A 73-year old woman who ran an in-home elder care business has been accused of allowing her son to steal thousands of dollars from an elderly client.  Last fall, a clerk at a drive-through bank became concerned when the woman’s son tried to cash an $1,800 check to himself out of the elderly victim’s account. A week earlier, the checking account had been flagged, because a person had tried to cash a $4,000 check from the account. The bank reported the suspicious activity to police.

The family of a nursing home resident who suffered 16 facility-acquired infections and 34 injuries at the facility has been awarded damages by jurors. The resident ultimately died from a severe bedsore (also known as pressure sores, pressure ulcers, decubitus sores, and decubitus ulcers). In connection with the neglect, the facility was never issued a fine.

Health department officials in one state have released a report that workers at two different nursing homes allegedly stole pain medication from their employers. The first, a licensed practical nurse, was stealing Percocet and the second nurse is accused of stealing Oxycodone. The nursing home managers reported the theft and the state has not accused the facilities themselves of any wrongdoing.

A nursing home where a resident was left unassisted on the floor with a head injury for 48 minutes is facing a $15,000 fine from state authorities. A videotape of the incident shows the woman lying on the floor while workers attended to a facility Christmas party. The facility has now been fined for failing to provide the necessary intervention and treatment for its residents.

After taking heat from community members and representatives on both sides, Governor Bob McDonnell has moved to eliminate proposed budget cuts to nonprofit agencies that provide community services to senior citizens. The decision preserves $2.5 million that state lawmakers had designated for certain Area Agencies on Aging. Advocates for the elderly were worried about the cuts because they would force services such as Meals on Wheels, adult day care and transportation for non-emergency medical se…

According to a new university study, feeding tubes increase the risk of bed sores in bedridden dementia patients. Previously, the belief was that providing nutrition through feeding tubes helps prevent bed sores or helps promote their healing. The researchers from Brown University noted that feeding tubes can cause agitation in patients, requiring them to be restrained and sedated, and can also increase the risk of diarrhea.