According to Erdman B. Palmore, a professor emeritus of gerontology at Duke University, “The way our society devalues older people could contribute to their neglect and abuse on some occasions.” One Alzheimer’s patient cried out for water before going to the hospital with dehydration. Another broke an eye socket when a wheelchair rolled down a […]
Attitudes About the Elderly Affect Their Treatment Read More »
Eric Larrabee, 24, of Madison, Wisconsin, slapped an 85-year-old patient who died 10 days after he slapped her across the face on Feb. 10, 2008. Larrabee then appeared to a former co-worker to have a “look of enjoyment” on his face, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Defort, who prosecuted the case. Larrabee, who was originally
Six Months in Jail for Former Nursing Home Employee Read More »
A bill making its way through the Maryland House of Delegates would require nursing homes to give people the choice of installing cameras that the patients or their families would pay for themselves. The partners of HensonFuerst’s Nursing Home Litigation Division endorse this bill-of-choice and encourage viewers to this blog to voice their support by
Cameras Prohibited in Many Nursing Homes… What’s Being Hidden? Read More »
Breaking News: The State of California has fined a nursing center $75,000 in the case of an elderly man whose death was reported for months as a heart attack, although he really choked on a tuna sandwich. In 2003, the state accused the same facility of giving unnecessary drugs to eight patients. However, no fines
BREAKING NEWS: $75,000 Fine for Nursing Home Choking Death & Factual Misrepresentation Read More »
If our aging family members and friends are to continue to live robustly and in the best possible health, we need bold initiatives, says a report commissioned by the Institute of Medicine. The Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans studied the health care needs of Americans over 65 years of age
Will the Healthcare Workforce be Adequate as Our Population Ages? Read More »
The assault was captured on a hidden surveillance camera. In this case, evidence was sufficient to bring a lawsuit against the care provider and owners of the assisted living facility. Viewers to the HensonFuerst nursing home blog are reminded to remain vigilant in their observations of family and friends in assisted care facilities and nursing
Resident of Assisted Living Facility, Age 91, Assaulted by Care Provider Read More »
The Bush administration shut off a source of information last fall about abuse and neglect in long- term care facilities that people suing nursing homes consider crucial to their cases. A new Rule designates state inspectors and Medicare and Medicaid contractors as federal employees, a group usually shielded from providing evidence for either side in
Jennelle Dixson is a nursing home ombudsman who looks out for residents too frail or too afraid to speak up about problems such as inattentive caregivers, dirty bedding and long delays in getting medication. Ombudsmen are among the most important watchdogs of the nursing home industry. The frequent prods and nudges they give nursing home
Do Nursing Home Residents Need Someone On Their Side? Read More »
The most significant difference between locations was the hourly wage of Home Health Aides (HHAs), causing consumers in the most expensive markets to spend nearly seven times more than those in the least expensive markets. In addition to HHAs, the cost of nursing home care differed greatly across the country. For example, residents of Lafayette,
But perhaps even more disturbing, however, is a study by Consumer Reports that found that state regulators fined only 50% of nursing homes whose misconduct warranted fines. Make no mistake about it—pressure sores, malnutrition, dehydration, and falls in nursing homes are not the inevitable consequence of old age and ill health. They are, all too