years after receiving chronic violations from the government. Democrat and Chronicle, a newspaper in Rochester, NY found that more than 1/3 of violations received […]
Lax Oversight of Nurses in New York Endangers the Public According to Propublica Investigations
According to a Propublica article,New York State’s oversight in the field of nursing care in considerably more lenient when compared with other states in the country. Over the past 15 years, nursing boards around the country have taken steps to tighten the screening process of nurse applicants before issuing licenses and implemented stricter punishments for abusers. […]
State Senate Proposes Bill to Help in the Prosecution of Elder Abuse
There are around six million cases of elder abuse in the United States each year. Five states account for more than 1/3 of those cases. New York is one of the five states. A report released in 2013 identified five obstacles prosecutors faced in handling elder abuse cases, which was the impetus for new bill […]
Camera Catches Nurse Assistants Physically Abusing and Taunting a Resident
Two certified nurse assistants in Florida were arrested after being caught on camera abusing an elderly patient at Palm Garden Nursing Home. Dale Wilson, the patient’s son, noticed bruising on his father, which prompted him to set up a hidden camera which captured three videos on physical abuse. Yashika Zenobiaha Jones, 28 and Rose Dorlean […]
Nursing Aid Sentenced to Jail after Sexually Abusing Resident
A Bronx nursing assistant accepted a plea to six months in jail and five years’ probation after being found guilty of Endangering the Welfare of an Elderly Person in the second-degree and Sexual Abuse in the second-degree of a nursing home resident at Manhattanville Rehabilitation and Health Center in the Bronx. He pled guilty to […]
NY Nursing Home Attorney Report: The Cover-up is Worse Than the Crime (Usually)
On January 4, 2016 Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced several guilty pleas in connection with allegations against Mohawk Valley Health Care Center (MVNH) for falsifying business records and covering up nursing home resident abuse and neglect. In a separate civil settlement, MVNH Associates, LLC also agreed to pay a $1,000,000 fine to Medicaid for […]
Lawsuit Filed Following Newborn Death as Result of EMS Decisions / Medical Malpractice
The family of an infant child filed a lawsuit after the loss of their newborn in February of 2014 after emergency medical technicians and doctors made a series of medical errors, resulting in the infant’s death. On January 3, 2014, Sara Keenan breastfed her newborn baby Lana and put her down for a nap; an […]
Brooklyn, NY Nursing Home Cited For DNR Problems
Hopkins Center for Rehabilitation & Healthcare in Brooklyn was recently fined $10,000.00 by the New York State Department of Health for a citation issued during a 2012 inspection. The incident involved an 87 year-old female resident whose advanced directives were not completed and therefore not followed. The resident’s grand-daughter had executed a Do Not Resuscitate […]
Rochester Nurse Convicted of Falsifying Medical Records After Failing to Provide Blood Thinner
A Registered Nurse (RN) at St. Ann’s Community Home in Rochester, New York recently entered a plea of guilty in a criminal court case involving neglect of an elderly resident. RN Christine Deisenroth was prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the New York State Attorney General’s Office. AG Eric T. Schneiderman charged the […]
Beechwood Homes in Amherst, New York Cited for 56 Violations
Two employees at Beechwood Homes, an Amherst, NY nursing home, were recently convicted for crimes committed while they were supposed to be caring for residents. Kimberly Fay, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), was convicted for stealing hydrocone. Ms. Fay falsely documented discarding tablets of hydrocone in part of a residents’ chart. Instead of discarding the narcotics, she […]
Nursing Home Residents Exploited on Social Media
Across the country, nursing home employees have been violating the rights of nursing home residents through social media, posting humiliating pictures and videos of residents against their will and without their knowledge. In 2012, a non-profit investigative newsroom found 35 instances of nursing home employees dehumanizing residents on social media networks; uploading pictures of residents […]
Group Home Workers Found Guilty of Endangering Residents
Two former Direct Service Assistant’s at Melville Estates, a state run group home for the mentally disabled, were convicted of Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person. James P. Brown Jr. was found guilty of violently and aggressively punching a 53 year old developmentally disabled resident at a bench trial before Suffolk […]
N.Y. Nursing Home Workers Convicted Of Crimes After Resident Death And Attempted Cover-Up
An investigation conducted by Attorney General Schneiderman’s office resulted in the arrest of nine nurses in connection with the death and attempted cover up of the death of Aurelia Rios, a 72 year old nursing home resident at Medford Multicare Center for Living in 2012. A dual-jury trial took place in July 2015 in Suffolk County Court. […]
Nurse Pleads Guilty to Obtaining Narcotics Through Fraudulent Prescriptions
Linda Masse, a Licensed Practical Nurse, pled guilty in Schenectady County Court to one count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony, with a sentence of felony drug court. Masse also agreed to surrender her nurse practitioners license. Linda Masse was a licensed practical nurse at Women’s […]
Second Department Decides Case Involving Complications After Lap Band Surgery
