The quality of care provided by California nursing homes has declined by almost every measure since the implementation of a new Medi-Cal rate system that increased funding the nursing facilities according to a new study by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Meanwhile, nursing home complaints and the issuance…
The signs and symptoms of a brain injury are not always as clear as you might think. Most patients who suffer a traumatic brain injury can walk, talk, and give the appearance of a normally functioning person. There are, however, symptoms that point to brain trauma. The month of March…
Those of us who sue nursing homes and assisted living facilities for elder abuse and neglect of residents know how hard it is to uncover the evidence needed to meet our burdens of proof (which are higher than the typical case). Whether it’s proving a systemic problem of understaffing, ignoring…
When there is sustained pressure in an area of skin that cuts off circulation to that area, the skin will start to breakdown creating what is common called a bedsore or pressure ulcer. If you’ve never seen one, consider yourself lucky. Not properly cared for, these sores and develop into…
Medicaid spends more money on antipsychotic drugs than any other prescription drug. Physicians are prescribing these powerful drugs in record numbers to nursing home residents in order to control their behavior, not for the treatment of psychotic illness. It is reported that nearly 30% of the total nursing home population…
Nursing home owners have claimed for years that they are barely getting by, and the lawsuits against them for negligent care are going to drive them out of business, leaving no place to put seniors. We reject this argument as a time-honored trick by tortfeasors to become the victims after…
The National Pressure Advisory Panel updated its definition of the four “stages” used to diagnose pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers (often referred to as bed sores). It also added two new stages on deep-tissue injury and ulcers that cannot be staged. The updated stages of pressure ulcers were released at…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced last month that, it will no longer reimburse hospitals for treating eight “reasonably preventable” conditions as of October 2008 the Wall Street Journal reports. Pressure ulcers are among the most prevalent, costly and dangerous on the list. In addition to interfering with…
The federal Older Americans Act provides funding to states to fulfill the goals of the Act, namely the protection of the vulnerable elderly population. To receive federal funds, states must comply with a variety of statutory requirements, including the formation of an office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Under…
The Nursing Home Complaint Investigation Improvement Act (AB 399), authored was approved last week in the Assembly Health Committee by a vote of 10-0. The legislation would fight abuse and neglect by improving the quality and timeliness of nursing home complaint investigations. AB 399 has over 30 registered supporters including…