Advances in Patient Safety

State’s Push for Stricter Reporting Requirements in Cases of Nursing Home Sexual Abuse

June 21, 2018 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Despite the increase in attention that Maryland nursing home abuse and neglect have received over the past several years, instances of nursing home abuse continue to occur. Indeed, according to a local news report, one state’s lawmakers have begun a push for stricter reporting requirements for allegations of nursing home sexual abuse.

Evidently, lawmakers in Missouri have proposed House Bill 1635, which, if passed, would make reporting sexual abuse to law enforcement mandatory. Currently, state law only requires nursing homes to report the abuse to the state agencies involved in overseeing elder care.

The article discusses the tragic account of a 93-year-old nursing home resident, who was raped by a staff member and then died the following day. After the resident’s death, the nursing home reported the abuse to the state but not to the prosecuting authority. The family, believing the nursing home reported the incident to the police, did not report the abuse either.

Video Cameras Can Help Document Maryland Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

May 28, 2018 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Nursing homes have long been fairly scrutinized for the level of care that they provide to residents. Indeed, it is difficult to go more than a day or two without reading a headline discussing a family’s claims that a nursing home employee has abused their family member.

With the advent of affordable and low-profile video-recording technology, more families are considering placing a camera in their loved one’s room in hopes of being able to see how their loved one is being treated. In Maryland nursing homes, families can place cameras in a loved one’s room as long as both the resident as well as the nursing home are made aware and consent to the placement of the camera.

Under Vera’s Law, families can install a camera under certain circumstances. A few of the requirements are:

Video Evidence Is Catching More Abusive Caretakers in the Act

March 23, 2018 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland nursing homes have never enjoyed a sterling reputation for the care they provide to residents. While there are many quality facilities staffed with caring individuals, unfortunately, they seem to be in the minority. More often than not, nursing homes are operated with their for-profit motive placed above all else. This means staffing homes with as few employees as possible, among other things.

When nursing home management tries to cut corners by reducing the number of nurses, the chance increases that those nurses who are on duty will be overworked. And while there is never an excuse for abusing a patient, research has shown that overworked nursing home employees are more likely to commit abuse or neglect than those who feel their workload is manageable.

For years, Maryland nursing home abuse went largely unnoticed. Certainly it was occurring behind closed doors, but since residents rarely have contact with the outside world, reports were rarely made. And when reports were made, they were too often brushed aside by family members. However, with the increased availability of video cameras, more families are able to place hidden cameras in their loved ones’ rooms. In many cases, the footage from these cameras is admissible in a lawsuit against a nursing home or employee.

Maryland Is One of the Few States that Allow Video Cameras in Nursing Homes

November 28, 2017 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Given the rash of Maryland nursing home abuse and neglect allegations that have been made over the past decade, it is no surprise that families of nursing home residents are concerned about their loved ones’ safety. In fact, the growing concern has led a number of states – including Maryland – to allow for the families of residents to place hidden video cameras in their loved ones’ rooms. Of course, in order to do so, the family member must obtain their loved one’s permission.

The use of video recording in nursing homes has greatly increased transparency in an industry that is known for denying liability in the face of all kinds of allegations. In fact, there have been substantiated cases of nursing home abuse in which the employee initially denies the abuse occurred, only to be confronted with a video that shows otherwise.

A recent news article discusses the video evidence captured by the family of one man who died from complications related to stage three pressure ulcers that he developed while in a nursing home. According to the article, a concerned daughter placed a hidden camera in her father’s room. The video showed a nursing attendant forcefully trying to get the elderly man off the bed and pushing him into a wheelchair. Later, the video shows her dousing the man in mouthwash, which contains alcohol and may contribute to pressure ulcers.

The Use of Hidden Cameras in Maryland Nursing Homes

May 12, 2017 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Nursing homes do not enjoy a good reputation when it comes to patient care, and for good reason. Over the past few years, it seems that there has not been a week that goes by without an incident of nursing home abuse or neglect. With the increase in reports of nursing home abuse and neglect over the past several decades, as well as the corresponding advancement of technology, the question of whether hidden cameras in nursing home facilities should be allowed has recently garnered a significant amount of attention.

Cameras in nursing homes are a good way to monitor the level of care that a nursing home provides to its residents. However, not surprisingly, when a family places a hidden camera in a nursing home, certain legal issues may arise. Importantly, there is no federal legislation giving families or residents the right to install hidden cameras in a nursing home facility. However, some states, such as Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, have passed state legislation giving families the right to place cameras in at least some circumstances.

In most cases, a nursing home will include a clause in the pre-admission contract restricting the resident’s right to use video or audio surveillance. And in most cases, since the resident’s room is technically the property of the nursing home facility, these clauses are upheld. However, if the family of a nursing home resident suspects that their loved one is a victim of abuse or neglect, legal action may be taken through a Maryland nursing home neglect or abuse lawsuit.

