Articles Posted in Nursing Home Neglect

In our blog on Oct. 28, we reported that in September of 2010 the Pennsylvania Department of Health was notified of a life-threatening group A streptococcus (GAS) breakout that had occurred in a Pennsylvania skilled nursing facility. The report did not name the facility, but it did describe it as having 150 beds, specializing in ventilator weaning, spinal-cord injury care, and short-term rehabilitation. Now an article on Philly.com has identified the facility as AristaCare at Meadow Springs in Plymouth Meeting, the only nursing facility in Montgomery Count that matches the report’s description.

According to the article, Rhea Goodwin, administrator of AristaCare at Meadow Springs, confirmed that her facility had an outbreak of strep. However, she said there was no “direct link” between the bacteria and the deaths of 2 patients.

The CDC’s Mobidity and Mortality Weekly Report said that between Oct. 12, 2009, and Sept. 22, 2010, 13 residents had invasive strep and two died. Ten residents had noninvasive strep infections.

U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, introduced legislation last month addressing the consequences of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s scrutiny of pain medication prescribing practices in nursing homes across the county.

According to the website aging.sen.gov, the increased probe has left some patients in pain as nursing home staff try to adhere to the Controlled Substance Act.

Under the Nursing Home Resident Pain Relief Act of 2011, a physician may authorize the nursing home administrator to designate nurses or other licensed health professionals who on a physician’s instruction may administer pain-relieving controlled substances whose medical condition warrant immediate pain relief. The bill requires written documentation of the procedure.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention are recommending the long-term care facilities beef up infection prevention measures to guard against group A streptococcus (GAS).

According to the CDC’s website, GAS is a bacterium often found in the throat and on the skin. Some people may carry group A streptococci and have no symptoms of illness. The bacteria is spread through direct contact with mucus from the nose or throat of persons who are infected or through contact with infected wounds or sores on the skin.

A recent report printed in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said that in September 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Health was notified of a cluster of invasive GAS infections among residents of a skilled nursing facility specializing in neurologic and pulmonary care.

According to the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, state nursing homes will see a $200 million cut in annual Medicare payments under a new rule announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The new rule means an 11 percent cut in basic Medicare rates beginning Oct. 1 according to phca.org.

PHCA said two-thirds of nursing home residents are on Medicaid and because nursing homes lose money caring for residents on Medicaid, they depend on private insurance and Medicare to make up the difference.

“We recognize that there are limited state dollars in Pennsylvania, and appreciate that Governor Corbett and state legislators made the care of the frail and elderly in nursing homes a priority while negotiating the recent state budget,” Dr. Stuart H. Shapiro, MD, President and CEO of the PA Health Care Association, said in a news release.

Earlier this year, we wrote about an incident of alleged abuse by three workers against an elderly dementia patient at The Quadrangle in Haverford Township. Last week the woman’s daughter announced in a press conference that she was filing a civil complaint against the home, its parent companies, Sunrise Senior Living Inc. and Sunrise Continuing Care LLC, and the three employees involved in the incident.

According to DelcoTimes.com, the elderly woman is still suffering from the memories of the abuse. In the article, the woman’s mother is quoted as saying, “Our mother has never been the same since the abuse. She entered the Quadrangle a happy, hopeful person, and now she is totally demoralized.”

When her granddaughters or other family members tuck her into bed at night, the elderly woman often begs them not to hurt her.

Beatitudes, a nursing facility in Phoenix, AZ, has one goal in mind for its residents: let them do whatever they want. It’s an unusual approach for a nursing home, but it’s one that’s garnering positive results.

An article on WPTV.com discussed how residents and their families have reported a better quality of life and lower costs at Beatitudes. Staff members also stay longer, which is often difficult to achieve in a skilled nursing facility.

Patients can go to sleep and wake up when they want. They can eat or not eat whatever they like. And families have peace of mind, knowing that their loved ones are being taken care of and doing what they want.

As Hurricane Irene barrels up the east coast this weekend, we urge our clients and neighbors to stay safe and be prepared. Our local paper, The Republican Herald, reports that Gov. Tom Corbett has declared a state of emergency in PA, in anticipation of the wind, rain, and flooding that Irene is likely to leave in her path. The hurricane is expected to affect the eastern half of the state.

Pennsylvania could see as much as 7 inches of rain in the Philadelphia area that could cause the Schuylkill River and other bodies of water to flood, according to CNN.com. As a result, the National Weather Service in State College has issued a flash flood watch for Schuylkill, Lebanon, York, and Lancaster Counties from Saturday evening through Sunday morning.

We’ve listed a few websites below where you can find the most up-to-date information on the storm, as well as helpful tips to keep you safe as Irene passes through our area. From everyone here at O’Connor Law, stay safe this weekend!

Last week, Northampton County made another step in the transition of its county nursing home from county to private hands when council decided unanimously to hire Premier Healthcare Resources to manage Gracedale.

According to an article in The Morning Call of Allentown, council members still have concerns about Premier’s goals for Gracedale. However, Premier’s president, Joanne Jones, said after the meeting that they usually do not see a large turnover in employees when a county home moves into private management.

Jones also assured council that Premier would not turn away residents based on their ability to pay for care, a point that is important for Gracedale, since most of its residents receive medical assistance.

In one way or another, everyone is feeling the pinch of the economic crisis. And beginning in October, nursing homes will be no exception, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will cut reimbursement rates to nursing homes by 11.1%. According to an article on The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money Blog, these cuts may affect staffing and services at nursing home facilities.

In the article, Larry Minnix, CEO of LeadingAge is quoted as saying, “Estimates are that tens of thousands of care staff could lose their jobs in order to balance this kind of deep cut.”

What could that mean for your loved one who may be in a skilled nursing facility? It will be more important than ever to find a home with a quality staff. According to a study titled “Relationship of Nursing Home Staff to Quality Care” published in Health Services Research journal, a nursing home with more staff consistently “provided better care than all other homes.”

Residents of Falling Spring Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Franklin County, PA aren’t bothered by the fact that one of their doctors is 400 miles away. Video conferencing brings their doctor to them.

According to an article on PublicOpinionOline.com, the county has contracted with a telemedicine provider to receive psychiatric services. Residents meet with a geriatric psychiatrist using video conferencing technology.

Falling Spring is the first county nursing home in the area to provide behavioral health services through video conferencing.