Nursing Home Abuse Blog
Posted on Jan 31, 2012 By Scott Distasio
North Carolina residents of Atria Merrywood Senior Living are under quarantine due to an intestinal illness. According to WBTV , at least two employees and six residents have symptoms of a highly ...
Continue reading "Residents of Assisted Living Facility Under Quarantine" »
Posted on Jan 27, 2012 By Scott Distasio
A nursing home in Marshalltown, Iowa that catered to veterans recently ended a program in which residents who were capable were paid to move other wheelchair bound patients around. After a resident ...
Continue reading "Nursing Home Ends Working Resident Program" »
Posted on Jan 13, 2012 By Scott Distasio
Nursing home abuse and neglect are not problems in every facility, but it is something that many residents experience. Hive Health Media (HHM) recently took existing data on nursing home abuse in an ...
Continue reading "Data Indicates Nursing Home Abuse Likely to Continue" »
Posted on Jan 10, 2012 By Scott Distasio
In October, an 11.1% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates for nursing homes went into effect. Over the next ten years, nursing homes across the country will lose a total of $79 billion in ...
Continue reading "Medicare Cuts Have Resulted In Nursing Home Layoffs" »
Posted on Jan 3, 2012 By Scott Distasio
It is a fairly common practice for nursing homes to require potential new patients and their families to sign agreements saying they will go into arbitration for legal disputes rather than bringing a ...
Continue reading "Florida Supreme Court Limits Nursing Home Arbitration Agreement Abuses" »
Posted on Dec 17, 2011 By Scott Distasio
The volunteers for Florida's Long Term Ombudsman program are responsible for investigating claims of nursing home abuse and assisted living facility neglect, monitoring facilities for poor ...
Continue reading "Florida Nursing Home Neglect Volunteers Fired For Advocating" »
Posted on Dec 14, 2011 By Scott Distasio
Two residents of Michigan nursing homes were found to have maggot infestations. Ann Arbor.com reports maggots were found in one woman's catheter and another's throat. Both cases were discussed ...
Continue reading "Nursing Home Patients Infested With Maggots" »
Posted on Dec 10, 2011 By Scott Distasio
For the last month, investigators have been looking into conditions in Miami area assisted living facilities. With more than 900 ALFs in the area, Miami-Dade has more than the rest of the state of ...
Continue reading "Investigations of Miami Area ALFs May Lead to Improved Conditions" »
Posted on Dec 6, 2011 By Scott Distasio
89-year-old dementia patient Anna Foley was living in a Georgia nursing home when she got into got into an argument with two of her caregivers, Cicely Reed and Jermeller Steed, over ice cream. ...
Continue reading "Resident Waterboarded By Nursing Home Employees" »
Posted on Nov 29, 2011 By Scott Distasio
Florida lawmakers are now considering changes to the state's oversight of Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs). According to The Ledger , just months after they reportedly considered stripping more ...
Continue reading "Are Florida Lawmakers Beginning to Address Assisted Living Facility Abuse?" »
Posted on Nov 1, 2011 By
Established in the 1960s to protect residents from nursing home abuse and assisted living facility neglect , Florida's elder care ombudsman program seems to be falling apart. With politics encroaching ...
Continue reading "Is Florida's Elder Abuse Watchdog Group Under Attack by Industry Insiders?" »
Posted on Oct 26, 2011 By
Lois McCallister now lives with her daughter after she was abused in a nursing home , but she still begs her family not to hurt her every night. Mary and Paul French, Lois's daughter and son-in-law, ...
Continue reading "Nursing Home Abuse Leaves Woman Living in Fear" »
Posted on Oct 20, 2011 By
Sepsis occurs when an infection reaches the blood stream. It can be caused by many different types of bacteria and can begin in most any organ of the body. Once the infection moves from the place it ...
Continue reading "New Study Shows Older Patients at High Risk of Developing Sepsis" »
Posted on Oct 16, 2011 By
Earlier this month a judge in England acquitted four care workers of nursing home neglect in the case of Edna Barnes. Mrs. Barnes suffered from dementia and relied on the nursing home employees to ...
Continue reading "Nursing Home Workers Cleared of Willful Neglect, Judge: Nursing Home Owners Responsible" »
Posted on Oct 12, 2011 By
Many families, facility managers, and law-enforcement officials have turned to hidden cameras to uncover nursing home abuse and mistreatment. According to the Seattle Times , specialists in the ...
Continue reading "Hidden Cameras in Nursing Homes Gaining Popularity" »
Posted on Oct 11, 2011 By
In the last blog entry , I mentioned one solution to the lack of autonomy of the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is to move it out from under the umbrella of the Department of Elder Affairs. The ...
Continue reading "State Considers Separating Ombudsman Program" »
Posted on Oct 9, 2011 By
Last month the federal government issued criticism of Florida's Department of Elder Affairs and its oversight of the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. The Long Term Care Ombudsman is essentially a ...
Continue reading "Federal Report Questions Florida's Oversight of Department of Elder Affairs and Sparks Investigation of Ombudsman Program" »
Posted on Sep 30, 2011 By
A new report by the Florida Senate Health Regulations Committee details the shortcomings of Florida's oversight of assisted living facilities. Capitol News Service states the report follows a series ...
Continue reading "Florida Senate Report Concludes Florida Isn't Doing Enough to Protect Assisted Living Residents" »
Posted on Sep 18, 2011 By
When Annie Lou Jefferson became gravely ill, her family had no choice but to place her in a nursing home where they believed she would get the care she required. WPTV reported her daughter, Maxine ...
Continue reading "Boynton Beach Nursing Home Sued for Patient Neglect" »
Posted on Sep 14, 2011 By
Over the summer, nursing homes across the US lost a battle with Medicare that will cost the industry $3.87 billion. Medicare is attempting to recover overpayments and stop overpaying facilities. Daily ...
Continue reading "Nursing Homes Claim Poverty While Increasing Profits" »
Posted on Sep 10, 2011 By
September is World Alzheimer's Month. Advocates and volunteers are working across the country to raise both awareness and funds for research to battle this debilitating disease. According to the ...
Continue reading "World Alzheimer's Month" »
Posted on Sep 6, 2011 By
When it comes to working, rarely do you expect to be fired or penalized for actually doing your job. But that is what Brian Lee, Florida's ex-long-term care ombudsman, claims happened to him. He was ...
Continue reading "Did Florida Break Laws in Firing its Top Nursing Home Regulator for Doing His Job" »
Posted on Sep 4, 2011 By
In a recent blog I discussed the problems plaguing Sarasota based Harmony Healthcare. I questioned why the facility was still open after several years of documented nursing home neglect . It seems ...
Continue reading "Troubled Sarasota Nursing Home Finally Shut Down" »
Posted on Aug 29, 2011 By
In recent blogs, I have discussed Governor Scott's Assisted Living Facility (ALF) Task Force and whether or not it will be successful given its makeup . Sunshinestatenews.com reported recently on the ...
Continue reading "ALF Task Force Discusses Facility Regulations" »
Posted on Aug 27, 2011 By
It is not always easy to spot a facility where a loved one might suffer from nursing home abuse or nursing home neglect . On the surface the facility may appear clean and well kept. The staff may seem ...
Continue reading "Sarasota Florida Nursing Home Remains Open After Numerous Violations and Patient Death" »