You may have heard the term “bed sores,” but you may not know exactly what they are. Bed sores are skin lesions which can be caused by humidity, temperature, friction or shearing forces, age, and unrelieved or constant pressure. In clinical terms, bed sores are referred to as pressure ulcers,…
A new report recently released shows that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services could save billions of dollars by making substantive changes to the way care is managed, delivered and paid for at skilled nursing and other long-term-care facilities. The report showed that the program could save roughly $2.1…
A report recently released by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) shows how the civil justice system is the most effective force in uncovering abuses by corporate nursing homes and insurance companies when they take advantage of elderly Americans. There are 1.5 million elderly Americans who currently reside in nursing…
As our loved ones grow older we oftentimes take on greater tasks to ensure their health and well-being. This is a difficult undertaking and there are times when we must rely on a nursing home or assisted living facility to provide care. There are federal and state laws in place,…
In the recent three-judge panel decision in Scampone v. Grane Healthcare Co., the PA Superior Court held that nursing homes can be held corporately liable for their actions, similar to hospitals, HMOs and medical professional corporations, since they provide comprehensive and continual physical care for their patients. Prior to this…
To mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day celebrated earlier this month, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Aging, John Michael Hall, encouraged residents who suspect abuse of older adults to call the state’s elder abuse hotline at 1-800-490-8505. In a press release issued on June 15, Secretary Hall said, “Our older residents deserve…
It is with great pride that the attorneys at O’Connor Law, LLC announce that Attorney David A. Miller has been selected as a Pennsylvania Rising Star in the field of personal injury. Pennsylvania Rising Stars, as published in the June 2010 edition of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazines,…
Most of us would agree that bed rails are a necessary precaution to keep hospital and nursing home residents who may be sick or restless from falling out of their beds. But a post on The New Old Age blog on the New York Times online points out the risks…
This week we read an article on the Post-Gazette.com about “culture change” which is described in the article as a national movement that calls for a reversal of the traditional nursing home model as well as a re-education of care workers and a breakdown of institutional housing. The idea is…
It seems like common sense, but a recent study of Boston-area seniors has shown that those who occasionally neglected their medications were 50% more likely to fall than those who take their medications as directed. The study was conducted by the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston.…