Bledsoe, founder of the watchdog group A Perfect Cause, returned to Albert Lea, Minnesota, to rally support for his efforts. Bledsoe has been to Albert Lea numerous times in response to news reports about the “abuse-for-thrills” case at Good Samaritan Society nursing home where two nursing aides have been charged with a linty of crimes including disorderly conduct, assault and criminal sexual abuse.

According to prosecutors, Brianna Broitzman and Ashton Larson held down residents, put their fingers in residents’ mouths and noses to quiet their cries and screams for help, hit and rubbed their breasts and genitals, and sexually “humped” some residents. They told coworkers that they partook in the crimes for “work fun or to get a good laugh.”

Bledsoe explained the problem with the five-star reporting system by poring through Minnesota Department of Health reports, including one that was released last August in which the “abuse-for-thrills” case was reported by Good Samaritan. He said since nursing homes self report incidents of abuse and neglect and implement a plan of correction before the state Department of Health arrived, Good Samaritan received no deficiencies for the abuse.

Since the federal database tracks deficiencies at homes and not substantiated abuse cases, people who refer to the federal database have no way of seeing an accurate picture of the care a nursing home provides. Bledsoe is fighting to get substantiated abuse cases added to the federal database, and urged others to contact their state legislators, U.S. congressmen and senators.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Advocate wants federal nursing home database to include abuse cases

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Silver Lake Care Center

Investigators cited the nursing home in February saying it failed “to screen for, prevent, identify, report and investigate abuse.” Former director of nursing Terri Conley said she resigned from the home in January because the home was severely understaffed. “If you don’t have enough staff, the residents are not going to get the care they need,” she told the newspaper. “Families of the residents noticed and came to me asking why there wasn’t enough staff.”

Several families have filed suit against the home for neglect and wrongful death, and a caretaker at the home, Jason Pearl, was charged last month with abuse. He is currently in Washington County Jail awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for next month.

The nursing home is also facing a litany of financial woes. The Housing and Urban Development’s Public Affairs Office said that an FHA-insured mortgage at was in default, which prompted the home’s closing, and at least one staffing agency is reportedly suing the nursing home owner for nonpayment.

Eddie Martin of Sallisaw is listed as a part owner in the home. Martin also holds an interest in seven other homes in Oklahoma, three of which no longer receive Medicare and Medicaid dollars because of serious code violations. A fourth home is currently under order to clear up deficiencies by May 8 or lose its federal funding as well.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › OK nursing home closes amid allegations of abuse, neglect

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The announcement was spurred by a recent state and Federal Center for Medicare-Medicaid Services inspection that found the center in violation of physician services, nursing services and medical records.

The inspection also raised questions about several patients whose weight had dropped dramatically. A spokesperson for the home says weight fluctuation among the elderly is not uncommon and oftentimes is unavoidable.

The state also claims a nurse did not keep proper medical records on a patient and didn’t notify the patient’s physician about problems with that patient’s health, which put that patient in immediate jeopardy.

Quality Care Health Center was ordered to put together a corrective action plan, which already has been approved by the state. The state will now perform another inspection of the facility. If no deficiencies are noted and the problems have in fact been addressed, the state will lift the suspension and Quality Care will be able to admit new residents. However, if the state inspection finds that action has not been taken to correct the problems that caused the admissions ban at the home by April 3, the Federal government will halt Medicare and Medicaid funds for residents.

“We are working with the state of Tennessee, as well as CMS to get this corrected immediately,” the nursing home spokesperson said to News Channel 5.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Tennessee nursing home cited, residents in immediate jeopardy

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Had McCauley been wearing the doctor-prescribed bracelet that would sound an alarm and lock the doors if she wandered too close to the home’s exit, perhaps her story wouldn’t have ended so tragically. Attorney General Martha Coakley believes the home was negligent by not ensuring that McCauley was wearing the bracelet.

The home’s parent company, Life Care Centers of America, headquartered in Tennessee, is charged with manslaughter neglect of a long-term care facility resident. Trial began this week in Middlesex Superior Court, according to the Wicked Local. The company faces up to $6,000 in fines if found liable.

Life Care operates more than 200 facilities in 28 states and has been in the spotlight for erroneous practices in the past. In 2005, the company shelled out $2.5 million to resolve a Medicaid/Medicare fraud case. In 2007, the company paid an additional $164,000 for deficiencies directly related to deficient resident care that put resident’s in harms way.

