Nursing Home News

Nursing Homes Across the Country Shown to Be Hotbed for MRSA Virus

June 2, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Late last month, an article by Newsmax Health conducted an investigation into a frightening statistic that the superbug MRSA can be found in roughly 25% of all U.S. nursing homes. According to the report, the largest contributing cause to the transmission of this antibiotic-resistant bug is contaminated gloves.

The article, working off a study conducted by Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, notes that there is a gap in education among nursing home employees regarding the transmission and seriousness of MRSA.

The study, which took place in Maryland and Michigan nursing homes, showed that in 28% of nursing homes the MRSA bacteria was present at some level. The largest contributors were glove- and gown-contamination, with glove-contamination being more prevalent. The study explains that washing hands and changing gloves between residents is crucial to stop the spread of the deadly disease.

Nursing Home Rankings Should Be Taken Seriously by Prospective Residents

May 28, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

With the advent of the internet, it has become easier than ever to review our experiences with the various companies and institutions we do business with on a day-to-day basis. In fact, some suggest that the higher prevalence of peer reviews in an industry, the better the overall quality across the industry, since business owners know they will likely be held accountable by their unsatisfied customers. Nursing homes, apparently, are no exception.

The federal government has been ranking nursing homes for years. However, despite the availability of the information, many people fail to check nursing-home rankings before checking in, or sending a loved one to stay there. A recent article by Newsweek explains that nursing home rankings may be a fairly accurate way of assessing the level of care provided at a facility.

Level of Care in Nursing Homes Expected to Decrease as Homes Focus on Short-Term Residents

April 17, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Nursing homes traditionally cater to two types of residents: short-term residents entering the facility after being treated for a disease or illness at a hospital, and long-term residents needing end-of-life care. Often, as one may expect, the needs of each of these groups are different. For example, a resident expecting only a short stay in a home may be more interested in additional features, such as putting greens and hot baths on demand. However, those needing end-of-life care are less concerned with these “extras” and are more concerned with the basic necessities.

In a recent article by the New York Times, it is noted that there is a current trend showing that nursing homes are focusing on catering to the short-term residents, potentially at the expense of the safety and benefits of longer-term residents. The article cites a 2014 study conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, showing that 22% of short-term residents suffer some kind of harm during their stay. Another 11% suffer temporary injury. The incidents of injury to long-term residents have historically been much higher.

New Regulations on Nursing Homes Hope to Bring Increased Quality of Care to Residents in Delmarva

March 3, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It is a well-known fact that nursing homes do not enjoy an unblemished reputation when it comes to the quality of care they provide to their residents. In fact, it seems that one can hardly go a couple days without reading about some instance of abuse, neglect, or other misconduct committed by nursing home staff or management.

Because of these concerns, lawmakers across the country have banded together to increase the regulations placed on nursing homes in the hopes that the quality of care being provided will increase. According to one DelmarvaNow report, a local online news source, the following areas will be targeted by federal regulations:

Measures of facilities’ use of anti-psychotic drugs; and
The use of more refined metrics to check for adequate staffing.

Delmarva Nursing Homes Are On Par

The article goes into a superficial, although somewhat useful, analysis of Delmarva nursing homes, noting that the peninsula’s nursing facilities fare about average as compared to the rest of the nation. One area where the local nursing homes excel is in the area of prevalence of pressure ulcers, use of restraints, and the extent of falls resulting in injury. This is an important category, but it is far from the only important metric in the study.

Connecticut Nursing Home Cited for Several Failures in Care

January 30, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, a local Connecticut newspaper published a long list of local nursing homes that had been cited by the state’s department of health for failures in nursing homes. One of those failures resulted in the preventable death of a resident.

According to the report, back in November of last year, one local nursing home in Connecticut was fined $1,020 for a failure in care that led to a resident’s death. One of the residents at Bridgeport Manor died last October of a cardiac arrest after an oversight of the nursing home staff sent her to the hospital.

Apparently, the woman was admitted to the nursing home with throat cancer and had a tracheostomy tube. One night, nursing home staff found the woman on the floor with the tube dislodged. However, the nursing staff failed to call for help immediately and waited 20 minutes to do so.

