Articles Posted in Nursing Home Neglect

Earlier this month, the StandardSpeaker.com reported that Carbon County commissioners have decided to sell the Carbon County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Weatherwood this year. At their Dec. 31 meeting, commissioners said that the county could no longer afford to operate the facility, which has been losing $3 million a year. A decrease in the population at the facility in recent years has led to financial problems.

The commissioners agreed to take their time selling the 200-bed nursing home in order to protect its residents and the employees who take care of them. Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said, “We should sell the home. But we certainly want to make sure the residents and the workforce are taken care of as best we can do that. I expect the process to take six to 12 months.”

In order to sell the facility, Nothstein said the commissioners will probably advertise for bids. He continued, “We will have some say who to award the bid to. We will do background checks. We’ve always received inquiries from people who want to run the nursing home for us, or who want to buy it. Now, we’ll take a closer look at those proposals.”

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer recently reported on a shocking story of elder abuse: allegations that the nursing director of a California nursing home restrained residents with powerful anti-psychotic drugs and that three patients died as a result of the drugs. The story notes that over-drugging is common nationwide and that these drugs are replacing the now illegal physical restraints. Read the full story by clicking on the link below:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/abc-world-news-deadly-chemical-restraints-kill-california/story?id=9483981

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Traditionally, the holidays are a time for everyone to get together and for families to reconnect. Sometimes when we haven’t seen our loved ones in a while, we notice changes that we had not seen before: they may have difficulty getting up and down stairs, they may struggle to remember things, or they may simply be starting to look older. It can be a wakeup call to younger family members who may need to make decisions about long-term care and placement in a nursing home. This is the focus of an article we found on the Utica Observer Dispatch (UticaOD.com).

If you’re faced with the reality that your elderly family member may need long-term care, this article offer steps for finding a nursing home. It also emphasizes the importance of checking out facilities yourself. To read the full article, click on the link below:

http://www.uticaod.com/health/x1437796096/For-some-families-holiday-gatherings-include-discussion-abou-nursing-homes

Early in December we blogged about the pending purchase of Laurel Crest Rehabilitation & Special Care Center of Ebensburg by Grane Healthcare of Pittsburgh. On Jan. 2 the AltoonaMirror.com reported that the sale was finalized and that the facility has a new name: Cambria Care Center.

The new owners have planned $2 million in upgrades, including assisted living apartments and an Alzheimer’s unit. The assisted-living apartments are planned as “senior-friendly efficiency apartments” that would include nursing assistance for residents who may need help with activities such as bathing, dressing, and taking medication. Scheduled for 2010, a state-of-the-art center for the memory impaired will provide intensive levels of care for patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related illnesses.

Grane owns a dozen nursing homes across the state and has similiar Alzheimer’s centers throughout western Pennsylvania. However, this will be Grane’s first Alzheimer’s center in this region.

If you have been on the receiving end of less-than-courteous behavior from someone in the customer service field, you know how frustrating it can be. Now imagine that you are witnessing that same behavior firsthand, only this time the person at the receiving end is your elderly family member who is confined to a nursing home. One thing is certain: we all agree that rudeness from a nursing home staff member is unacceptable…but we may not know how to address it.

This topic is the focus of an advice column piece called “Should I Say Something? Nursing Home Nastiness” published in the Maplewood/Millburn/South Orange, NJ blog of the New York Times.

The writers of the blog advise that the best approach is to bring the incident to the attention of the administrator, the facility social workers, or the facility’s family council. It’s important to speak up. No one deserves to be treated in a discourteous way. And the only way to bring about a solution to the problem is to bring the issue to light.

We found an article on TimesUnion.com that offers tips when visiting a loved one in a nursing home. The New York State Office for the Aging mentions a few things to look for to ensure family members are getting proper care and to make the most of your time together.

Be attentive to the resident’s appearance: In the article, Mark Miller, the state ombudsman, said, “Do they appear clean and properly dressed? Do they appear well-cared for?” According to Miller, the state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program usually sees a rise in complaints about facilities after the holidays. He recommends bringing any problems that you notice to the attention of the facility’s administration immediately. “Clearly identify what the problem is, approach the administrator or director of nursing or a social worker in the facility to express the problem, indicate what you think would be an appropriate solution and ask for a time frame in which it will be corrected,” he said.

Call the facility before visiting: Call ahead to confirm the best time to visit and to see if you can join in any activities. It’s best to avoid any time when your family member usually naps.

StarTribune.com of Minneapolis, MN has reported that more than 1,000 Minnesota residents died as a result of falls that happened in nursing home facilities from 2002 to 2008. Although the nursing home industry has tried to remedy the problem, there are no signs that the number these types of deaths are being significantly reduced.

In some cases nursing home staff may not have taken the necessary precautions to keep residents safe from falling; and some families were not made aware of this until after the death of their loved one. According to the article, one family settled a lawsuit with a nursing home after the state cited the facility for failing to prevent a fall that resulted in the death of a resident. Read the full article here.

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The holidays can be a difficult time for people living in nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities. But an article on KenoshaNews.com shows that there are many ways that relatives can lift the spirits of aging loved ones with some simple holiday gifts.

Judy Geiszler, executive director of Kenosha, WI’s Golden Living Center says, “Create books with pictures of them and pictures of family members.” Some facilities have computers that residents can use. Geiszler continued, “If you can’t bring pictures in, send them on CDs. We’ll show them on the computer. Or send them to their personal email accounts, and we’ll help them look at them.” Recent photos can make nursing home residents feel like they are participating in family events, such as birthday parties, graduations, and weddings.

Geiszler suggests aromatheraphy gifts, such as cuddle pillows with soothing scents like eucalyptus or lavender. “These scents help make them feel more relaxed,” said Geizler.

An article published this week on NewsOK.com discusses the problem of pressure ulcers suffered by patients in Oklahoma nursing homes. Although pressure ulcers, more commonly known as bed sores, can be prevented, Oklahoma is among the worst in the country for patients suffering from bed sores. And families are striking back — filing lawsuits against facilities when their family members develop bed sores while in nursing homes. Read the full article here.

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We found an article on the Lansing, MI television station website WLNS.com about an elder death review team that is fighting crimes against the elderly. The focus of the Ingham County team, one of only two in the state, is to bring to light these types of crimes that often go unnoticed and to educate the public about elder abuse. Click on the link below to read the entire article:

http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=11643542

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