Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

We've been keeping track of the developments in the story of alleged abuse that occurred last month at the Quadrangle Nursing Facility in Delaware County, PA. This week, the Haverford-Havertown Patch (Haverford.Patch.com) reported that the facility's license has been restored on a temporary basis.

According the online article, the director of communications of the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare (DPW), Michael Race, is quoted as saying, "DPW reached a legal settlement agreement, formalized this (Thursday afternoon), with Quadrangle's operator (Sunrise) to issues a six-month provisional license (as opposed to a standard, one-year license) and they have agree to make some major changes to Quadrangle's operations under the terms of the agreement."

Some of the changes that will be made are:

A designated manager for each shift responsible for managing the dementia care unit.
Those managers must take a leadership training course and annually afterwards.
All staff members of the dementia care unit will receive performance evaluations from their immediate supervisors to assess their skills and empathy towards the patients.
A new interview technique to determine if applicants being interviewed for a position at Quadrangle has experience, skills and empathy, among other things, to properly care for the patients.

Race continued by saying, "This agreement will allow Quadrangle to continue operating under continued monitoring. If at any time DPW feels they are not working in good faith to abide by the agreement, the provisional license can be revoked. Our primary concern is, and will remain, the safety and well-being of residents, and we feel this agreement is in the best interests of those residents."

The Quadrangle's license was revoked on April 29 when a hidden camera installed by a resident's family caught 3 Quadrangle employees allegedly taunting a 78-year-old dementia patient. Sunrise Senior Living, the owners of the Quadrangle, filed an appeal the same day their license was revoked, saying it was an "isolated incident."

WPVI News in Philadelphia reported today that all 123 residents of Brighten Nursing Home in Delaware County were being relocated to other area nursing homes after a leaking roof required evacuation of all the facility's residents.

Evacuation began with the 49 patients on the second floor due to what officials are quoted as calling "a serious roof problem with water coming into the building."

WPVI reported that fire officials who were called to the Brighten Nursing home found arching electrical wires and smoky conditions in the building. Officials decided to move all the patients from the facility as a precautionary safety measure.

Continue reading "Residents Evacuated from Brighten Nursing Home in Bryn Mawr, PA" »

We face some difficult medical decisions when an elderly family member's health begins to fail. Many families will rely on the recommendations of physicians when it comes to medical interventions for an elderly patient who is nearing death. But a recent blog entry published on The New Old Age blog on the NY Times is shedding new light on the issue of feeding tubes used on dementia patients. According to the article, a study that involved interviews with 486 people across the US found that "of patients who received feeding tubes, 13.7 percent of family members reported that doctors had inserted the tubes without seeking permission at all." In addition, the article said, "some 12.6% of patient family respondents said they felt under pressure by the patient's doctor to allow a tube to be implanted." Read the full article here:

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/feeding-tube-decisions-often-made-in-haste/?partner=rss&emc=rss

This week, skilled nursing care facilities around the country are celebrating National Nursing Home Week (NNHW). National Nursing Home Week is an annual observance sponsored nationally by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), based in Washington, DC. According the the AHCA's website, NNHW "spotlights nursing home residents and staff and encourages all to celebrate those that make a positive difference in their lives every day."

Another goal of National Nursing Home Week is to show how a nursing home can be a supportive and caring environment and that these facilities can and should provide enrichment for residents and families to continue growing, learning, and teaching. NNHW also honors those who work in our nation's nursing homes, including employees and volunteers.

At Michael J. O'Connor & Associates, we ask you to join us in celebrating National Nursing Home Week. We believe it's important show our appreciation to all those who provide care to our loved ones who are in skilled nursing facilities. It's not always and easy job, and at times it requires a tremendous amount of patience and compassion. We thank all those who provide professional care to our families members who need that additional help in their golden years.

About 2 weeks ago, we wrote about an incident that occurred at Quadrangle Sunrise Senior Living Center in Haverford, PA, where three workers were arrested for alledgedly abusing a dementia patient. This weekend, Philly.com reported that the state of Pennsylvania has revoked the nursing care facility's license.

According to a report from the Department of Public Welfare, they found "gross incompetence, negligence, and misconduct on the part of officials" with the facility and its parent company, Sunrise Senior Living of McLean, VA.

According to the article, the allegations against three of the Quadrangle workers include taunting and physically abusing a 78-year-old dementia patient and blocking her door when she tried to escape. The patient's family told Quadrangle administrators that they thought their family member was being abused. When their concerns went unanswered, they installed a hidden camera in her room, catching the abuse on tape, and turned the tape over to the Haverford police.

In the article, a statement from the family's attorney said that they are "grateful that the Department of Public Welfare, which protects our most vulnerable citizens, has revoked the license of the Quadrangle." The Quadrangle has filed an appeal and may continue to operate during the appeal process. However, day-to-day operations will be closely supervised until the appeal is resolved.

Sunrise Senior Living has 18 facilities in Pennsylvania, including one in Bucks County, three each in Chester and Delaware Counties, and five in Montgomery County.