A nursing home is under investigation after a man was admitted to the facility and died just two days later.  Nurses were aware of his labored breathing and temperature.  His vitals were documented, but when it came to providing care, he did not receive what he requested.  The patient was a “full status code”, meaning he should have received CPR, but he did not. The patient was also diabetic, yet did not receive his insulin shots because the facility failed to order the proper med…

A nursing home worker has been charged with theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was caught on surveillance camera taking jewelry and cash from patients at the assisted living facility where she worked. She pawned the jewelry at a local jewelry store.

Reports of elder abuse are increasing with a total of 3,800 submissions since the summer.  A new law encourages whistleblowers to identify abuse taking place in exchange for immunity, so long as they are not the perpetrator(s).  The law also condemns individuals who fail to report abuse upon awareness of it. One nurse failing to report abuse has been cited and will face a hearing in court. “As case workers are able to track progress,” said a representative for Adult Protective Services…

Politicians are receiving attention for pushing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to occur even when facilities have been cited for violations.  Facilities must meet quality of care criteria to receive Medicare and Medicaid payments towards their patients. Some of the facilities with up to 33 facilities violations had payments reinstated after calls from congressmen were made to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding a hold on funding. CMS auditors have called out…

Elder abuse is increasing as the population ages. A projected number of people over 60 in 2025 is 1.2 billion. Abuse includes “Abusive acts in institutions include physically restraining patients, depriving them of dignity (by for instance leaving them in soiled clothes) and choice over daily affairs, intentionally providing insufficient care (such as allowing them to develop pressure sores), over- and under-medicating and withholding medication from patients; and emotional neglect and abuse,” a…

A patient died at a nursing home without acquiring CPR from the staff, even though he had signed paperwork requesting resuscitation.  The lack of care offered pointed to a broken system of paperwork and protocols.  The nursing home was using an unauthorized “cheat sheet” to identify patients requiring lifesaving efforts. The patient was gasping for air for at least 10 minutes while the nurses and aides did nothing to help him live.  The first nurse said she forgot to check his cod…