An elderly man died last weekend of injuries sustained during a fire at the assisted living facility where he lived. According to the county medical examiner, the 91-year-old man died of thermal injuries after his clothing caught fire during a incident which occurred in the man’s room.  According to police, the fire, which occurred last Friday, was confined to a small kitchen area of the man’s apartment. The man sustained burns on his extremities and was rushed to a hospital with a special …

Police and emergency workers have reported that an 88-year-old old woman fell to her death at an assisted living facility late Sunday night. Police were called to the facility at 10:23 p.m. on Sunday after a resident was found dead outside the facility.  The patient fell from the building’s second floor, according to emergency workers.

Deputies called to investigate reports of possible elder abuse at the residence of an 88-year-old woman have arrested her caregiver.    After police arrived, they discovered that the woman had injuries consistent with the reports of abuse. The elderly woman was transported to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with several dislocated fingers and swelling to the brain.

The Department of Health in one state has just released its 2011 Medical Errors Report. The annual report brings together information from state hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, abortion clinics, and birthing centers. Of the 107 medical errors reported by the facilities, bed sores (also known as pressure sores, pressure ulcers, decubitus sores and decubitus ulcers) and surgeries on the wrong body part made up more than half of the incidents cited in the report.

A Florida teen was sentenced last week to a year in jail for impersonating a physician assistant at a hospital. The then 17-year-old boy dressed wounds, examined disrobed patients, and performed CPR with zero medical qualifications. The teen was arrested in September 2011 after other hospital employees became suspicious.  Investigators later learned that the teen was hired as an office clerk but due to a paperwork error, the badge he received stated he was a physician assistant.

Two state representatives have organized to join with hundreds of nursing home employees and advocates for the elderly in a march and candle light vigil to raise awareness of need for nursing home owners and operators to truly invest in resident care and safety. The state enacted legislation regarding nursing home staffing levels  in 2010, yet safety issues persist due to supply shortages and worker turnover. Those who participated in the event last week were demanding that owners make pati…