nursing

Nursing homes play an important role in caring for the elderly. Nursing facilities are given the responsibility of providing safe housing, healthy meals and adequate medical care for seniors. Many of these homes take wonderful care of their residents and provide a level of attention that cannot be matched at home. Sadly, not all homes provide the level of care needed and some facilities employ workers who abuse and [...]

According to a recent study by Federal Health officials, only minimal penalties are assessed to organizations that have been repeatedly cited for nursing home abuse of their patients. Congress has established strict standards for nursing homes as far back as 1987, and both Presidents Clinton and Bush, along with the nursing home industry have announced many initiatives to improve nursing home care. However, The Ne [...]

For a family, making the decision to place an elderly relative in a nursing home is a very difficult one, as you are placing your loved one’s health and well-being in the hands of others. Also, with the increasing problem of nursing home abuse incidents across the country, it can certainly make the choice even harder. Nursing home malpractice is defined as an intentional act or negligence committed by a nursing h [...]

A new federal report says that a volunteer office that is a watchdog for assisted living facilities and nursing homes in Florida has been corrupted by politics and industry as well as interference from the governor’s office. The U.S. Administration on Aging investigated the firing of the head of the Florida Long-term Care Ombudsman Program. In a 31-page report issued Thursday, September 1, the agency found the v [...]

Are Florida’s nursing homes any safer since the state fired its top watchdog over long-term care facilities? Brian Lee resigned in February from his job as the ombudsman for nursing homes and assisted living facilities after he says he was retaliated against for having high standards. He has now filed a civil lawsuit against the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and two industry groups, the Florida Health Care [...]

A newly released report from the Health and Human Services (HHS) inspector general finds that anti-psychotic drugs were being over-prescribed unnecessarily at least 300,000 times between January and June 2007, in some cases leading to the death of a patient with dementia. CBS News reports the study found that 88 percent of the time the federal government through Medicare paid for the anti-psychotic drugs used by nu [...]

A report by ProPublica shows that up to 92 percent of nursing homes employ at least one worker who has had a criminal conviction that may include theft, vandalism, drug-related crimes, and sexual offenses. The news organization quotes a report released March 3 by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. To compile the report, the Office of the Inspector General requested information from a random samp [...]

According to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, new resources are available to conduct criminal background checks on those job seekers who hope to work in the nursing home industry. On Wednesday, October 6, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made more than $13 million available to six states, including Florida, to help identify workers with a history of abuse to prevent them [...]

The recent closure of a Jacksonville nursing home highlights the fact that revoking a nursing home license is a rare occurrence in the state, according to research done by the Florida Times Union. Glenwood Nursing Center was the second nursing home in the state to have its license revoked in the past decade after years of poor reviews for the care it delivered, quality of life, and dignity. 106 residents called Gl [...]

On Tuesday, June 8, the Florida Supreme Court heard Oral Arguments in a nursing home arbitration case, according to a Health News Florida report. The nursing home industry increasingly prefers arbitration instead of lawsuits to settle difference. Skilled Florida nursing home abuse lawyers know that residents or their power-of-attorney are presented with the agreements upon admission. They mandate settling differe [...]