Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Paul Muschick, The Watchdog reporter for The Morning Call in Allentown, recently published an article about inspection reports for adult day cares. He said that the benefits of adult day cares are that they allow families to "get a break from their stressful roles as caregivers knowing their loved one are in a supervised setting with proper care." However, it can be difficult to get information on these care centers because Pennsylvania doesn't put its inspection reports online as it does for nursing homes. Muschick reviewed reports on 55 adult day care centers in the Lehigh Valley area and summarized his finds in the following article:

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-online19ndh-a-a.7159676jan28,0,4616283.column

If you are considering an adult day care center for your loved one, we suggest you read Mr. Muschick's article to help in your decision making process.

Lee Bowman of Scripps Howard put together a helpful list of things to consider when discussing the options of nursing home care. We're listing them for you, in the hopes that they may assist you in making decisions about long-term care for an elderly family member.

1. What does the patient need? Getting a clear diagnosis and outlook from health-care providers, social workers and discharge planners gives a better picture of what sort of nursing home is needed, or if such care is needed at all. There may be options including home- or community-based care or other institutions rather than a nursing facility.

2. Start close to home. The closer a nursing facility is to family and friends, the easier it is to visit. Nursing-facility staff notices who gets frequent visits, and care may be given accordingly. Use the Nursing Home Compare Web site or referral lists from state or local ombudsmen or aging agencies as a starting point in a search.

3. Study the ratings. Read up on deficiencies found during inspections, keeping in mind that NHC only includes information on complaints that have been confirmed. More information about complaints may be available from state survey and inspection agencies. Remember, different quality standards are used for short-term and long-term nursing-home care.

4. Meet the administrator. Don't make an appointment if you can come in during business hours. There should be someone available to give you a tour and answer questions. This is the time to ask about care planning, specialized services, safety systems, policies and costs. Find out about volunteer programs and whether the home has a family council and how to contact that group.

5. Visit at a different time. If one visit was around a mealtime, make another at a time when staff may be less busy. Early evenings, weekends or just before a shift change time may be particularly revealing.

6. Check out a bathroom. Any restroom in a public area will tell a lot about cleaning, but also check for hot water - which is often lacking in larger homes. Look for signs of disrepair - water stains, mold, insects, peeling paint. Use sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch to measure the environment.

7. Staff helpfulness. From greeting visitors to answering call bells, does the staff respond promptly and cheerfully? Does the staff treat residents with patience and respect? Does the same nursing assistant provide care to a patient most of the time during each shift? How staff talks, or doesn't talk, with patients can matter a lot.

8. Do a kitchen inspection. Many homes will invite you to have a meal - and the food should be tasty, balanced and varied. The really good ones will give you a look at where food is prepared and stored. Ask whether there is a licensed dietician on staff and if there are special files or lists of residents' food allergies and particular dislikes.

9. Notice where people are. Clusters of residents engaged in games, activities, exercise and excursions outside are good. Groups lingering around nursing stations or camped around a television set in a day area are not so good. Take a dignity check - are a lot of patients being restrained or propped up? Are they being dressed or toileted with doors left open?

10. Ask questions. You should be free to find out how things are from residents, their families and staff. Who handles problems or complaints? Are they responsive? Try to get a feel for how long key caregivers have been working there. If more than 25 percent are recent hires, worry about turnover and training.

In November 2009, we blogged about an investigation by WTAE's Team 4 of Pittsburgh. This segment reported on 2 nursing homes in the Pittsburgh area that were rated below average.

This month, Team 4 reported that another nursing home in Allegheny County has been named to a special list of troubled homes. Click on the link below to read the entire article:

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/22142076/detail.html

Continue reading "Another Allegheny County Nursing Home Ranked Among Nation's Most Troubled Homes" »

With the population of adults over 65 expected to nearly double by 2030, more assisted-living facilities are cropping up across the country. This subject was addressed in an article on an online Michigan news service, MLive.com.

As baby boomers enter their golden years, assisted-living facilities in Jackson County, Michigan are expanding and growing to meet the need. "It's not Jackson; it's nationwide. We're just trying to keep up with what has to happen," said Anne Chilcote, owner of Choice Connections, a referral service that provides a variety of living options for senior citizens.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, assisted living is designed for seniors who want to live in a community setting but enjoy services such as help with medications, housekeeping, laundry, and personal care.

Ganton Retirement Centers has nine facilities in Michigan. The number of residents at the centers has doubled in the last ten years. In 2008, Michigan's population was about 10 million, with about 13 percent of adults aged 65 and over. By 2030, Michigan's population is expected to reach 10.7 million, with 19.5 percent of adults aged 65 and older.

Although the article highlighted the increase in the number of assisted-living facilities in Michigan, the numbers also reflect the aging population across the nation. It's a trend that we are sure to keep an eye on in the future.

Most people probably remember the old TV commercial where an elderly woman collapses in her home and calls out, "I've fallen and I can't get up!"

Today, more advanced at-home technology is available that can perform a number of functions for the wearer, including reminders to take medicine, alert him or her to a fire, and answer the phone. These new devices are allowing seniors to stay in their homes longer, rather than moving to a nursing home or assisted living facility.

An article we found on TheReporterOnline.com explains that some systems cost about $150 to $200 a month and can help monitor how well a senior is managing the chores of daily living. They are most successful when they are tied to an agency that can dispatch meals, medical help, or other senior services. They are often prescribed to seniors for a limited time after a hospitalization.

But many seniors would like to see this technology become more mainstream, as long as it is affordable. Elinor Ginzler, senior vice president for livable communities for AARP, said, "We're at the beginning of the wave. Money is an issue."

