Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

One of the biggest concerns an older family member may have about moving into a nursing home can be the perceived loss of his or her freedom. Meeting a friend for lunch, enjoying a cup of coffee, or staying up late to watch a movie are just a few of the things that they worry they will miss. But an article by Jennifer Zamora on Culpeper, Virginia’s StarExponent.com states that “when a person moves into a nursing home or any long-term care facility, he or she still has the right to make choices about their own life.”

The article goes on to say that residents do not lose any rights when they move into a nursing home. In fact, nursing home laws are made to protect the rights of residents. Through a written, agreed-upon care plan, nursing homes are required to provide services that maintain good health and emotional wellbeing.

Some other rights that residents should be aware of that are mentioned in the article include: the right to receive information and to be informed; the right to participate in the planning of care; the right to decide what social and religious activities to take part in; the right to decide what to wear; the right to privacy in care and confidentiality with regard to medical, personal or financial affairs; the right to be treated with dignity and respect; the right to be free from abuse and neglect; the right to be protected against transfer or discharge, unless for specific reasons; and the right to raise concerns or complaints without fear of punishment or retaliation.

Paul Muschick, The Watchdog reporter for The Morning Call in Allentown, recently published an article about inspection reports for adult day cares. He said that the benefits of adult day cares are that they allow families to “get a break from their stressful roles as caregivers knowing their loved one are in a supervised setting with proper care.” However, it can be difficult to get information on these care centers because Pennsylvania doesn’t put its inspection reports online as it does for nursing homes. Muschick reviewed reports on 55 adult day care centers in the Lehigh Valley area and summarized his finds in the following article:

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-online19ndh-a-a.7159676jan28,0,4616283.column

If you are considering an adult day care center for your loved one, we suggest you read Mr. Muschick’s article to help in your decision making process.

Lee Bowman of Scripps Howard put together a helpful list of things to consider when discussing the options of nursing home care. We’re listing them for you, in the hopes that they may assist you in making decisions about long-term care for an elderly family member.

1. What does the patient need? Getting a clear diagnosis and outlook from health-care providers, social workers and discharge planners gives a better picture of what sort of nursing home is needed, or if such care is needed at all. There may be options including home- or community-based care or other institutions rather than a nursing facility.

2. Start close to home. The closer a nursing facility is to family and friends, the easier it is to visit. Nursing-facility staff notices who gets frequent visits, and care may be given accordingly. Use the Nursing Home Compare Web site or referral lists from state or local ombudsmen or aging agencies as a starting point in a search.

In November 2009, we blogged about an investigation by WTAE’s Team 4 of Pittsburgh. This segment reported on 2 nursing homes in the Pittsburgh area that were rated below average.

This month, Team 4 reported that another nursing home in Allegheny County has been named to a special list of troubled homes. Click on the link below to read the entire article:

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/22142076/detail.html

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With the population of adults over 65 expected to nearly double by 2030, more assisted-living facilities are cropping up across the country. This subject was addressed in an article on an online Michigan news service, MLive.com.

As baby boomers enter their golden years, assisted-living facilities in Jackson County, Michigan are expanding and growing to meet the need. “It’s not Jackson; it’s nationwide. We’re just trying to keep up with what has to happen,” said Anne Chilcote, owner of Choice Connections, a referral service that provides a variety of living options for senior citizens.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, assisted living is designed for seniors who want to live in a community setting but enjoy services such as help with medications, housekeeping, laundry, and personal care.

Most people probably remember the old TV commercial where an elderly woman collapses in her home and calls out, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

Today, more advanced at-home technology is available that can perform a number of functions for the wearer, including reminders to take medicine, alert him or her to a fire, and answer the phone. These new devices are allowing seniors to stay in their homes longer, rather than moving to a nursing home or assisted living facility.

An article we found on TheReporterOnline.com explains that some systems cost about $150 to $200 a month and can help monitor how well a senior is managing the chores of daily living. They are most successful when they are tied to an agency that can dispatch meals, medical help, or other senior services. They are often prescribed to seniors for a limited time after a hospitalization.

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.