Category: Nursing Home Abuse
In the healthcare industry, particularly in long-term care facilities and hospitals, one of the most prevalent challenges is the development of bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers. These painful wounds result from prolonged pressure on the skin, often in individuals who are bedridden or have limited mobility. They can also be a common warning sign for negligence or medical malpractice in nursing homes and other eldercare facilities. Understanding the stages of bedsores is essential for healthcare professionals and caregivers to provide timely interventions and prevent further complications. Understanding[...]
Is Video Surveillance of Nursing Home Residents Legal in PA?
Like many other states, Pennsylvania has laws and regulations to protect people's privacy, especially when it comes to places like nursing homes where residents may need extra care. If you or a loved one resides in a nursing home, you may have wondered: is video surveillance of nursing home residents legal in PA? Privacy is an important aspect of all our lives, including those living in nursing homes. Pennsylvania recognizes this, and there are rules in place to protect the privacy of residents at assisted living facilities. What[...]
What Drives the High Prices of Assisted Living Facilities?
Are you worried that your parents or grandparents will have to exhaust their assets to the point of poverty so that Medicare will kick in and begin covering necessary care? Or maybe you thought an assisted living facility would be a more affordable option, only to discover plenty of hidden fees lurking right below the surface. Let’s explore what drives the high prices of assisted living facilities and the possible negative ramifications of continued price gouging of our elderly. (more…)
Who Can Report Nursing Home Abuse?
It’s estimated that up to 5 million elders are abused in the United States every year. And perhaps the most disturbing fact is that we have no idea how much higher the actual numbers may be—as many as 23 in 24 cases of elder abuse never get reported at all. If we don’t know that elder abuse is happening, we are powerless to stop it. It’s less of a question of who can report nursing home abuse and more about when and how to do it. (more…)
Should You Rely on Government Ratings When Choosing a Nursing Home?
Nursing home ratings can be a good starting point if you’re searching for a long-term care facility for yourself or a loved one. But should you rely on government ratings when choosing a nursing home? We recommend taking these ratings into consideration, but doing more outside research and in-person visiting before you make a final choice. (more…)
Is Lack of Supervision in Nursing Homes Considered Neglect?
Making the decision to place a parent or a loved one in a nursing home is never easy. While you or other family members might have done your best to keep them at home, the care that many elderly or chronically ill patients require is outside the scope of what most people are capable of. The care, treatment, and supervision provided by nursing homes might be exactly what your loved one needed. You did your best when you went through the process of selecting a facility, perhaps going[...]
Do Nursing Homes Need To Inform Family of an Injury?
When you and your family make the difficult decision that a nursing home is the best place to give your loved one the care they need, you trust that you will be kept involved. You know that your family member’s health condition can change at any time. One of the reasons your loved one moved into a long-term care facility is so that their pressing health needs could be addressed on a daily basis by trained professionals. You expect that if your family member’s condition changes in any[...]
What Are the Most Common Infections in Nursing Homes?
The decision to put a family member in a nursing home is a painstaking one for many families. They worry about their incapacitated or elderly loved ones feeling abandoned by them. They also worry about the quality of care they're going to receive at these facilities' hands, especially given the high resident-to-staff ratios. Many families will spend significant time researching then visiting these facilities before ultimately deciding to commit to a particular nursing or assisted living facility. They do that to minimize the chances of their loved one[...]
How Can Nursing Homes Better Protect Residents From Falls?
When residents of a nursing home suffer a fall, it can have a catastrophic effect on their health. Sometimes, falls are fatal. Even when they aren’t, they can result in traumatic brain injuries, hip fractures, and other painful and debilitating outcomes. Of the roughly 1.6 million people who live in nursing facilities around the U.S., about half suffer at least one fall annually. Nursing homes must do a better job to protect residents from falls. (more…)
Do Most Elderly Abuse Victims Get the Support They Need?
It’s estimated that as many as five million older adults are abused in the U.S. each year. These numbers may seem impossibly high, and lead many to ask: where does most elder abuse occur? Elder abuse has been known to happen in a person’s own home, in the home of a friend or family member, in a hospital, or in any other residential or healthcare setting. There is evidence that nursing home abuse is one of the most prevalent types of elder abuse. But do most elderly abuse[...]