Medication and Prescription Errors in Maryland Nursing Homes

February 21, 2017 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are charged with caring for those who are not able to fully care for themselves. The duty that a nursing home owes to its residents is a broad one, ranging from providing residents with assistance in completing daily tasks to ensuring their physical safety. Included in the duty nursing homes owe to their residents is the obligation to ensure that any medications that are prescribed to the residents are properly administered.

When a nursing home is negligent in administering a resident’s medication, the nursing home employee responsible for the mistake, as well as the nursing home’s management, may be liable for any injuries caused as a result. These nursing home negligence lawsuits can result in significant liability for a nursing home, and the pressure exerted by this potential liability has led some nursing homes to implement additional safety features when it comes to the delivery and administration of patients’ medication.

State Passes Bill Providing Cameras in Nursing Home Facilities in Hopes of Decreasing Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

December 21, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Nursing home abuse and neglect have a well-documented history throughout the United States. Sadly, many of the victims of this abuse suffer from serious physical and mental health disorders, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Since the advent and expansion of social media, this unfortunate trend has accelerated. In fact, the problem has become so common that many state legislatures are looking for ways to curb the rampant nursing home abuse and neglect epidemic.

According to one local news source servicing the Chicago area, Illinois lawmakers have recently passed a bill that will provide funding to install 100,000 cameras in nursing home facilities across the state. The bill, which would not allow for the installation of cameras without a resident’s consent, allocates a $50,000 budget annually to install and service the cameras. It is hoped that the presence of cameras will act not only to provide evidence of abuse after the fact but also to serve as a deterrent to nursing home employees.

Advocates of the bill call it a “win-win for all stakeholders,” explaining that truly innocent nursing home employees who has been wrongfully accused will be able to rely on the video footage to help prove the allegations were unfounded. However, it is expected that the policy will be met with some resistance from the nursing home industry, which is no doubt aware of the fact that the installation of cameras in facilities may result in exposure to additional liability through increased reporting of abuse and neglect.

Big Changes Coming to Most Nursing Home Arbitration Agreements

November 18, 2016 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A popular national news source has recently published an article discussing a change of policy by the Centers for Medicare Services that should open up many nursing home contracts to the possibility for the resident to sue nursing home providers accused of abuse or neglect directly in state or federal court, instead of being required to submit their claim to arbitration, a process that generally favors defendants.

Medicare Foots Some or All of the Bill in Most Nursing Home Agreements

Health care improvements and the changing dynamics of how Americans approach old age and family relationships mean that most Americans who reach the age of 75 will need long-term, full-time nursing care at a residential facility at some point in their lives. With the increase in the breadth of the nursing care industry and the bill often being paid by the federal government, providers are often incentivized to provide substandard care and cover up or downplay signs or accusations of abuse.

Signs of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect

It can be difficult for the families of nursing home abuse victims to know when abuse has occurred. Many of the residents who are the most vulnerable to abuse, whether intentional or the result of neglect, suffer from dementia or other cognitive disorders that may make it difficult for family members to tell if their loved one has been a victim or not. There is also a sense of pride and not “wanting to be a burden” that is often present in older generations, and it may prevent nursing home residents from reporting abuse.

New Legislation May Require a Nurse on Duty 24/7 in All Government Funded Facilities

September 23, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A new bill in Illinois called the “Put A Registered Nurse in the Nursing Home Act” is being introduced by Representative Jan Schakowsky. The bill, which still needs to be voted on before it would have a chance at becoming law, would require that any nursing home facility receiving either Medicare or Medicaid funds have a Registered Nurse on duty all day, every day.

According to a report by HealthCare Dive, the current requirement is that any qualifying nursing home must have a nurse on duty for at least eight hours a day. This requirement was passed back in 1987, and there has been little regulation of nursing homes passed since then.

Some states are currently mandating that nursing home facilities have a nurse on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, the new law would make that requirement extend nationwide. Currently, it is estimated that almost 12% of nursing homes do not have a full-time nurse on staff 24/7. The cost of one full-time nurse is approximately $68,000.

Cameras in Nursing Homes?

September 16, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A recent article by the Chicago Tribune outlines the debate the State of Illinois is having in determining whether nursing homes should be required to allow video cameras to be installed in patient rooms in order to document the type of care the nurses are providing to their patients.

The article explains that there are two sides to the debate, and even patient advocates are skeptical that cameras are a good idea in all circumstances. Right now, there are about five states that allow a family to install a camera in their loved one’s room. Each state’s law is a little different, but a few things must be considered about the use of cameras in nursing homes, such as:

The loss of privacy that nursing home residents would suffer as a result of the cameras always being on;
The expense of the equipment and the occasional monitoring of the videos;
The effect, both positive and negative, that recording patient interactions may have on the nursing home as a workplace;
The admissibility of the tapes in civil or criminal suits against the nursing home and its employees; and
The privacy of visitors, guests, and nursing home faculty and how it may be affected by the cameras.