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 […]
If your neighborhood looks like mine, there are shiny new buildings going up on what seems like every corner. Looking behind the bricks and mortar, is this a good fit for your loved ones? Assisting living facilities in Ohio and around the country are an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional nursing home. But is […]
Falling can be deadly for any of us, but especially for people over 65 years of age. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) just issued a report outlining the danger and prevalence of falls in nursing homes and at home. The numbers are scary: In 2014, falls caused 27,000 deaths and 7 million […]
We’re all grown-ups, right? So why is it still so hard to talk to our aging parents about leaving their homes and moving to senior living? A recent poll found that 35 percent of respondents most feared speaking to their parents about the need for long-term care or a move to assisted living. This topic […]
As healthcare consumers, we rely on the government to protect our loved ones from unscrupulous caregivers. Each year the US Department of Health and Human Services compiles evidence from assisted living facilities across the country. The HHS has recently released its Medicaid Fraud Control Units Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report. Think of it as an […]
Your elderly mom probably doesn’t use social media, but what about her caregivers? How do nursing home resident rights come into play online? As we work to prevent elder abuse in nursing homes, physical harm is the first thing on our minds. But virtual abuse and exploitation can also be devastating. Advocates have been […]
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 […]
I am taking a detour from one of our regular topics of nursing negligence in long-term care to comment on an interesting news item about nursing home costs. It probably is no surprise that the cost of long-term care is on the rise, but the numbers might surprise you. It might be cheaper to check […]
Traditional efforts to prevent nursing home abuse have focused on the nursing staff. Lawmakers have considered reforming all kinds of staffing practices, from background checks and training to data collection. But a new study finds that we should be just as concerned about elder abuse by roommates and neighbors. At least one in five seniors […]
It’s an act of trust to place the care of your loved one in others’ hands. When you’re evaluating nursing home care quality, does it matter whether the facility is a for-profit or non-profit facility? Yes it does, and that is a fact! The Center for Medicare Advocacy reports that ownership structure makes a big […]