By John R Kormanik on Posted in Abuse/Neglect,Crime and Punishment,Nursing Home Resident SafetyAt Kormanik Hallam & Sneed, LLP, we see our fair share, which is to say, too many, cases of overmedication of assist living and nursing home residents. Not too long ago, an article in the Chicago Tribune was noteworthy because of the conclusion of the medical examiner, who ruled the resident’s death a “homicide.” According to… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Abuse,Nursing Home Resident SafetyLast month, I wrote about an National Public Radio series concerning overmedicating nursing home residents. This second entry from the NPR series is based on reporting concerning training opportunities the State of Texas is offering to decrease that state’s use of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes. According to NPR, antipsychotic drugs “can be deadly” for older… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Abuse/Neglect,Family Resources,Nursing Home Abuse,Nursing Home Resident SafetyRecently, National Public Radio (NPR) has done a series of stories on the problem of overmedication of nursing home residents and what some facilities are doing right in this area. I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you these stories, give you the links to the themand the audio of the original stories… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Abuse,Nursing Home Resident Safety,Resident and Family ResourcesIn a recent article, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), described in detail a serious problem in nursing home facilities: pharmaceutical companies "pushing" antipsychotic medications to be used on elderly nursing home residents with dementia. Often times, these types of medications are used as "chemical restraints" on nursing home residents. AARP’s article is, quite… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyA recent story in the Wall Street Journal might be of interest to you. In it, the Journal reports on the theft of nursing home resident’s prescription drugs by a technician. The technician, Deborah Cleveland, worked at Heather Heights Assisted Living and Memory Care Facility, in Pittsford, New York. Apparently, she would steal resident’s prescription… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyA tragic story from Portland, Oregon, underlines the unspeakable consequences when a resident of an adult care home elopes from the facility. The resident, Mr. Koller, age 69, suffered from severe dementia. According to the report, the care center’s staff noticed he was missing and notified the authorities. Heartbreakingly, Mr. Koller was found dead in… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyAccording to a report in the Devils Lake Journal, two nurses from a Duluth, Minnesota, nursing home have been fired for faking residents’ blood sugar results. The Minnesota Department of Health and Welfare’s investigation of this matter revealed the faked results were utilized to "give or deny insulin" to seven residents. Remarkably, neither nurse was… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyIn a recent New York Times’ article, Robert Pear writes about a disturbing fact: More than 90% of nursing homes in the United States "employ one or more people who have been convicted of at least one crime." Frankly, I find that disconcerting. Mr. Pear’s story is based upon a report issued by Daniel R.… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyIn a story from today’s Los Angeles Times, it is reported that a nursing home has been fined the maximum amount allowable by California law for a death attributed to the facility’s failure to adequately maintain its equipment. The resident, who was 60-years-old, had a heart condition, diabetes and a muscle wasting disease and was… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Crime and Punishment,Nursing Home Resident SafetyIn a previous blog post, I wrote about how increased staffing levels equate with improved nursing home resident safety. Well, a company has found out the hard way: follow the law requiring minimum levels of nursing care or pay the price. According to a story in the Contra Costa (California) Times, the jury in a… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyYou would think state legislators would be on the side of vulnerable nursing home residents. According to a recent story by Clark Kauffman in the Des Moines Register, you could be wrong. At least one Iowa state representative allegedly exerted pressure to recertify a facility. The problem was, the facility had been the subject of… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyIt is simply amazing what a person can do with a little knowledge, a computer, and bad intentions. A story by Mariann Martin out of Jackson, Tennessee reveals the lengths one person went to in order to hide her identity. The story, featured on the Jackson Sun’s website reports on the arrest of Sheila Watson, who was… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyIn an interesting article in today’s New York Times, Paula Span, writes on the dangers bed rails pose to nursing home residents. Although many people, including Ms. Span, believe bed rails keep nursing home residents safe, actually, the opposite is true. According to geriatrician and bioethicist Steven Miles of the University of Minnesota: Although side… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Abuse/Neglect,Family Resources,Nursing Home Resident SafetyAs a resident of a nursing home or assisted living facility, there are many things you rely upon the facility to help you with. One of the most important, perhaps, is the administration of prescription or over-the-counter medications. If the facility gives you the wrong medication, the consequences can be dire, even fatal. In an… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Choosing a Nursing Home,Nursing Home Resident Safety,Resident and Family ResourcesThe Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Bureau of Facility Standards is the state agency that conducts "surveys" of Idaho’s nursing homes to make sure they are in compliance with all applicable federal and state regulations. It may surprise you that in the most recent survey available, for the period of January through June 2009, there… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident SafetyAccording to a December 12, 2009, online article by Jeffrey Wolf and Kevin Torres of Colorado’s 9news.com, 87 year old Eldon Foster "strayed away" from his assisted living facility in the freezing temperatures and, ultimately died of exposure. What is shocking is that Mr. Foster was found by an employee of the facility and returned to… Continue Reading
By John R Kormanik on Posted in Nursing Home Resident Safety,Nursing Home Resources,Resident ResourcesWith all the news about H1N1 "Swine Flu," focus has turned to methods to protect ourselves from becoming infected. The Swine Flu is serious, no doubt, but the methods for protecting yourself from becoming infected with the Swine Flu apply to ensuring you are not infected by just about any similar contagious disease. RISKS OF BECOMING… Continue Reading
