Disabled Nursing Home Patient 'Dumped' At A Homeless Shelter
Lots of chatter on Twitter over the weekend about Thai Hodges, a disabled woman who was taken to a homeless shelter by the good folks at ManorCare after her funds had apparently dried up. Hodges was admitted to ManorCare for rehabilitation and skilled nursing care after she suffered a stroke and became paralyzed.
The good news about the story (if there really is any) is that Sylvia Negley, the shelter coordinator realized that Hodges was clearly in need of medical care and refused to take her in and sent her back to the nursing home for additional care.
Negley says the transfer of patients from hospital and nursing homes is on the rise. "'Hospital dumps' is what we call them,"Negley said. "I've seen people wheeled in here in a wheelchair, placed on a chair and then they take the wheelchair away."
Can nursing homes do this?
If a nursing home accepts Medicare funding (the overwhelming majority of facilities do), then they are obligated to comply with its rules.
Section 483.12(a)(2) Transfer and Discharge Requirements:
The facility must permit each resident to remain in the facility, and not transfer or discharge the resident from the facility unless:
(i) The transfer or discharge is necessary for the resident’s welfare and the resident’s needs cannot be met in the facility;
(ii) The transfer or discharge is appropriate because the resident’s health has improved sufficiently so the resident no longer needs the services provided by the facility;
(iii) The safety of individuals in the facility is endangered;
(iv)The health of individuals in the facility would otherwise be endangered;
(v) The resident has failed, after reasonable and appropriate notice, to pay for (or to have paid under Medicare or Medicaid) a stay at the facility. For a resident who becomes eligible for Medicaid after admission to a nursing facility, the nursing facility may charge a resident only allowable charges under Medicaid; or
(vi) The facility ceases to operate.
In this case, it sounds as though ManorCare acted recklessly in discharging a disabled patient who obviously needed skilled nursing care. However, in cases where a medical condition is less acute, it may be within the facilities rights. As we see the nursing home population grow and additional economic pressure put on these facilities, I'll bet we see more situations such as this in the future.
Read more about the dumping of a Florida nursing home patient here.
Sure, I may be a little groggy from my Thanksgiving gluttony, but .png)
Like many families, Kenneth Gall sought a sense of closure with respect the circumstances surrounding his mother's death after she sustained an injury during her admission to Presbyterian Homes of Arden Hills. Unfortunately, more than a year after his mother's death, questions still remain as to the facilities role in the matter-- and how a disabled, primarily bed-bound-woman managed to fracture her neck while admitted to a nursing home..png)
A lawsuit has been filed against the LaSalle County Nursing Home by the guardian of a female patient at the facility who was sexually abused by male patient at the facility. 
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After discovering multiple health and safety problems, Florida officials have suspended the admission of new residents to Emeritus at Crossing Pointe-- a Florida Assisted Living Facility. .png)
Coumadin
Nursing homes have an obligation to protect their patients from known dangers--- particularly those which may be self-inflicted..png)
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There's no doubt about it, falls in the elderly population are a major cause of injury and even death. The New York Times, ran an .png)
Health offiicials believe the deaths of two residents of The Park of Vernon Hills are related to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. A third resident of The Park also was disagnosed with the bacterial disease and remains hospitalized..png)
On October 16th, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that an arbitration agreement between a nursing home and one of its residents was invalid because the resident’s son did not have the authority to sign a voluntary arbitration agreement on her behalf..png)
that works to clean out peoples bowels before medical procedures such as colonoscopies. 
Symptoms of Acute Phosphate Nephropathy:.png)
One of the nursing home negligence cases my office is currently investigating involves the death of a man related to complications related to amyloidosis. Turns out, the man was suffering from .png)
Seven cases of Legionnaires' Disease have been reported at an assisted living facility in Waverly, Maryland. According to the Baltimore City Health Department, all the people were living at Stadium Place Apartments before they were diagnosed with the disease. So far, the disease has claimed the life of one of the residents..png)
In defense of nursing facilities, any person can make an allegation that the facility provided abusive care. Consequently, the unfounded allegations can and should be discarded. 