Medical Director Dr. Melissa Bruhl said she recommended the change to the home’s administrator Dan Steen because she was having a difficult time finding relief for the 24-hour coverage. As a result, the arrangement increased Bruhl’s salary from $244,000 per year to about $319,000.

The nursing home’s human resources director said the change didn’t save the facility money or have an affect on the quality of care provided to its 720 residents. But some are questioning how Bruhl was able to make a decision that benefited her to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.

Bruhl says she is working with the human resources director to determine whether four staff medical doctors are needed on call, or if a better system would be that which is implemented by many nursing homes – to transport patients by ambulance to the hospital if medical care is required.

State lawmakers are questioning whether the governor’s office or the veterans commission played a role in the decision. Following a meeting with lawmakers, Bruhl said, “I guess I have to assume the decisions were made pretty much in-house.”

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Lawmakers question veterans home officials about schedules, salaries

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The employee is accused of calling residents names such as “crack head,” cursing at them, borrowing money from then and even selling food to them from her nearby apartment. She berated residents for sitting down for meals at the wrong time and was described by residents as “rude and loud.”

An investigation by state inspectors led to the firing of the allegedly abusive employee.

Unlike most assisted living residents, many of the residents of Caring and Sharing Home for Adults require state grants to cover living costs above and beyond what their social security covers. Not only are several residents considered poor, many suffer from mental disabilities, making them easy targets for abuse.

The state would not give an overall assessment on the status of the home and a representative from the facility refused to comment.

Steve Lambert with the social services division of licensing programs said the downsizing of the state’s mental health facilities has left more mentally ill people with fewer choices in treatment homes. “These residents are finding themselves in these facilities,” Lambert was quoted in the story, “and unfortunately they (the facilities) are probably less equipped to handle the range of disabilities, and they don’t have sufficient financial resources to meet these needs.”

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Assisted living employee fired for verbal abuse

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Many nursing homes who care for patients with Alzheimer’s have practices in place to ensure patients who wander stay within the nursing home wing where they live. But few practices are foolproof.

Late last month, King wandered from his nursing home. That evening around 8 p.m., staff noticed he was missing and notified police. After hours of searching for the 73-year-old man, police got a report of a pedestrian hit and killed by a CSX train. It was King.

“This happens daily,” said Jane Marks with the West Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. “Unfortunately this situation was more dramatic and had a sad ending, but it does happen constantly.” Marks was quoted last month in The Charleston Gazette.

This morning, the newspaper reported that King’s children have now filed suit against Heartland of Charleston nursing home for wrongful death.

“George King Sr. could not care for himself or be allowed to walk outside the facility and the staff of the facility at Heartland of Charleston was aware of this fact,” the paper quotes the lawsuit.

The lawsuit contends that the staff of Heartland of Charleston failed to keep King secure and failed to utilize available resources to locate him. It also claims that staff did not immediately discover that King was missing nor did they properly use outdoor surveillance cameras to determine which direction he went when he left the nursing home. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Man wanders from nursing home, killed by passing train

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But as Catherine moved into her sunset years at the Lutheran Towers facility in Georgia, she had one regret she just couldn’t shake. She always wanted to graduate from Emory.

National nonprofit organization Second Wind Dreams got word of Catherine’s desire, dressed her in a cap and gown, and presented her with the distinction of being a member of Emory University’s Class of 1028.

For more than a decade, Atlanta, Ga.-based Second Wind Dreams has been enriching the lives of seniors by granting wishes. Many of these residents live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. To date, more than 235 facilities in 40 states, Canada and even India have see wishes granted by Second Wind Dreams.

The organization focuses on individuals living in long-term care facilities or in hospice care. Many of these individuals are without family support or financial resources. Dreams come in the form of motorcycle rides, bowling games, special first dates, and camel rides.

Eighty-six-year-old Virginia from West Virginia, dreamed of conducting a symphony orchestra. Second Wind Dreams arranged for her to take the podium at the West Virginia Symphony.

At a time when more than 90 percent of our nation’s nursing homes are cited for federal health and safety violations, it is rewarding to see an organization dedicated to making the lives of the elderly happy. A dream come true for one person, can warm the lives of many. As witnessed by Second Wind Dreams: “Long after a dream has been fulfilled, the effects linger, giving all involved a second wind.”