The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department affirmed in part and reversed in part a trial court order for summary judgment in a medical malpractice case. The plaintiff underwent lap band surgery in 2002, which led to complications with her pregnancy. In June 2004, after visiting her doctor’s office with complaints of nausea, vomiting, […]
Indictment for Nursing Home Receptionist Charged with Stealing from Residents
Claire Weiland, a receptionist at Livingston Hills Nursing Home in Columbia County, was arrested for stealing over $6,000 from the resident trust account at the nursing home where she worked. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stated that the exploitation of nursing home residents for personal gains will not be tolerated. Residents entrust their funds to the […]
Nursing Aid Arrested for Causing Injury to Resident and Trying to Cover it up
Certified Nurse Assistant, Fiona Jennings, was arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a nursing home resident at Schuyler Ridge Residential Healthcare. The resident was a 74 year old woman prone to falls due to her recent knee fracture. Jennings failed to properly care for the resident resulting in bruising and swelling to her […]
Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice Case Dismissed due to Expert’s Use of Unproven Medical Opinion
The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department affirmed a trial judge’s order that granted the defendant’s motion for summary judgment, dismissing a medical malpractice complaint. The plaintiff was prescribed Lipitor and Azithromycin. Lipitor is FDA-approved to treat high cholesterol. Azithromycin is an anti-biotic used to treat bacterial infections. The plaintiff later suffered from […]
Nursing Aide Prosecuted for Brutal Assault against Resident of Nursing Home
The elderly victim of the assault was a resident of the West Lawrence Care Center in Rockaway, New York who suffered from osteoporosis, arthritis, and bone marrow disease. Due to her ailments, the victim was bedridden at the time of the assault. As such, she was unable to take care of herself on her own […]
New York Ranked in the Bottom Ten for Nursing Home Quality
Nursing Home Compare is the federal government’s rating system for long-term care facilities eligible for coverage under Medicare. The website recently underwent an overhaul over the past year when Medicare placed stricter requirements for each rating category. The current system uses a 5-star quality rating system. Previously, many nursing homes had 4 or even 5 […]
A.G. Schneiderman Prosecutes Nurse’s Aid for Violent N.Y. Nursing Home Abuse
After a long investigation conducted by the Office of Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Division of Criminal Justice, A.G. Schneiderman announced charges against a former nursing home employee who allegedly beat a N.Y. nursing home resident. Renee Geloso was a Certified Nurse’s Aide at Valley Health Services, located in Herkimer, New York. […]
Nursing Home Nurse Arrested for Stealing Narcotics from Facility’s Pain Medication Supply
A supervising nurse at the Campbell Hall Rehabilitation Center has been arrested for stealing narcotics from the emergency supply cabinet at the nursing home. Terri Stephens-Traverse was the supervising nurse at the Campbell Hall Rehabilitation Center in early 2013 when she began stealing oxycodone pills. The nursing home is located in Orange County in the […]
Attorney General Schneiderman Cracks Down on Medicaid Fraud
The New York State Office of the Attorney General is responsible for investigating and prosecuting a vast quantity of crimes in the state of New York. While many of the more widely publicized investigations involve drug distribution and conspiracies, Medicaid fraud has become a growing trend in the state of New York, and Attorney General […]
New York Disability Nonprofit to Repay $363,000 due to Medicaid Fraud
New York’s state Medicaid system is designed to provide health care-related services to some of New York’s most vulnerable populations. One such population is people with developmental disabilities. The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities is tasked with coordinating services either directly or through a network of Medicaid-funded nonprofits. Over 700 nonprofits currently exist in […]
Study Finds Signs of Alzheimer’s in 20-Year-Old Patients
In a recent post, we examined a Mayo Clinic study linking a toxic protein in the brain to the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. Though commonly associated with senior citizens, Alzheimer’s is no longer just for the elderly. A study conducted by Northwestern University and reported on Yahoo! by Cassie Shortsleeve recently discovered that patients as […]
Rockland Nonprofit Charged with Forging Medicaid Claims and Lying in Medicaid Audit
The nonprofit Mental Health Association of Rockland County, Inc. has agreed to settle with the New York State Office of the Attorney General for $304,000 in response to allegations that the nonprofit altered Medicaid records. In its settlement agreement, the nonprofit admitted to the allegations and accepted responsibility for its actions. Medicaid is a state […]
Mayo Clinic Study Breakthrough: Alzheimer’s Is Linked to Toxic Proteins in the Brain
A large scale Mayo Clinic study recently conducted produced shocking results – the toxic protein tau may be responsible for Alzheimer’s and cognitive degeneration. For the past several decades, neurologists and researchers have focused on amyloid, a toxic protein found in the brain that was thought to contribute to cognitive decline, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s […]
Criminal Charges Result from Bronx Nursing Home Death
CBS News brings us this disturbing story from a Bronx County nursing home: An aide at a Bronx nursing home is facing charges in connection with the death of a 77-year-old patient. According to law enforcement sources, the fight that broke out between the aide and the victim was so intense that witnesses told police […]