Recent News
Nursing Home Abuse Continues As Individuals With Criminal Backgrounds Are Hired
As often noted on this site, nursing home abuse and neglect continues to occur at an alarming rate, many times this is because those that have been tasked with ensuring the well-being of patients are really unfit to care for others. Here is an interesting read titled “Why Is The Nursing Home Industry Hiring Convicted Criminals To Care For Our Elders?” on how it is that the nursing home industry can continue to hire individuals who have criminal backgrounds, simply because measures are not in place that require they do background checks. Continue reading …
Indiana Nursing Home Abuse Case Results in Four Arrests
JASPER, INDIANA – Indiana nursing home neglect and abuse is in the news again, as four employees of the Providence Home Health Care Center were arrested Monday after being charged in connection with felony battery and neglect and misdemeanor intimidation stemming from the abuse and neglect of a dementia patient. Continue reading …
Marshall County Nurse Arrested for Nursing Home Theft
Alisha Capps, 26, a nurse from Miller’s Merry Manor in Plymouth was arrested on charges of theft after a resident’s credit card went missing. Read more on this nursing home theft report.
Eye Opening Report on Hospital and Physician Medicare Fraud
Health care dollars that could be spent on finding ways to reduce medical malpractice and improve patient safety appears to be falling victim to healthcare fraud and abuse. A recent investigation by the Center for Public Integrity found that fraudulent billing practices by hospitals and physicians appears to be on the rise, wasting billions of dollars that could be better spent. Continue reading & see the video …
South Bend Nursing Homes Under Scrutiny for Abuse and Neglect
Indiana nursing homes have for some time now been recognized as the worst in the nation. For example, in 2009 the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that Indiana had the “greatest number of the ‘most poorly performing’ nursing homes in the nation…”# Unfortunately, too little is done to publicly inform the public of the neglect and abuse too prevalent in Indiana’s nursing homes. However, this week, ABC news out of South Bend aired a report after conducting its own review of records related to investigations of nursing homes in the local area. This report revealed disturbing findings that are indicative of the quality of care problems facing Indiana nursing home patients. The report referenced mice feces “all over” the kitchen at Cardinal Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and at a nearby facility, the Milton Home, allegations of sexual abuse upon one patient and the withholding of medication from another patient for 11 days. Continue reading…
Indiana Nursing Home Resident Dies After Attack At Nursing Home
It was reported this week that a 77-year old Indiana resident of the South Shore Health and Rehabilitation Facility died after an attack by another resident. Diane Parkinson died on Sunday, March 11th, five days after being struck by a 75-year old resident. Gary Police Cpl. Gabrielle King says that witnesses told police that Parkinson was out for her morning walk when the man struck her so hard that she fell to the floor. She was taken to the hospital with facial injuries.
The manner of the death is still under investigation, and although this maybe a unique case with special circumstances regarding what might have provoked this one resident to attack another, it unfortunately, is not an isolated occurrence of violence or abuse at nursing homes. In fact, the event further highlights the need across the state for improved patient safety at long term nursing facilities. The South Shore Health and Rehabilitation Facility received a two-star rating out of five, or below average, from CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid) on its most recent Nursing Home Compare Quality Rating . Continue reading …
Profits Over Patients: Study Finds Quality Concerns at Largest For-Profit Nursing Homes
A recent study conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco concluded that consumers considering a nursing home should also ask ‘who owns this place’? The study found that among the nation’s 10 largest for-profit nursing home chains the quality of care delivered to patients was significantly lower than their non-for-profit counterparts. The main reason: staffing levels were lower and thus deficiencies were higher. Low staffing levels are a concern because they are considered the strongest predictor of poor nursing home quality.
The study, the first of its kind to focus on staffing and quality at the ten largest nursing home chains, found that total nursing hours were lower in these chain’s home than any other group. Additionally, the number of “deficiencies” were 36 percent higher, and “serious deficiencies” were 41 percent higher for homes managed by the large for-profit nursing home chains. Deficiencies can include failure to prevent pressure sores, falls, infections, improper nutrition, resident abuse or mistreatment, and poor sanitary conditions. Continue reading …
Indiana Lawmakers Take Action on Nursing Home 911 Calls
Indiana state senator Patricia Miller has proposed legislation that would require nursing homes to call the nearest medical emergency team to respond in urgent situations. The proposed legislation is in response to news coverage late last year regarding the untimely death of Barbara Parcel, who was a victim of her nursing home’s system to only use their contracted EMS service and not the closest. Continue reading …
