Nurses at two separate nursing homes were recently charged with stealing their own patients’ pain medication.  In one story, a nurse was reported to have stolen medicine for her own use.  She was charged with injuring the patient by exploitation.  Read about the charges.  In the second case, a…

A mentally disabled patient man brutally raped a 71-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease at an assisted living facility.  The man, who was found naked in the woman’s bed, told investigators he just “wanted some sex.”  Both were patients of the same wing of the…

According to a recent study of nursing homes in Virginia and Maryland, blacks are up to one-third more likely than whites to be hospitalized for dehydration, poor nutrition, bedsores, and other illnesses because they receive less care.  In an upcoming issue of the journal Health Services…

A developmentally disabled patient of a state-licensed home died recently from complications caused by burns he received when an aide placed him in scalding bath water.  The burns covered the man’s feet and required a month-long hospitalization before he died. …

A recent study of over 2,300 nursing home falls and fractures revealed that bedrails protect residents from falls when sedative use is also reduced.  The study highlighted the danger of oversedating patients who use restraints.  According to the study, antidepressants increased the risk of falling almost…

Do nursing home patients spend too much time in wheelchairs?  Are nursing home and assisted living patients too often “parked” in wheelchairs and neglected by staff?  There’s been a recent push to help patients spend less time in wheelchairs and more time walking and using seating surfaces other…