Meantime, the Massachusetts legislature is considering a change in law that would increase the maximum fine for a corporation convicted of manslaughter from $1,000 to $250,000. If the law is passed, it would not apply retrospectively to McCauley’s case.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Nursing home corporation faces manslaughter charges

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The report was released last month and is based on the outcome of a February inspection and interviews at the nursing home. It alleges that the home had “inadequate nutritional and hydration services; improper and dangerous psychotropic medication practices; inadequate pressure-sore treatment and skin care; inadequate restorative care and specialized rehabilitation services; failure to protect residents from harm due to falls; failure to adequately investigate allegations of resident abuse; and the inappropriate use of restraints.”

Veterans Affairs Department spokesman Bob Horton says nursing home administrators and state officials were first made aware of the allegations when they received the report last month.

“If the citations in the report were so severe, you would think the department would have been notified sooner, if there was any potential of veterans being harmed or a risk of harm,” Horton told the Press Register reporter.

The Justice Department said the delay was typical and due to heavy paperwork following an onsite visit. The department has yet to issue penalties to the home based on the report, adding that it is likely a settlement will be reached between the Justice Department and the home, eliminating the need for a lawsuit.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Veterans home cited for putting residents at risk of harm

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The doctor said he routinely sees patients from Grand Park Care Center on the verge of death with serious conditions ranging from acute kidney problems, severe pneumonia and malnutrition. He said the conditions indicate neglect by caregivers.

Inspection reports obtained by the television station from the D.C. Department of Health from February and May 2008, reveal numerous deficiencies including failure of nursing staff to notify a physician of a resident’s dehydration, and weight changes and anemia of a resident. According to Jerry Kasunic, D.C. long-term care ombudsman, his staff has filed more than 100 complaints with the Department of Health.

“The neglect and abuse we have seen there is unattended wound care (and) dehydration that has led to malnutrition,” Kasunic said in the report. He specifically reference a recent care where one man from the home entered the hospital critically malnourished. It was obvious to Kasunic that the patient, who was unable to communicate, had received no fluids of any kind.

The nursing home issued a statement saying it is committed to quality improvement and has since hired a new director of nursing and a compliance officer.

Both Kasunic and an inspector with the Department of Health say that the city’s health department needs to be more aggressive in ensuring patients in area nursing homes receive proper care.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Doctor warns of inadequate care at D.C. nursing home

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

State investigators cited 16 infractions in a 370-page report released earlier this month.

One abuse claim stems from a patient, Carol Crow, who was found by family members covered in bruises on her face, around her neck and completely down her chest. Crow’s family is convinced that Crow was attacked, but the nursing home disputes that claim, insisting that she simply fell.

Another allegation of abuse, detailed in five pages of the report, is of patient who claimed he was hit by another resident day after day. His femur and hip were broken in the attacks, and he died a month later.

“In my opinion, we need a new owner of this facility who’s going to take action for the residents in their care,” says Wes Bledsoe of the Oklahoma Health Department that investigated the claims and filed the report.

The Health Department is recommending Whispering Pines not be allowed to accept any new Medicare and Medicaid patients until the deficiencies are corrected. If the center isn’t in compliance within six months its Medicare and Medicaid payments for existing patients could be cut off.

Whispering Pines has presented a plan to the Department of Health stating that it will correct all violations by Nov. 28.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Oklahoma nursing home faces fines for endangering patients

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It seemed as if there was no one else to care for them.

A recent investigation has revealed that the residents there were subjected to deplorable living conditions, resulting in the nursing home closing and the Cincinnati Health Department being stripped of its ability to license and inspect skilled nursing homes and residential-care facilities, according to the Cincinnati (Ohio) Enquirer.

It all began last February when Cincinnati police officer Aaron Layton dropped by the facility in search of a suspect. He didn’t find the person he was looking for, but what he did find stopped him in his tracks. The condition of the home was sickening.

Officer Layton got a search warrant and returned 16 days later with other investigators and officers in tow. They were shocked at what they found: exposed wires, leaking sewage, soiled and torn mattresses, vomit on the floor, broken toilets, unqualified employees, improperly stored drugs and people languishing in their own waste.

“There was no compassion, no sympathy for people who were living in these conditions,” says Councilwoman Laketa Cole. “The very people you’d expect to be a proponent for them, failed them.”
The Ohio Department of Health reportedly inspected the facility in January and found 10 deficiencies. Just eight days before the raid in March, the state had cleared the facility of seven of the 10 problems cited, the Enquirer stated.

