Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

According to the Pennsylvania Care Planning Council, many adults, who as children received counsel and wisdom from their parents, are now facing concerns about their aging parents and what will be needed as their health and mental abilities fail.
In an article on carepennsylvania.org, while some children who live miles from elderly parents may call often to check up, it might be time to have a face-to-face visit, to see for yourself that all is well.
The article states assuming that all is well and that your elderly family member knows and does what is best for them, may be putting them at risk. The article suggests becoming a partner with them in care and forming that partnership before a crisis occurs.
The council suggests sitting with your parents and asking questions like: What are your concerns for the future? Do you want to remain in your home? Are you worried about losing your independence? You also need to know what legal and financial arrangements are in place.
Another good way to assess their needs is to acompany them on a doctor visit.
The National Care Planning Council's book "The 4 Steps of Long Term Care Planning" gives a list of most common services family care givers will provide for their parents:
• Walking, lifting, and bathing
• Using the bathroom and with incontinence
• Providing pain management
• Preventing unsafe behavior and preventing wandering
• Providing comfort and assurance or arranging for professional counseling
• Feeding
• Answering the phone
• Making arrangements for therapy, meeting medical needs, and doctor
appointments
• Providing meals
• Maintaining the household
• Shopping and running errands
• Providing transportation
• Administering medications
• Managing money and paying bills
• Doing the laundry
• Attending to personal hygiene and personal grooming
• Writing letters or notes
• Making repairs to the home, maintaining a yard

Medicare will cover a cardiovascular screening every 5 years according to Medicare.gov.
Since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, it is important to take care of your heart to stay healthy. Information on the Medicare website suggests starting by talking to your doctor about whether you are at risk for heart disease and then scheduling the appropriate tests which help detect heart disease early and check cholesterol, blood fat, and triglyceride levels.
If your doctor thinks you are at risk for a heart attack or stroke, Medicare information suggests the following steps to be taken to prevent the conditions.
1. Take doctor prescribed medication
2. Change your diet
3. Increase your activity level
4. Exercise more often
For more information on heart disease risks and prevention, visit the Centers for Disease Control or the American Heart Association

As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveiled their annual Nursing Home Compare List, USA TODAY revealed their own analysis of the list, showing that an alarming number of nursing homes across the country have maintained a 1 star rating - the lowest on the 5-star scale - since the list began back in 2008. We were surprised to find 59 1-star homes here in our own state of Pennsylvania. Some of those homes in our area include:

Saint Catherine Healthcare Center, Ashland
Berwick Retirement Village, Berwick
Mountain View, A Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Coal Township
Dunmore Health Care Center, Dunmore
The Pavilion at St. Luke Village, Hazleton
Mountain City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Hazleton
The Manor at St. Luke Village, Hazleton
Ellen Memorial Health Care Center, Honesdale
Manorcare Health Services-Kingston, Kingston
The Highlands Care Center, Laporte
Millville Health Center, Millville
Kramm Health and Rehab Center, Milton
The Cedars of Monroeville, Monroeville
Guardian Elder Care Center, Nanticoke
Birchwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Nanticoke
Lackawanna Health and Rehab Center, Olyphant
Green Ridge Care Center, Scranton
Golden Living Center, Scranton
Linwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Scranton
Scranton Health Care Center, Scranton
Golden Livingcenter-Tunkhannock, Tunkhannock
Golden Livingcenter-Summit, Wilkes-Barre
Riverstreet Manor, Wilkes-Barre
Golden Livingcenter-East Mountain, Wilkes-Barre
Rose View Center, Williamsport

According to the article, homes receive the lowest rating because they are "much below average" compared with others in their states. Some problems that can cause this low rating include consistently dirty equipment and linens, mistreatment and unlicensed caregivers.

In the article, Larry Minnix, president and CEO of LeadingAge, an association of non-profit nursing homes, is quoted as saying, "Nobody wants to see consistent one-stars; they give everybody a bad name."

The rating system was created to help consumers make decisions regarding nursing home quality. To come up with the ratings, the federal government contracts with states to inspect nursing homes once a year. Ratings are determined based on annual inspections, quality measures, and staff time spent with residents.

Continue reading "59 Nursing Homes in PA Consistently Received 1 Star Since 2008" »

The home health care industry is facing a serious dilemma: low wages are causing high turnover among home health care workers. But to provide better wages, benefits, and overtime pay, the industry would be forced to make seniors pay more for care.

In an article on USAToday.com, Catherine Ruckelshaus of the National Employment Law Project said that high turnover is directly related to low wages. It's a losing battle from every angle: Seniors feel the effects because they may receive care from different aids rather than the same person. Employers are affected because they must constantly retrain employees. And employees themselves don't really get a chance to advance in their careers.

In the article, Ruckelshaus said, "They're making $16,000 a year. No one can live on that. I think we forgot the broader picture here."