Nursing Home Video Catches Employees Abusing Elderly Patients

December 5, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier last month in Winter Park, Florida, two nursing home employees were caught on camera abusing a 76-year-old resident. According to one local news source, the two employees were seen on camera pretending to punch the man, stopping only inches from his face.

They were also seen holding the man down as they would grab his wrists and hit him with his own hands. When he tried to get away, they grabbed his wrists and prevented him from moving away. The employees also would pretend to hit the man with one hand, and then as he reacted they would hit him with their other hand.

The employees were caught engaging in this awful behavior by the man’s family, who had placed a “nanny cam” in the man’s room prior to the abuse. Both employees will face criminal charges for their role in the abuse of the nursing home resident.

Large Nursing Home Company Settles $38 Million Suit Based on Substandard Care

October 22, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Extendicare Health Services is one of the largest nursing home chains in the nation. It is also the subject of one of the largest, if not the largest, settlements in a quality-of-care case the country has ever seen. According to a report by one news source, Extendicare recently reached an agreed-upon $38 million settlement.

The charges against the nursing home chain were several. Some of the charges related to improper billing of the federal government. However, the bulk of the claims were in regard to the standard and quality of care that Extendicare was providing to its aging residents.

According to the report, the investigation focused on 33 Extendicare facilities in eight different states, including Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, Washington, and Wisconsin. The claims alleged that the facilities employed fewer nurses than were needed to support the number of patients that the facility housed. In addition, there were claims that the nursing home staff members were not being adequately trained.

New York Nursing Home Questioned After Another Patient Death

August 18, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Long Island nursing home is under investigation after a 71-year-old resident recently passed away while under the home’s care. According to a report by one local news source, this isn’t the first time the home has been in the news. Back in June of this year, several employees from this same nursing home were charged with criminal offenses related to the death of another resident.

Evidently, both the most recent death as well as the prior death occurred in the home’s 40-bed ventilation unit. Loved ones of the recently deceased asked employees to speak to someone about the previous death that occurred in the home, but they were told “absolutely not.”

As it turns out, earlier this year, several employees of the nursing home were charged with several offenses, including patient neglect and falsifying business records to cover up information about the woman’s death that occurred back in 2012. All involved pleaded not guilty to the offenses. These cases have not yet concluded.

Jury Doles Out $14 Million Verdict Against Grossly Negligent Nursing Home

August 11, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Recently, a Massachusetts jury delivered one of the largest verdicts in state history to a family who lost their loved one after a nursing home failed to provide adequate care for her during her final years. According to a report by the Boston Globe, the nursing home, which is located in Danvers, provided grossly negligent care resulting in the woman’s death.

Evidently, the woman was taken to the hospital when she fell out of her wheelchair. Upon being examined by ER doctors, the woman was found to have an open pressure sore on her back, acute appendicitis, a severe urinary tract infection that had invaded her blood stream, kidney failure, uncontrolled diabetes, and severe dehydration.

Doctors did their best to treat the woman. However, she died one month after she was admitted to the hospital. The family of the woman brought suit, claiming that the home’s gross negligence in failing to properly care for their relative caused her death. The woman’s family recounts times that they expressed their concern over their loved one’s health but were told by nursing home employees that nothing was wrong.

Surprise Visit to Nursing Home Results in the Discovery of Abuse and Neglect

June 10, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Kansas, state officials conducted a surprise visit to a nursing home in order to inspect the level of patient care that was being provided to residents. According to a report by a local news agency, the report came back showing that several residents were being neglected and/or abused by nursing home staff members.

Evidently, the surprise visit and subsequent report were triggered by a report of inadequate resident care back in November 2013. State officials received the complaint and decided to look into the issue more thoroughly. Upon doing so, investigators discovered four instances of potential neglect or abuse. The nursing home has approximately 63 residents, 27 of which were interviewed.

The 150-page report explains all the violations found by the investigation, as well as remedial measures that the nursing home is expected to take. According to federal guidelines, the nursing home has six months to comply with the report before it will lose its Medicare funding. In addition, the home is being fined $8,2000 per day for each day between March 26 and April 13th. In addition, the nursing home will be fined $1,000 a day until it is back in compliance.