One state is considering drastic new laws which would tighten regulations on assisted living facilities.  Lawmakers are looking to shift the state’s caretaker oversight from extremely lax to some of the toughest in the nation. The laws include are calls for homes to be shut down when residents die from poor care, and caretakers involved to be banned from the healthcare industry. The dual bills, unveiled this week, include comprehensive legislation that seeks to improve oversight and mandate…

According to the attorney general, a former nurse at one nursing home has been indicted on charges of neglect of an adult and the theft of a controlled substance. The woman faces 11 counts of neglect and 11 counts of theft of a controlled substance after an investigation by the Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control and police. According to the indictment, between May and November of 2010, the nurse replaced the hydrocodone of 10 adult residents, depriving the residents of needed medication …

New information in the case of 77-year-old man who died after wandering away from his nursing home last week seems to indicate that the facility waited at least an hour before notifying police of the man’s disappearance. Police have said in a press release that the elder man, who had dementia, was reported missing from the facility at 7:30 p.m. Jan.

The family members of an elderly woman have accused the nursing home of trying cover-up a sexual assault they say occurred at the facility. Officials at the facility say there is no merit to the accusations, but the allegations in a 32-page are to the contrary. The lawsuit stems from an incident in 2010 in which a visitor to the nursing home called the head of nursing and told her that there was a possible sexual assault to the 87-year-old dementia patient.

According to police, the daughter of a nursing home resident is responsible for setting fire to another resident’s bed while the resident slept. The suspect, 59-years-old, is being charged with first degree elder abuse and arson. The woman allegedly used a lighter to light her mother’s roommates mattress on fire before leaving the room.

A long-term care facility is treating 50 residents and employees for a norovirus (a flu-like virus) outbreak that occurred last weekend. Thirty-one residents at the facility and 19 staff members are being monitored. The facility has placed signs in the lobby warning visitors of an illness outbreak and has halted admissions until the illness is resolved.