Nursing homes are starting to send out patients that require increased care in order to simplify care needs at their facilities. Rather than increase staffing to meet the demands of the patients, they are sending them to the hospital. Long-term ombudsmen are reporting the problem increasingly since 2000.  The reasons for discharging the patients to the hospital can range from lower reimbursement rate potential from Medicaid or Medicare, difficult in caring for the patient, to increased comp…

A nursing home has been cited for a second medication error leading to the death of a patient. The nursing home first had a medication error with a patient that was administered ten times the dosage of morphine that was prescribed by the treating physician. The patient died from the overdose.

A nursing home patient is dead after suffering injuries from a fall. The patient suffered contusions and a scalp lacerations. Nursing home staff did not provide properly timed medical treatment after the fall.

More nursing homes are decreasing the use of antipsychotic drugs in patients suffering from dementia. The patients in several nursing home chains were receiving the drugs due to behavioral issues. However, when the drugs were removed from the patients incrementally, they were able to completely be free of the drugs and reduce the number of falls they were experiencing.

Snapchat is increasingly becoming a form of nursing home abuse. Nursing home staff who are supposed to be caregivers providing quality care are now posting embarrassing photos and videos of their patients. One family whose loved one fell victim to this type of abuse could not believe it happened to them.  Their loved one was posted in a video sitting on the toilet.

Nursing home incidents can stem from nursing home owners that understaff facilities to increase budget money. Staffing is a large part of the budget and keeping the numbers down on personnel increases the numbers in the black. Staff that work in these facilities are aware of the conflict to complete large task lists of patient care and not have enough hours to complete them.