An elderly Portland, Oregon man, John Wesley Myers, who has been accused of shooting his daughter in the head and killing her will be placed in an adult care home instead of prison. Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Jerry Hodson agreed with Myers’ attorneys, who argued that the defendant was mentally unfit to stand trial, suffered dementia and should be in a nursing home.  The HensonFuerst nursing home abuse lawyers remain opposed to comingling the violent elderly criminally insane with a nursing home’s residents.

Click to read this story from KGW-TV.

As part of a Statehouse rally held on June 25, the Ohio Skilled Nursing Care Coalition released a statement saying a $300 million reduction in Medicaid reimbursement would force closing dozens of nursing homes and necessitate the transfer of residents to other locations “causing trauma and life-threatening health risks.” Further, 2,000 jobs would be lost, according to the coalition. States throughout the country, including North Carolina, will be affected by Medicaid cuts.  The HensonFuerst nursing home abuse team recommends that viewers to this blog keep a watchful eye on budget discussions in their state; specifically, how proposed budgets will impact nursing home care and long-term care.

Click to read the entire article from the Columbus Dispatch.

The federal government has promised a nationwide crackdown on nursing home abuses with the worst nursing homes being targeted for repeat surprise inspections, instead of the annual surveys conducted under the current system. Furthermore, federal officials pledge they will impose tough sanctions on violators, including fines and a ban on new admissions under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The special enforcement effort will be aimed at “poor performers,” a category that might include as many as 15% of the nation’s 17,000 nursing homes. The HensonFuerst team of nursing home abuse lawyers recommend viewers to this blog show their support of this measure by contacting the American Society on Aging at www.asaging.org.

Click to read the entire article.

Pamela Lipscomb, of the Charlotte Examiner, suggests families and caregivers of persons needing long-term care remember these simple, common-sense tips:  Be Present As Much As Possible; Be Vigilant; Develop Relationships with the Staff; Have a Regular Visitation Schedule; Participate.  Multiple studies have shown that abuse is far less likely to occur when family members and caregivers visit regularly, seek out and learn the names of facility staffers & administrators, and participate in events sponsored by the facility.

Click to read Pamela Lipscomb’s article.

Anne Duvoisin, a partner in HensonFuerst’s nursing home abuse practice, was recently elected to a three-year term on the Litigation Section Council of the N.C. Bar Association.  Anne has devoted her entire legal career to improving the lives of her clients and affecting much-needed change in the laws and regulations governing long-term and elder care.  This election is an acknowledgement by Anne’s peers of her dedication to the law and its ability to protect all citizens—especially those citizens who have become dependent on others for their care.

This link will connect blog viewers to “Medicare, The Official U.S. Government Site for People With Medicare.” http://www.medicare.gov/Nursing/Overview.asp.  On this site, viewers can find information on how to properly compare nursing homes, information on nursing home inspections, awareness campaigns, patients’ rights and nursing home publications, as well as many other U.S. government resources and sponsored programs.  HensonFuerst’s nursing home abuse lawyers recommend that you bookmark this link and keep it handy.  Should you have additional questions, our team is ready to answer your questions.

Nursing Home Attorney Anne Duvoisin highly recommends “Still Alice,” a must read for those who want to understand what Alzheimer’s disease and its progression is like for the patient suffering from the disease. “Still Alice” is a novel by Lisa Genova written from the perspective of a 50 year old world famous Harvard psychology professor who discovers that she is suffering from Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, and how she and her family are affected by and learn from the disease.  Ms. Genova’s blog site highlights what she learned about Alzheimer’s Disease writing and researching the book.

: A Virginia jury recently awarded $750,000 in damages against an assisted living facility in Newport News where a former staffer is accused of sexually assaulting a mentally disabled resident. Junious Boyd Batten of Newport News is accused of sexually assaulting the man while working at the home as a certified nursing assistant. Batten is charged with forcible sodomy, carnal knowledge and abuse and neglect. The Henson Fuerst Nursing Home Abuse lawyers strongly recommend asking care facilities if they secure criminal background checks on all employees prior to hiring and periodically during their time of employment.

Click to read the entire story from insurancejournal.com.

An unnamed certified nursing assistant at Tennessee’s Pigeon Forge Care and Rehabilitation Center took images of several unclothed residents at the nursing home. The photos and videos were found when a cell phone was left at a local restaurant, a report from the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) indicates. A restaurant worker turned on the phone in an attempt to identify its owner, recognized one of the photos of a resident at Pigeon Forge Care and Rehabilitation Center and gave the phone to a family member employed at the nursing home, the report states. The TDH conducted an investigation at the nursing home between April 2, when the phone was found, and May 11. In its report, the state determined Pigeon Forge Care and Rehabilitation Center failed to protect the residents from having unauthorized photos and videos taken – compromising their dignity, privacy and safety from abuse – and suspended admissions to the nursing home May 26. The suspension was lifted June 3, after the state said the nursing home showed it had corrected the deficiencies cited in its operations. Twelve residents appeared in 47 pictures and 27 videos, taken between July 2007 and March 2009, found on the phone, the state report states.

Click to read the entire story from knoxnews.com

A Mannford, Oklahoma woman, Diana Harris, is suing Cimarron Pointe Care Center and one of its contractors for wrongful termination after she reported abuse and neglect of the nursing facility’s residents. In the lawsuit, Harris said she worked as a housekeeper at the facility for three months and was paid by Health Care Services Group, a Tulsa company contracted by the home to provide cleaning services, and supervised by nursing home staff. During her employment, Harris said she observed numerous instances of improper care of the home’s residents. “Mrs. Harris observed a male resident who had been left in his own waste for so many hours that he had feces caked on to his leg from his hip to below his knee, and had wet himself at least one time,” according to court filings. Harris told the Tulsa World she saw the man sitting in his waste and reported it to her supervisor, the head nurse and two nurse’s aides. Her supervisor sprayed deodorant in the man’s room to cover the smell. The aides said they would leave him for the next shift. “Two and a half hours later, he was still sitting in his own waste,” Harris said. “He couldn’t say nothing. I would always talk to him. He would just light up when I went to clean his room. It’s heartbreaking when you see a resident not being taken care of.”

Click to read the entire story from tulsaword.com.