Earlier this week the sisters were arrested and charged with a third-degree felony of one count of operating and/or maintaining an assisted living facility without a license. If convicted, the sisters each face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to All Headline News.

The arrests followed an investigation by law enforcement and Attorney General Bill McCollum’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The unit’s Patient Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (PANE) team also was involved in the investigation.

Earlier this year, the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration sent notices to each of the homes requiring the facilities to close. The women stand trial in the Judicial Curcuit Court on April 17th.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Assisted living facility owners, sisters arrested for cheating government

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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

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Chmura had scooped the ice from the ice bin at By the Lake senior assisted living facility she owns in Hayden, Idaho. She immediately had a suspect in mind – a disgruntled employee who had just joined two other employees in a walkout to protest of a firing of two employees three days prior, according to The Seattle Times.

“I won’t put up with this crap,” Chmura told the newspaper. Chmura opened the facility two years ago.

Chmura contacted Kootenai County officials and informed them of the urine-in-the-bin incident as well as suspected theft and fraud by the former employees. The facility owner accused the former employees of stealing money and prescription drugs from the assisted living center, including OxyContin and hydrocodone. She claims the three made more than $10,000 in credit card purchases for personal items such as groceries and gift cards, restaurant dinners and theater tickets.

She told police that before the walkout, the employees woke up residents and told them the assisted living center was closing and that all employees had been fired.

Chmura is part of an advocacy group that fights for stronger laws against those who abuse and neglect vulnerable adults. The group is credited with triggering the 2005 state legislation that made abusing the elderly a felony instead of a misdemeanor.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Disgruntled employee accused of putting urine in ice bin

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When officials at Genesis Rehabilitation suspected Dellarma’s credentials were at fault, they immediately suspended him. Then they contacted the Department of Health, local authorities and the Attorney General’s office. Dellarma was later terminated by his employer.

Dellarma was arrested Friday and charged with aggravated forgery, a Class B felony, for allegedly filing a public document with a public office with the intent to defraud or deceive. Dellarma also was indicted on two counts of felony theft by deception and one count for unlicensed practice of physical therapy, a misdemeanor.

The Morning Sentinel quoted a statement released by Genesis Rehabilitation: “We take issues like this very seriously and are cooperating fully with the authorities as they handle this situation. This is an isolated incident and is not a reflection of the overall quality of care provided to our patients every day. We remain committed to providing a safe, nurturing environment for the patients in our care.”

There was no evidence that any patients were harmed or endangered. No other information about the case was released, and the case remains under investigation by the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Health Care Crimes Unit.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Physical therapist charged with unlicensed practice, forgery

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Nursing homes receive higher reimbursements for some medical conditions. The suit alleges that by admitting residents with these conditions the homes were taking advantage of higher profits without regard to whether sufficient care could be provided.

According to the news story, the lawsuit seeks restitution of up to 40 percent of fees paid by private-pay residents, a change in some policies, and a court-appointed monitor to oversee compliance.

Extendicare has eight facilities in Minnesota, some of which have been consistently cited by state inspectors for violations far above the state’s average.

The lawsuit was filed by Laura Bernstein, a resident of one of the homes, on behalf of about 1,400 residents from other homes. Named in the lawsuit are Texas Terrace, Golden Valley Rehabilitation and Care Center, Health & Rehabilitation Center of New Brighton, Richfield Health Center, Robbinsdale Rehabilitation and Care Center, Rose of Sharon Manor in Roseville, Park Health and Rehabilitation Center in St. Louis Park and Galtier Health Center in St. Paul. Two facilities that have since been closed also are named in the suit – Lexington Health & Rehabilitation Center in St. Paul and Whittier Health Center in Minneapolis.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › 1,400 nursing home residents sue Minnesota chain

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During this time span, there were 60 days that Parungano claimed to have seen more than 32 patients – a feat that, at 45 minutes per patient, would take more than 24 hours to accomplish.

Last year, Parungano was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for her role in a health care fraud scheme that ultimately cost Medicare more than $3 million.

Though Parungano sits in prison, she remains a nurse in good standing in the State of California and is able to work in any hospital, medical clinic or nursing home, according to a Los Angeles Times and ProPublica investigation. The investigation found more than 100 recent cases where the state didn’t pull or restrict licenses until nurses had three or more criminal convictions. In some cases, these crimes include sex offenses and attempted murder.

California has the largest number of registered nurses in the nation. Hospitals and clinics turn to the California Board of Registered Nursing Web site to check job applicants for any accusations and disciplinary actions, which are posted on the site for the public to review. However, according to the report, the screening process is flawed.

Beginning in 1990, nurses had to submit fingerprints so that the nursing board would be flagged by law enforcement when a registered nurse was arrested. The 146,000 nurses hired prior to 1990 have not had to submit fingerprints. The board, which requires nurses to apply for licenses every two years, also doesn’t ask nurses to volunteer information about criminal convictions that occurred since the last time they applied.

Meanwhile, Parungano sits in a prison, looking forward to the day when she walks free and, possibly, works as a nurse again.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Nurses convicted of crimes still in good standing in California

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According to The Daily Herald, a 15-month investigation into the deaths at the Woodstock Residence in Woodstock, Ill., led to the indictment in April of two nurses – Marty Himebaugh of Lake in the Hills, Ill., and her supervisor, Penny Whitlock of Woodstock, Ill. Himebaugh faces charges of criminal neglect, obtaining morphine by fraud and unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. Whitlock was charged with criminal neglect and obstructing justice. Woodstock Residence has since changed management and is now called Crossroads Care Center of Woodstock, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The Tribune also states that the health department report does not specifically name Himebaugh or Whitlock, however the criminal indictment suggests that the two nurses are the ones involved in the investigation. An Illinois Department of Public Health report claims Himebaugh administered drugs such as morphine to restless patients to calm them and gave overdoses to others she deemed had lived long enough. The report is based on interviews with coworkers, some of whom voiced concerns as much as six months before Himebaugh was let go in the wake of police investigations.

Whitlock, a former director of nursing at Woodstock Residence, reportedly told Himebaugh, “I don’t care if you’re the angel of death, just don’t let me know about it,” according to The Daily Herald.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Nursing home deaths were not merciful

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Home caregivers fall into two basic categories – those who provide basic health services, and those who provide non-medical services like housekeeping, cooking and nonmedical help. The WSJ reports these are the second- and third-fastest growing occupations in America.

The report finds that the majority of abuse cases are linked to nonmedical care providers, because this type of personnel is not required to have any specialized training, and very often not regulated. In fact, nonmedical caregivers do not have to be licensed or even pass a criminal background check in order to be employed in at least 22 states, the Journal reports.

People often choose in-home care as a less stressful alternative to displacing an elderly person from his or her home. In home care also is a cost-saving option. According to figures supplied by the WSJ, it costs Medicaid about $6,000 per person for home care, as opposed to around $20,000 for care in a nursing home facility.

People considering at-home care for an elderly loved one are encouraged to contact the U.S. Administration on Aging by calling toll-free 1-800-677-1116 or visiting www.eldercare.gov. They can provide assitance about locating licensed, safe caregivers.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Rising abuse in at-home care

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