Nursing Home Injury Laws: Kentucky
Number of nursing homes in Kentucky: 282 Patients living in Kentucky nursing homes: 22,990 Occupancy rates of Kentucky nursing homes: 90.0% Average number of deficiencies at each Kentucky nursing home: 7.6 Percent of Kentucky nursing homes with serious deficiencies for actual harm to patient: 21.6% Most common deficiencies at Kentucky nursing homes: Accident Environment, Food Sanitation, Professional Standards Distribution of ownership of Kentucky nursing homes: 70% for profit, 27% non profit, 2 % government Most populated cities in Kentucky: Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, Bowling Green, Covington, Frankfort Staffing levels at Kentucky nursing homes (daily hours): ): Above average, 4.1 total staff,...
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Financial Abuse Of The Elderly: Nursing Home Administrator Admits To Stealing From Patients
A former administrator at a Kentucky nursing home has pleaded guilty to multiple charges including: theft, exploitation of a vulnerable adult and tax fraud. The nursing home administrator identified as James Tackett, confessed to stealing more than $300,000 from patients he was responsible for caring for at the Golden Years Rest Home (ironically a non-profit facility). Authorities were tipped off to Mr. Tackett's activities after several patients at the facility complained about not receiving economic stimulus checks from the federal government. The complaint was then passed on to the Social Security Administration and Department of Revenue who quickly learned...
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Too Little, Too Late. Nursing Home Submits Corrective Plan After Disabled Patient Wanders From Facility To His Death
One of the most basic safeguards a nursing home can implement to protect its patients --- regardless of the patients overall condition--- is to have staff available to supervise and periodically check on patients while they are actively engaged in activities as well as when they are resting. While some activities may command supervision from a person specifically trained to care for a particular condition, most daily supervision can be done by any employee that is alert. With patients who may be at risk for a particular complication, supervision may need to be completed at regularly scheduled intervals or--- in...
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Jury Finds Nursing Home Responsible For Alzheimer's Patients Injuries
After two hours of deliberations a Kentucky jury has awarded a former nursing home patient more than $1 million in damages for injuries she sustained while a patient at the facility. The nursing home negligence lawsuit alleged that Cambridge Place Nursing Home in Lexington, KY was negligent in looking after an Alzheimer's patient who managed to gain access to an equipment storage room without the knowledge of staff at the facility. Ultimately, the woman sustained multiple injuries as a result of a fall she sustained in the restricted area including: broken facial bones, bleeding in her brain and multiple...
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Government Prosecution Of Kentucky Nursing Home Comes After Facility Has Long Battled Similar Negligence Claims
The Kentucky nursing home at the heart of a recently filed False Claims Act lawsuit, based upon billing patients for 'worthless services' has apparently faced similar claims brought by patients' families in a civil setting. It seems like the Feds maybe a little late to the party? As reported by Cincinnati.com, Carespring Health Care Management, the parent company of eight nursing homes in Ohio and Kentucky, has been called out for providing poor care to patients in the past. According to court records, two out-of-court settlements were made between a Kentucky branch of the nursing home and families of...
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False Claims Act Lawsuit Seeks Damages From Nursing Home That Provided Inadequate Care
After evaluating the care provided to patients at Villaspring Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, a Kentucky Nursing Home, the U.S. Attorney's Office deemed the care so inadequate that the facility should never have billed Medicare or Medicaid for such services. Evaluating a period of care at Villaspring from 2004 through 2008, the investigation discovered that the facility regularly billed the governmental agencies for shoddy care that held little hope of providing any meaningful benefit to the patient. Patient records were examined which demonstrated that the facility: Failed to follow doctors orders Failing to treat pressure sores Neglecting to update patient care...
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Lawsuit Blames Nurse For Delay In Providing Assistance For Choking Patient
A recently filed nursing home lawsuit alleges that the delay in providing treatment for a coking resident resulted in her death. The suit files by the family of the deceased nursing home patient, claims that a nurse and other staff members at the Johnson Mathers Nursing Home were negligent in the the way they responded to a situation where there loved one was obviously choking. According to both state inspection reports and news reports regarding the incident, the patient had swallowing problems which resulted in staff giving her a diet of pureed food. It was during the feeding process that...
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Inadequate Staffing Alleged In Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Nursing Home
A Kentucky nursing home was named in a recently wrongful death lawsuit filed by the widow of a patient who was allegedly neglected at the facility. Donna Anderson's lawsuit cites inadequate staffing and ongoing deficiencies as the primary reasons for her husband's physical decline and eventual death at Madison Manor nursing home. According to news reports of the lawsuit, Robert Anderson was at Madison Manor from April 9th through May 22nd of 2009 when he developed an infection on his foot. The infection progressed to the point that his foot needed to be amputated and eventually contributed to his death....
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Nursing Home Ombudsmen Making A Difference In Patients' Lives
Part supervisor, part enforcer, part friend, nursing home ombudsmen commonly play an important role in the well-being of nursing home patients. Generally run as non-profit groups, nursing home ombudsmen help ensure patients rights are protected and resolve issues--big and small-- as they arise. Kentucky.com had a heart-warming story about, Nursing Home Ombudsmen Agency of the Bluegrass, an agency that will soon mark more than 30 years serving the nursing home community. In the article, long-serving ombudsman, Madge Lynn recounts how many of her experiences vary drastically according to the unique circumstances of each patient. While there are circumstances where a...
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Will Proposal Notifying Coroner Following Nursing Home Deaths Help Deter Abuse?
The Lexington Herald Leader is reporting about proposed legislation that would require Kentucky nursing homes to notify coroners following the death of nursing home patients at the facility or shortly after their discharge. The proposal is intended to assist families and prosecutors to identify and pursue situations involving suspected nursing home abuse and neglect. Currently, Kentucky-- like many states has loose guidelines regarding the notification of coroners following the death of a nursing home patient. Under the current laws in Kentucky, nursing homes are given broad discretion when to notify authorities as to a death that is believed to related...
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