State investigators have blamed one nursing home for medication errors that lead to a resident’s death from pneumonia last fall. According to the report, the facility’s “policies and procedures did not provide an effective system” for tracking prescription orders. The resident missed one prescribed medication for three days and a second prescription was never administered.  A transcription error by nursing staff led to the resident missing her antibiotics prescribed for pneumonia.  Day…

One nursing home has agreed to shut its doors after years of deficient care and persistent quality problems that have not be fixed. The facility was required to file a closure plan last Friday. The78 residents at the facility will be moved to other nearby facilities.

Two former nursing home nurses have pleaded not guilty to felony elder abuse charges in connection with the 2008 death of a resident at the facility. The two nurses appeared together in Superior Court on last week to face charges from the attorney general that their negligent care contributed to the death of 77-year-old female resident. The judge rejected a request that the nurse’s license be revoked, pending the case’s outcome.

A report recently released by the Virginia Department of Social Services and Adult Protective Services illuminates that abuse of vulnerable adults is at a record high. In 2011, there were 17,936 reports of abuse submitted to Adult Protective Services. Of those reports, approximately 59% were substantiated.

An 84-year-old nursing home resident was found dead of hypothermia in the facility parking lot at 6:34 a.m. Monday after she wandered away from her room. According to staff, the elderly woman was in her room at 4 a.m.

State regulators have fined two nursing homes after inspections revealed serious deficiencies. The first facility was fined after an elderly patient, whose care plan required assistance while eating, choked to death on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after being left unattended in February. According to inspectors, staff members failed to carefully monitor the elderly patient, who suffered from mental illness and pulmonary disease.