A nursing home facility recently halted family visits during a bed bug outbreak. The bugs were believed to have been brought in by visitors to a resident at the home. The bed bugs spread to two rooms before the facility noticed them.

Another patient’s abuse has been caught on camera. The 90-year-old nursing home patient is seen crying for help as her caregiver is recorded assaulting the woman for whom she should be providing care. The video also portrays neglect of care.  Upon revelation of the family’s camera footage to the police, the nursing home employee was fined.

One state reports that nursing homes lose 41 percent of caregivers annually.  Nurses specifically ranked even higher at a 47 percent rate of turnover each year. Nationwide, nurses leave nursing homes each year at a rate of 44 percent per 2012 data from the Department of Human Services.  Caregiver turnover has a direct link to quality of patient care.

A nursing home patient is lucky to be alive today after nearly being suffocated by a visitor. A man who may be related to the patient came in to visit a patient and tried to kill the patient by smothering the person with a pillow. The patient was in stable condiction after receiving treatment for injuries.  Police have charged the visitor with attempted murder.

Two nursing home facilities have been added to a watchdog list due to government initiated actions for crimes committed by staff at the homes. The crimes include forging a nurse’s signature after failing to enter a medication order to make the appearance that the patient had received the medication when there was not provided. Also, a nurse stole oxycodone and Percocet from a medication supply at the nursing home.

One state is dealing strictly with nursing home abuse repeat offenders. The state advisory commission is pushing for legislature that would enforce tighter restrictions on nursing homes with three major violations within two years. Some are calling it the “three strikes” law.