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Second Wind makes seniors’ dreams come true

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Five years ago my sister and I found ourselves in a similar situation. Our mother, who was an only child, had passed away years earlier. Her parents – our grandparents – lived more than 2,000 miles away. Their health was rapidly declining. My grandmother had been diagnosed with breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease just six months apart. My grandfather was battling diabetes and was simply unable to care for my grandmother. (We suspect it was because my grandmother had spoiled him for so many years!)

Our visits to their house became more and more worrisome. Food was left rotting in the refrigerator, medications were left sitting out, and my grandmother had taken to wandering outside in the middle of the night. (One night she was spotted walking along their neighborhood lake in her nightgown.)

When my grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer, we had to act quickly to get them both in facilities that could provide the medical and custodial care they needed. Unfortunately, we had to separate them.

Their health had declined to the point that neither could be moved closer to my sister and me. Working long-distance arrangements was daunting, especially since states differ in how they structure levels of care. Hospital social workers were a tremendous help, as were online resources.

For those who are finding themselves in similar situations with family members, the online magazine CityView offers a detailed listing of care options. It has a 10-point check list for choosing a facility, explains who pays for long-term care, and gives an overview of Alzheimer’s disease and options for those suffering from memory loss disorders.

Statistics of neglect and abuse in long-term care facilities can make the decision to place a family member in one even more stressful. Good facilities do exist but you must know how to identify them. Research several facilities and take time to visit each. Be aware of the environment: Are calls from residents being answered quickly? Does the home look and smell clean? Does staff appear friendly and know the residents by name? Do residents look comfortable?

I also encourage you to question staff and talk with other family members about their experience with the facility. And once your family member is placed in long term care, remain in contact with staff, visit your family member as much as possible, and continue to be aware of the surroundings. Know the signs of abuse and neglect, and report any suspicious behavior.

For more tips on what to look for in a long-term care facility, click here.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Do your research when considering options in long term care

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The LEAPS (Leaders in Elder Abuse Prevention) initiative will bring together agencies, community organizations, and health care providers responsible for the care of senior citizens in an effort to better identify seniors who may be suffering from abuse or living in at-risk situations. Once these individuals are identified, LEAPS would help get them proper care and get them out of a negative situation before it escalates.

Officials say that by the time a case of elder abuse is brought to their attention, it is too late. Often, there are warning signs that could have signaled danger, and if those signals had been picked up, the negative situation could have been stopped before it got worse. LEAPS will train members to detect signs of elder abuse and how they can better assist in individual cases. This includes assisting financially strapped caregivers with prescriptions, transportation, food and health services.

The Boston Globe story states that in addition to the Office of Elder Affairs and the Middlesex district attorney’s office, institutions that have joined LEAPS include Emerson Hospital in Concord, Lahey Clinic in Peabody and Burlington, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge. The initiative does not call for any public funding, as it is a simple sharing of services and information.

Individuals in the Middlesex area can contact the Elder Abuse Hotline at 800-922-2275; Protective Services Programs and Services at 617-727-7750; and Prescription Advantage at 800-243-4636.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Agencies team up to prevent elder abuse

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Perhaps the most useful tool on the site is the National Watch List, which provides a listing of nursing homes cited for violations or that have received substantiated complaints. This list is broken down state by state and then alphabetically by the facility name, with color-coded warning labels and scope/severity codes.

MemberoftheFamily.net also provides an honor roll of facilities found to be deficiency-free.

The organization was founded in the mid-1990s by Dr. Edward C. “Terry” Watters, a Maryland physician fed up with the low standards and lack of sufficient care some of his patients were receiving in nursing homes. Watters and partner Dennis Steele petitioned for government reports about nursing homes and learned how to translate the federal Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR).

According to the site, “As they assembled the facts and ran statistical analyses, a bleak picture emerged of understaffing, physical abuse, untreated bedsores, and coldhearted decision-making by home operators and state officials charged with monitoring facilities.”

Since 1999, information on MemberoftheFamily.net has been available to the public at no cost. The organization is affiliated with no other group and all efforts have been self-funded.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › web site gives free nursing home info

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