After months of debate, the City Council concluded city health inspectors had failed to protect the residents and ordered the city’s health department’s licensure and inspection responsibilities be handed over to the state.

Facilities administrator Abe Fischer could serve jail time because of 27 alleged building and fire code violations. He could learn as early as next week if the residential-care facility will lose its city license. The state began fining Fischer this spring – a bill that has reached more than $100,000 – and mandated that he no longer take on new Medicaid cases, according to the story.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Health department stripped of nursing home responsibilities

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

However, of the 37,150 complaints inspectors received in 2007 about the condition of nursing homes, only 39 percent were substantiated and about 20 percent of those verified complaints involved patient neglect.

Measuring the quality of a nursing home is not always clear-cut. More that 1.5 million people live in 15,000 nursing homes throughout the country. Each facility is inspected annually and must meet federal standards in order to participate in Medicaid and Medicare. Unfortunately, while the standards are the same from state to state, deficiency rates vary.

“Inspectors are subjective and inconsistent. They interpret federal standards in different ways,” the Times quotes Bruce A. Yarwood, president of trade group American Health Care Association. Thus, some states show much higher percentages of deficient nursing homes than others, in what may not necessarily indicate a vast difference in quality of service.

In December, the Bush administration will institute a five-star system to rate overall quality of care in nursing facilities. The rankings will be published on a federal Web site, according to the New York Times report.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Gauging nursing home care quality can be tricky

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Times quoted the attorney in the case as saying, “These facilities are giving out brochures about this wonderful, superlative care — one need only look at their regulatory history . . . and see that it’s just not true.” Approximately 4,000 people joined the suit. Contrary to the company’s promotional materials, state regulators found Sun-Mar homes were sorely understaffed and that employees were insufficiently trained.

The attorney laid part of the blame on the California Department of Public Health for not carefully overseeing the facilities, according to the newspaper report. State governments oversee the licensing of nursing homes in each state.

According to the California Public Health Department (CDPH), the department’s responsibility includes overseeing the certification of nursing assistants and licensing of nursing home administrators.

The lawsuit mentioned other facilities across the region where state regulators noted deficiencies. “If everyone had known the regulatory history of these facilities they would not have put their mother or father in them,” the attorney is quoted as saying.

As part of the settlement, a monitor chosen by the plaintiffs’ attorney will inspect five Sun-Mar facilities at random each quarter.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › California nursing home settles lawsuit

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The man recounted deficiencies including a room with no telephone or oxygen supply hook-up (requiring portable tanks to be wheeled in when needed), an ill-fitting oxygen mask, and problems with medications, among other things.

Worried about “retaliation,” as he put it, he didn’t even keep records and didn’t lodge any formal complaints with the nursing home facility or the Illinois Department of Aging, relying instead on simply hoping things would improve. And now he lives with regret, feeling responsible for his wife’s death.

Coincidentally, the same day as the elderly man’s visit, Kadner says he received notice that the Illinois legislature just passed a nursing home residents “Right to Know Bill,” which he says is “intended to provide consumers with useful information when choosing a nursing home.” If signed by the governor, the bill will become law Jan. 1, 2009.

The bill will provide for a questionnaire to be completed regarding nursing home facilities, answering questions about facility amenities and services, nursing staffing, pharmacy issues and more. The results would be available on a state government web site so those considering a nursing home facility can have access to more information.

Read the full article at SouthtownStar.com.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Fear of Retaliation

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Other states on the “worst reporting” list are Arizona, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota.

Results of the report were published in the New York Times May 15, which says the study “reveals a widespread ‘understatement of deficiencies’ including malnutrition, severe bedsores, overuse of prescription medications, and nursing home resident abuse.”

The study was requested by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis., Chairman, Senate Special Committee on Aging). They have introduced a bill to upgrade nursing home care and increase penalties for federal standards violations.

Beasley Allen hears from people every day who are shocked and grieved to find their loved ones have suffered at the hands of the very people they expect to provide expert care and compassion. Certainly, increasing penalties seems like a step in the right direction.

David P. Sloane, a spokesperson for the AARP, which lobbies for older Americans, praises the effort, quoted by the Times as saying it is “one of the most significant nursing home reform initiatives” in two decades.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Alabama Among Worst

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.