Since 2000, home health care employment has increased by 23%, but salaries have remained the same, around $21,000 a year, according to a study conducted by Michael Hicks of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University.

Some of the reasons the home health care industry can't hire enough people to support the industry's growth include low wages, few benefits, no paid leave, and no health insurance.

With the Baby Boomer generation choosing home health care over hospital or nursing home care, the issue is becoming more urgent. We'll be keeping an eye on this issue to see how it develops.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, PA Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget, released last week, calls for a four percent cut in Medicaid reimbursement for nursing homes with the projected loss about $46.5 million.
That translates to an almost $8-per-day loss in the average Medicaid patient reimbursement of $194, according to the Pennsylvania Health Care Association.
Under the current budget, nursing homes are losing $19.23 per day to each Medicaid patient which is up from a $15.13 loss the previous year.
Corbett's proposed Medicaid cuts also affect hospitals and other health-care providers, but that impact is not yet clear.
"Pennsylvania's Medicaid program covers about two-thirds of residents in the state's nursing homes," Stuart Shapiro, president and chief executive of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, said in a news release
The figure is even higher in Philadelphia at 75 percent.
Nursing homes took a significant cut in Medicare reimbursement rates starting in October when as much as 18 percent was cut from Medicare, the federal program that homes counted on to break even.
"We made a promise to care for our frailest elderly, and it's a promise we must keep," Shapiro said in a news release after reviewing Corbett's proposed budget. "We understand the state's enormous fiscal dilemma, and given the current deficit, we also understand why virtually all health-care providers' line items were cut. But there's a compelling case to be made for protecting our most vulnerable residents by restoring funding for nursing homes, and we intend to make that case to the administration and General Assembly."
The news release stated over the last four years, the state has paid nursing homes $1 billion less than the actual cost of care for Medicaid residents and last year the gap between the cost of care and what nursing homes are reimbursed widened by 27 percent. Also, while all health care providers lose money for Medicaid patients, other providers have additional revenue sources to make up the difference. Two-thirds of nursing home residents are on Medicaid. With the recession, private pay patients are going through their assets faster and going on Medicaid sooner. The news release also stated unlike some health care sectors where staff cutbacks are easier, nursing homes are highly regulated and must meet minimum staffing requirements.

A Minnesota nursing home is being blamed in the choking death of a resident after it was discovered that he was not supervised while eating, according to an article on AustinDailyHerald.com.

In the article, a Minnesota Department of Health report said the resident was found choking in his room with no staff present. However, the man's medical record noted that he had aspiration pneumonia and had difficulty swallowing. As a result, the staff was supposed to make sure the man ate slowly and swallowed each bite twice. Staff members were also to ensure the man's head was elevated 90 degrees while eating and 45 degrees for 30 minutes after eating.

The report did not identify what staff member was responsible for the resident's mealtime assistance on the evening of this death.

Continue reading "Lack of Mealtime Assistance Blamed in Choking Death at Nursing Home" »

Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home, a 36-bed non-profit corporation run nursing home in Pittsburgh, and South Mountain Restoration Center, a 159 -bed government run facility near Gettysburg in Adams County, were chosen among 39 nursing home facilities across the United States for the magazine's top ratings.
The facilities earned the highest possible ratings in all four quarters of 2011.
U.S. News's evaluation of nursing homes is based on data from Nursing Home Compare, a website run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which sets and enforces standards for nursing homes. Homes earn an overall rating of one to five stars in health inspections, nurse staffing, and quality of care. To earn a place on the Honor Roll a nursing home has to receive perfect five-star ratings in all categories for all four quarters of the previous year.
Avery Comarow, the magazines health rankings editor, said in a news release about 3 million Americans will spend at least part of 2012 in a nursing home.
"We also display factors like religious affiliation and proximity to family members, because these are important to many families as well," Comarow said.
For more information or to see the complete list go to www.usnews.com, or www.rankingsandreviews.com.

The 55 residents of Canal Side Care Manor in Walnutport are on a search to find a new care home, now that the new operator, Apex Management, has decided to close the home by the end of this month.

In an article in The Morning Call of Allentown, Department of Public Welfare spokeswoman Anne Bale said that negotiations broke down between Apex and the previous operator, Canal Side Care Manor LLC, "due to an inability to finalize sale terms."

Canal Side cannot continue to stay open under the previous operator because it is no longer licensed. According to the article, the Department of Public Welfare refused to renew their license and ordered Canal Side to sell or close the homes last year. The state cited numerous violations during home inspections, as well as allegedly discriminating against a resident with HIV.

In the article, Bale said that state and local officials will help residents and their families select new homes, help them pack and move, and will help with issues such as prescriptions and medical care. She also said that Department of Public Welfare and local human services agencies will visit residents in their new homes "to ensure that they are satisfied and well cared-for."

We wish the best for the residents of Canal Side Care Manor and hope that they find new housing very soon.