Does the number of staff relate to the level of care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities? According to a recent article in McKnight’sLong Term Care News Online, a new study suggests that staffing levels at nursing homes do in fact “correlate with better quality of care.” But what…
California Seniors and Fraudulent Telephone Calls Older adults are becoming especially susceptible to elder financial abuse, and a recent article in the San Mateo Daily Journal suggests that police have noticed a “rise in fraudulent telephone scams that target seniors.” Elder abuse can take many different forms, and scammers often…
Helping Caregivers to Help the Elderly through Education How can caregivers best spot patterns of elder abuse after their loved ones return from medical appointments or adult daycare? And how should caregivers handle older adults who act abusively toward medical staff or other persons involved in their care and treatment? According…
With California making national news over elder abuse at nursing homes and residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), it may not come as a surprise that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has reassigned Ernest Poolean, the “supervisor in charge of nursing home inspections,” only a few days…
We’ve been following the reform initiatives for residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs) in California, and a story in U-T San Diego emphasizes that support for the RCFE Reform Act of 2014 has been gaining momentum. Last Tuesday, legislation “pushed through separate committees at the state Capitol,” thus “making it more…
As many California residents know, our state has made national news over the last year for concerns about nursing home negligence and nursing home abuse. A recent article in the Sacramento Bee reported that Los Angeles County public health officials, “in an effort to reduce California’s backlog of health and safety complaints…
When we trust the care of our elderly loved ones to skilled nursing facilities, we expect that they’ll receive proper treatment and won’t suffer unnecessary harms. Nobody anticipates nursing home abuse and neglect, but a recent article in ProPublica indicates that about one-third of patients in skilled nursing facilities suffer…
As lawmakers in our state continue to think about elder abuse and the salient problems with California assisted living facilities, some of these residences are being ordered to pay damages for the harms they’ve inflicted on the elderly. According to a recent article in the Long Beach Press Telegram, a…
What happens when elderly adults spend some time in the hospital but aren’t officially admitted? In these situations, patients are typically classified as simply being under observation. This “observation only” status can limit older adults’ chances for Medicare nursing home coverage once they’re discharged from the hospital, according to a…
It’s clear that many hospice centers have become part of a profit-seeking industry in the United States. Indeed, the recent article in the Washington Post concerning illegitimate marketing and hospice overuse may be plaguing many parts of the country. But what about seniors who are admitted to hospice care and…