Nursing Home & Elder Abuse

• Mentally Ill Patients Pose Danger to Elderly Nursing Home Residents

  Kristina Labanauskas | March 24, 2009 5:40 PM | 3 CommentsCook County, IL

  There has been a significant increase in the number of mentally ill patients residing in nursing homes. And, mixing frail elderly with younger and stronger mentally ill patients in nursing homes has...

• Project results on 75% reduction in bed sores

  Barry Doyle | July 25, 2007 8:00 AM | 1 CommentCook County, IL

  Researchers in New Jersey recently announced the results of a project which was intended to reduce the development of bed sores in patients in health care institutions. Bed sores are technically known as pressure ulcers and are caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin, usually on bony prominences. The unrelieved pressure results in tissue death, which causes pain for the patient and...

• Nursing Homes & Felons: A Dangerous Mix

  Kristina Labanauskas | November 09, 2009 4:33 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Mentally ill criminals and others on society's fringes housed in nursing homes pose a threat to other residents, especially if they are not carefully assessed, treated and monitored. In...

• Local Nursing Homes Fall Short in Government Ratings

  Kristina Labanauskas | February 10, 2009 2:19 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created a Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, families and caregivers to compare nursing homes with greater ease. Nursing homes...

• Attention New Nursing Home Residents: Put Down That Pen

  Kristina Labanauskas | July 19, 2008 5:47 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  When you enter a nursing home, you expect that you are in good hands and will be afforded the best possible health care. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Disputes arise due to nursing...

• Inadequate staff levels tied to falls

  Barry Doyle | July 23, 2007 9:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A Rhode Island nursing home has been ordered to increase staffing levels in order to prevent residents from falling. A survey of the home resulted in immediate jeopardy findings by public health officials after they found several residents had fallen multiple times because of inadequate supervision due to low staff levels.At least three residents were injured as a result of falling, including...

• Arizona assisted living facilities shuttered

  Barry Doyle | June 11, 2007 9:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Four Arizona assisted living facilties were recently closed by state authorities after inpsections revealed filthy conditions and care deficiencies.In one instance, one resident was found to have 22 decubitus ulcers, some of which were bone-deep.Many consumers are unaware of the differences between assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Assisted living facilities are intended to provide...

• Abuse alleged in Wisconsin nursing home

  Barry Doyle | June 09, 2007 11:46 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A West Allis, Wisconsin nursing home is under investigation after a family made complaints about several unexplained injuries that their grandmother suffered while a resident at the facility. The lack of explanation for the injuries has led the family to believe that she was abused by the staff, even though an internal investigation revealed no wrongdoing.The unexplained injuries include...

• CNA sentenced in rape of nursing home resident

  Barry Doyle | May 30, 2007 5:14 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A DuPage County judge today sentenced a former nursing home CNA to 25 years in prison. The sentence follows a guilty plea to sexual assault charges.The victim of the assault was a severely disabled woman who resided in the nursing home. The sexual assult was not discovered until after it was discovered that the woman was pregnant. The CNA was identified as the perpetrator through DNA...

• Wilmington nursing home cited by IDPH

  Barry Doyle | May 28, 2007 10:46 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  The Embassy Care Center in Wilmington recently received a citation from the Illinois Department of Public Health after a number of residents there were injured in falls.The care of five residents in all were the subject of the citation, including two who suffered a fractured hip as a result of falling.Falls and fall prevention are a major concern in the nursing home setting. Indeed, concerns...