When you visit your mom in the nursing home and can’t find any aides or nurses to help take her to the bathroom, you may wonder if the facility is understaffed or if it’s just you. It not just you; your nursing home is most likely trying to hide a staffing shortage. Staffing levels at […]
Yet another voice has joined the chorus of consumer advocates, lawyers, and journalists calling for a ban on forced arbitration in nursing home contracts. The editorial board of the New York Times has published a piece titled “Nursing Home Residents Still Vulnerable to Abuse.” In the article, the well-respected paper calls for an all-out ban […]
The ability to lodge a complaint, either publicly or anonymously, feels like an important part of our society. Maybe you’ve left a negative review online for a restaurant in hopes of a future improvement in service. Or maybe you’ve written an anonymous letter to the editor that would make you unpopular with your neighbors. But […]
If a nursing home doesn’t have enough nurses and aides to provide basic care, such as bathing and turning to prevent pressure ulcers, then residents suffer. It’s a simple truth. This isn’t a new concept. But one state has found a novel way to hold a large nursing home chain responsible. The state has taken […]
When you entrust your loved ones to caregivers, how can you know whether they’re in safe hands? There’s no way to be sure unless the nursing home followed both state and federal law and conducted caregiver criminal history checks when hiring new nurses and aides. The Importance of Background Checks Our elderly — especially […]
Arbitration is becoming quite the hot topic in the news because it is such a bad deal for consumers. Just three days after I posted FAQs about nursing home arbitration cases, the New York Times published yet another article on the topic. It’s the story of an elderly woman who was physically attacked and killed by […]
When our family members need everyday assistance due to aging or disabilities, why wouldn’t we want them to be cared for in their own homes? Home has all the comforts and familiarity gathered over a lifetime, not to mention closeness to family and friends. That makes it hard for anyone to choose to live in […]
Cell Phone Usage While Driving In City of Cleveland v. English, 8th Dist. No. 92951, 2009-Ohio-5011 (Sept. 24, 2009), the court upheld a conviction against a defendant under Cleveland City Ordinance 431.34(c) for failure to give full attention to driving. The conviction was upheld based on testimony supplied by the ticketing officer that he observed […]
Are insurance companies satisfied with the litigation climate post-tort reform? Of course not! Mandatory arbitration clauses contained in many consumer contracts are the latest wave of tort reform storming the beaches. The insurance industry calculates its insureds will fare better with arbitrators than jurors; however, by including these clauses, it denies legal clients their Seventh […]