A congressman in California has been recognized by a senior advocacy group for authoring legislation providing extra funding for the state ombudsman program.  North Carolina also has a State Ombudsman program which many people do not even know exists.  The program provides each county with a person, known as an ombudsman, whose job is to serve as a resource for people in nursing homes, and their families.  If a family has a problem that needs addressing, they can call their local ombudsman who can then serve as a mediator of sorts to help the family communicate their concerns to the facility, and to work towards a resolution.  For the full text of the California article, please click on the following link:  http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/view/114796

For more information on the North Carolina Ombudsman program, please click on the following link:  http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/aging/ombud.htm

A recent study by a New York state senator’s office found that more than 30,000 incidents of elder abuse and neglect occurred in the year 2008.  This finding echoes what those of us who practice nursing home law have known for years – that our beloved elderly remain at an extremely high risk for abuse.  It is sickening that we as a society continue to let this happen to our most vulnerable citizens.  I fight day in and day out to stop the abuses that come from nursing home corporations being driven by greed, and the consequences that causes.  Don’t believe me?  Read the full article here:  http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/20523/

I am a diabetic.  I am also a lawyer who focuses on nursing home abuse and neglect cases, and in that context I have seen and brought to light through litigation numerous instances of diabetes in the elderly being mismanaged in a nursing home setting.  Diabetes is a complicated condition, and requires multifaceted approaches and techniques to treat properly.  These approaches assume that sufficient staff are present in the nursing home to implement the various orders of treating physicians and registered dieticians to insure that glucose levels are managed properly and elderly residents do not suffer.   Unfortunately, many nursing home operators choose to have less than sufficient staff to care for their residents.  This has a particular impact on those residents with diabetes.  A new study confirms that “numerous opportunities [exist] for improvement in the quality of care for nursing home residents with diabetes mellitus.”   The study further found that “only 15% of facilities studied had a policy for the use of treatment algorithms to manage residents with diabetes . . .”  Our elderly diabetics deserve better, and while the nursing home industry might choose not to believe my message with regard to the mistreatment of diabetic residents, they now have a message they cannot ignore, from the American medical Directors Association,  that should force them to take a look at this issue more closely.

JAMDA article (Diabetes) June 2009

Now is the time that you can do something to protect one of the most vulnerable populations – our elderly residents of nursing homes.  There is legislation pending in Washington entitled the “Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act” which is designed to keep the elderly from being subjected to one-sided, industry driven arbitration contracts after they have been abused in nursing homes.  Abuse and neglect is unforgiveable, but when it is followed by a restriction of the constitutional rights of the elderly victim, that is unconscionable.  Please call your legislators NOW to urge them to support this much-needed legislation.  For a full description of the issues and what you can do, please click on the following documents: 
Nursing Home Coalition Support Letter 2009 (3-11-09) & Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act Fact Sheet