Nursing Home Abuse: Disturbing Statistics On Patient Care
If for no other reason than objectivity and brevity, I like it when things are quantifiable by numbers. While there usually is more to things than may meet the eye, statistics--- when accurately compiled--- really can demonstrate what words may not be able to communicate as well. A colleague sent me a list of statistics related to nursing home abuse from Masters In Health Care that I had to review several times before the full extent of these numbers sunk in. Review the figures for yourself-- and maybe take a visit or pick up the phone to check in...
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Nursing Home Chain Hit With Landmark Verdict In Under-Staffing Class Action Lawsuit
I guess there's probably a lot a screaming and yelling going on at the Skilled Healthcare Group (SKH) headquarters in California. Perhaps the anger derives from the miserable looking financial chart for the company showing a whopping 75% decline in price per share in one day! Another portion of the companies anger is probably being misdirected at the lawyers who defended the company in a class action lawsuit brought against Skilled Healthcare based on systematic under-staffing at 22 nursing homes owned by the corporate giant. Really, the only people to blame are the managers in the company who intentionally chose...
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Feds Yank Funding From Another Chicago Nursing Home With A Troubled Past
Less than a week after federal and state funding was pulled from Somerset Place, officials have moved westward to the Fox River Pavilion in their crackdown of poor nursing home care in the Chicagoland area. Fox River Pavilion has received much scrutiny lately after reports of violence at the facility. On December 17th, a patient at the Aurora, IL nursing home was killed in a fight with another patient. Under-staffing was a primary reason why officials chose to pull funding from this facility. A patient at Fox River told authorities, "Like today, you see there is really no staff around. There...
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Under-staffing At Nursing Home Blamed For Pressure Ulcer, Infection & Subsequent Death
The son of a deceased nursing home patient blames 'under-staffing' as the primary reason why his mother fell and subsequently developed pressure ulcers. Gary Brown filed a lawsuit against a county operated nursing home in Nebraska on behalf of his deceased mother's estate. In addition to under-staffing, the lawsuit alleges the facility allowed his mother to develop pressure ulcers (also referred to as pressure sores, decubitus ulcers or bed sores) during her recovery from a fall at the facility. Despite the fact that the pressure ulcers progressed and became infected, the facility also allegedly failed to notify the woman's personal...
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Poor Training & Under-Staffing Blamed For The Death Of A Nursing Home Patient Who Died From Injuries Sustained After She Was Dropped By A CNA In A Minnesota Facility
A report issued by the Minnesota Department of Heath has cited White Community Hospital and Nursing Home (Minnesota) for errors made by a nursing assistant during the transfer of a patient out of her bed. The incident occurred when the CNA attempted to transfer a disabled patient from their bed to a wheelchair using a sling. During the transfer, the patient was dropped. The patient suffered a broken arm and leg which contributed to their death two days later. Specifically, the department of Minnesota health report and the facilities own investigators determined that the CNA's errors caused the patient's...
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A Recipe For Danger: Nursing Shortage Could Reach 1M By 2020
An aging nursing population, the growing need for nursing services and an insufficient number of facilities to train new nurses are coming together to create a 'nursing crisis', according to a recent article in The Iowa Independent. The congruence of factors will lead to dramatic shortages of nurses both in Iowa and on a national basis. The American Health Care Association estimates the the nursing shortage will explode in coming years. Among the nursing shortage numbers predicted by the AHCA include: July, 2009: 116,000 vacant nursing positions in hospitals and 19,000 vacant nursing positions in long-term care facilities. 2010:...
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Pile On The Medication
Old? Weak? Tired? Have dementia? The answer to these ailments in some nursing homes is to prescribe antipsychotic drugs to subdue any signs of energy and life left in residents suffering from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. A whopping one-third of all nursing home residents are prescribed antipsychotic drugs such as: Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa. Prescription of antipsychotic drugs is big business for their makers. Sales of Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa have more than tripled from 2000 to 2007. Dispensation of the drugs is also often profitable for the facilities where the patients reside. Every time medication is given,...
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Minimum Nurse Staffing Ratios
the quality of a nursing homes staff is one of the biggest predictors in quality of patient care. An under-staffed nursing home puts patients at risk for developing conditions such as bedsores, improper medication or malnutrition. An overworked staff may lead to patient neglect. The Nursing Home Reform Act (NHRA) sets forth minimum staffing levels for registered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurses (LPN), and minimum educational training for nurse's aides (NA). The requirements are: A registered nurse must be the director of nursing A registered nurse must be on duty at least 8 hours per day, 7 days per week...
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Nursing Home Falls
Falls in nursing homes may be the largest heath threat to the elderly. Older people tend to fall more frequently than their younger counterparts. However, when an older person falls they are substantially more likely to become injured than a younger person. Some startling statistics from the Center for Disease Control demonstrate the obvious: falls in nursing homes are widespread and have a devastating impact on the residents. About 1800 people die each year due to falls in nursing homes 10 to 20% of nursing home falls result in serious injury, 2 - 6% of falls result in fractured bones...
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