The California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform has issued its 2007 Nursing Home Citation Report. CANHR has prepared a citation summary, including the name of the nursing facility, the date, the level of citation, and a brief summary of the facts that led up to the citation. There is also…
Every skilled nursing facility in California is licensed and regulated by the California Department of Public Health. Through its Licensing and Certification Division, the Department of Public Health is responsible for overseeing nursing homes throughout the state. This oversight includes conducting routine inspections, investigating complaints, and enforcing state and federal…
A report from the Government Accountability Office states that widespread deficiencies addressing malnutrition, bedsores, medication errors, and abuse of nursing home residents are often understated. Congressional investigators have confirmed in the report something advocates for the elderly have known for sometime. That is, nursing home inspectors routinely miss, overlook, or…
A jury in Arizona has awarded $6 million to the family of Sylvia Culpepper after the 81 year old died from an overdose of morphine in a nursing home. Culpepper, who was an active senior, was in the ManorCare nursing home only to recover from a back injury, and was…
When entering a nursing home, residents or their family are usually presented with a stack of documents that address everything from the fees to be paid to the type of pillow the resident prefers. More than a dozen signatures can be required to complete the admissions process. Often buried within…
In California, approximately 200,000 claims of elder abuse are investigated every year by California social services. Because of proposed cuts to the California state budget, the ability to investigate claims of neglect or abuse could be reduced dramatically at a time when a greater portion of our population will be…
Dehydration and malnutrition remain two of the most serious and most overlooked forms of neglect in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. While these conditions may sound simple or even mild, the reality is far more dangerous. In elderly and dependent adults, dehydration and malnutrition can rapidly lead to organ…
Living in a nursing home or assisted living facility continues to get more and more expensive. For a fifth consecutive year, the average annual cost for a private room in a nursing facility rose to $76,460. The costs varied dramatically state by state. The costs for living in an assisted…
Since a significant part of my law practice involves cases of abused and neglected seniors in nursing home, I get asked frequently if I can recommend a good nursing home, or at least point out the bad ones. That is, of course, impossible because of the sheer number of nursing…
Last week President Bush signed into law the Safety of Seniors Act, a bill dedicated to preventing injuries of the elderly inside the home. According to the CDC, one in every three Americans over 65 will suffer a fall their home, and nearly a third of those will require medical…