Nursing homes in California should take note of the negative publicity surrounding elder abuse and assisted-living facilities in our state. A recent article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel described serious nursing home abuse allegations that point to fraudulent Medicare claims and poor patient treatment. In Watsonville, located in Santa Cruz County, the…
History of the Star Rating System A recent New York Times article discussed the danger of trusting the Medicare star rating system, providing as an example a five-star nursing home facility in California with a history of elder neglect violations. Last week, we discussed the star rating system and the Rosewood nursing…
Five-Star Nursing Homes May Not the Best Indicator of Care Are Medicare star ratings good predictors for the quality of care at nursing homes? According to a recent article in the New York Times, a facility with a five-star rating may not be what one would expect. In fact, many five-star…
Collaboration on Dementia Awareness and Abuse Do you have a parent who currently suffers from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia? These degenerative brain diseases are difficult not only on patients, but also on their family members and caregivers. In response to elder abuse advocates’ concerns about educating and empowering…
Global and Local Awareness About Aging and Elder Abuse Earlier this month, San Diego County’s Aging Summit, which focused on Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving issues, occurred just as the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) and the Administration on Aging launched the eighth “World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.” The two…
A recent article in Reuters reported that the mayor of Los Angeles has declared his support for “a new state law barring public agencies from refusing job applications from people convicted of a crime.” But could such a law place residents in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities at greater risk…
When nursing home neglect happens, elderly patients can sustain serious and life-threatening injuries. But a recent article in the New York Times suggests that care facilities may need to pay particular attention to residents who take high blood pressure medication. What’s going on with blood pressure medication? In short, patients…
Senate Bill Could Impose Tougher Penalties With the serious elder abuse problems in residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs) that have been coming to light in recent months, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to California residents that a new senate bill aims to “give California regulators the power…
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…