Home for Life Solutions, out of Lee Summit, MO, sells equipment that monitors falls and day-to-day activities, and will turn off a stove if the user forgets. A built-in motion detector turns the appliance off if the user leaves the room and does not return within a specific period of time.

GE Healthcare of Wilwaukee offers two products: 1) Health Guide allows users to check their blood pressure, sugar levels, or heart rate, and sends the information to a medical provider who tracks it; and 2) QuietCare, which uses sensors that learn a customer's daily activities and behaviors, and then watches for changes. Sensors can be placed near a medicine cabinet or refrigerator to track whether the person is taking their medicine or eating.

Agnes Berzsenyi, general manager of home health for GE Healthcare, said, "It makes them feel someone's taking care of them but no one is watching them."

At-home technology will help increase the quality of life for more and more seniors and can help provide the peace of mind that their caregivers and families deserve.

Earlier this month, the StandardSpeaker.com reported that Carbon County commissioners have decided to sell the Carbon County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Weatherwood this year. At their Dec. 31 meeting, commissioners said that the county could no longer afford to operate the facility, which has been losing $3 million a year. A decrease in the population at the facility in recent years has led to financial problems.

The commissioners agreed to take their time selling the 200-bed nursing home in order to protect its residents and the employees who take care of them. Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said, "We should sell the home. But we certainly want to make sure the residents and the workforce are taken care of as best we can do that. I expect the process to take six to 12 months."

In order to sell the facility, Nothstein said the commissioners will probably advertise for bids. He continued, "We will have some say who to award the bid to. We will do background checks. We've always received inquiries from people who want to run the nursing home for us, or who want to buy it. Now, we'll take a closer look at those proposals."

Commissioner Charles Getz explained that selling the nursing home was a difficult decision to make, "This is a business decision. We can't keep going back to the taxpayers x-amount of times and raise taxes. This isn't the time to raise taxes, with the recession. I think you're going to see more and more counties selling their nursing homes."

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer recently reported on a shocking story of elder abuse: allegations that the nursing director of a California nursing home restrained residents with powerful anti-psychotic drugs and that three patients died as a result of the drugs. The story notes that over-drugging is common nationwide and that these drugs are replacing the now illegal physical restraints. Read the full story by clicking on the link below:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/abc-world-news-deadly-chemical-restraints-kill-california/story?id=9483981

Continue reading "Nursing Director Accused of Using Chemical Restraints on Elderly Residents" »

Traditionally, the holidays are a time for everyone to get together and for families to reconnect. Sometimes when we haven't seen our loved ones in a while, we notice changes that we had not seen before: they may have difficulty getting up and down stairs, they may struggle to remember things, or they may simply be starting to look older. It can be a wakeup call to younger family members who may need to make decisions about long-term care and placement in a nursing home. This is the focus of an article we found on the Utica Observer Dispatch (UticaOD.com).

If you're faced with the reality that your elderly family member may need long-term care, this article offer steps for finding a nursing home. It also emphasizes the importance of checking out facilities yourself. To read the full article, click on the link below:

http://www.uticaod.com/health/x1437796096/For-some-families-holiday-gatherings-include-discussion-abou-nursing-homes

Early in December we blogged about the pending purchase of Laurel Crest Rehabilitation & Special Care Center of Ebensburg by Grane Healthcare of Pittsburgh. On Jan. 2 the AltoonaMirror.com reported that the sale was finalized and that the facility has a new name: Cambria Care Center.

The new owners have planned $2 million in upgrades, including assisted living apartments and an Alzheimer's unit. The assisted-living apartments are planned as "senior-friendly efficiency apartments" that would include nursing assistance for residents who may need help with activities such as bathing, dressing, and taking medication. Scheduled for 2010, a state-of-the-art center for the memory impaired will provide intensive levels of care for patients with Alzheimer's and other dementia-related illnesses.

Grane owns a dozen nursing homes across the state and has similiar Alzheimer's centers throughout western Pennsylvania. However, this will be Grane's first Alzheimer's center in this region.

Local officials have noted that being managed by a private company will allow the facility to offer programs that the county couldn't afford to implement. "The home will be better off for those who may need it in the future," said President Commissioner P.J. Stevens.

Some changes have already taken place. Grane named Owen T. Larkin, the home's assitant administrator, as the facility's new head administrator. Larkin worked as food service director from June 1996 through mid-1999; as assistant administrator at The Commons in Squirrel Hill in Allegheny County; and the Presbyterian Home in Johnstown.

Future changes include: wireless internet access, the addition of new flat-screen televisions, new patient beds, and a switch to an on-site electronic medical record system.

If you have been on the receiving end of less-than-courteous behavior from someone in the customer service field, you know how frustrating it can be. Now imagine that you are witnessing that same behavior firsthand, only this time the person at the receiving end is your elderly family member who is confined to a nursing home. One thing is certain: we all agree that rudeness from a nursing home staff member is unacceptable...but we may not know how to address it.

This topic is the focus of an advice column piece called "Should I Say Something? Nursing Home Nastiness" published in the Maplewood/Millburn/South Orange, NJ blog of the New York Times.

The writers of the blog advise that the best approach is to bring the incident to the attention of the administrator, the facility social workers, or the facility's family council. It's important to speak up. No one deserves to be treated in a discourteous way. And the only way to bring about a solution to the problem is to bring the issue to light.

But we recommend you read the article for yourself. You may find some helpful advice if you find yourself in a similar situation:

http://maplewood.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/should-i-say-something-nursing-home-nastiness/