Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog

The Centers Medicare and Medicaid Services Nursing Home Compare website has added a new section that allows viewers to see information on nursing homes and identify homes that have drawn increased federal scrutiny for complaints and other forms of nursing home abuse and neglect. The website includes a listing of Special Focus Facilities which are nursing homes that receive increased federal inspection as a result of past poor performance. Notably, five Illinois nursing homes made the list. Embassy Health Care Center in Wilmington, IL and Harrisburg Care Center of Harrisburg, IL are both on the “not improved” list. Facilities that have shown improvement include Alden Park Strathmoor in Rockford, Berkshire Nursing & Rehab in Forest Park, and International Village in Chicago.

See here for the report and view the website here.

Lisa Nerenberg, who has been involved in the field of elder abuse prevention since 1983, publishes a blog with posts concerning financial exploitation, identity theft, cognitive impairment and undue influence, care giving issues and cultural and gender issues. A recent post, "Geriatricians, Angry and Otherwise," is a provocative commentary which highlights useful and interesting readings. The readings cover a wide range of topics, including, "the social and economic factors that contribute to elder abuse, including ageism in healthcare, inadequate pensions, and poverty," and a surgeon's description of the field of geriatrics. In addition, Nerenberg includes interesting references to global trends in elder abuse.

Click here to read Lisa Nerenberg's blog

The number of pressure ulcers throughout the U.S. remains unacceptably high. A recent study in the April 2007 American Journal of Nursing examined the incidence and high cost of pressure ulcers and presents the results of an implemented protocol to reduce the occurrence of the widespread problem. Clinical nurse specialists institute a Pressure Ulcer Prevention Protocol Interventions (PUPPI) at the Ohio State University Medical Center. The protocol is a nursing initiative that involves assessing risk and nutritional status, providing skin care, documenting, and giving referrals as needed. Pressure ulcer protocols have shown a decrease in incidence by almost 90% in nursing homes and almost 25% in critically ill patients.

For the full article.

According to a recent Healthgrades study, the most commonly occurring patient safety incidents include failure to rescue, decubitus ulcers, and post-operative respiratory failure. These three incidents accounted for almost 72% of all patient safety incidents from 2003 through 2005. The study further explained that some of these incidents were also the most costly. Decubitus ulcers and post-operative respiratory failures accounted for 50.70% of all excess attributable costs from 2003-2005. Decubitus ulcers (bedsores) are common evidence of nursing home neglect, often attributable to staffing shortages or lack of training.

To read the full study.

Norovirus appears to be spreading nationwide in nursing homes. Norovirus is the bug that causes a nasty stomach ailment. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has asked state health officials to document outbreaks for a report to be issued soon. Typically, Norovirus hits nursing homes, day care centers, hospitals, and other group settings in the winter. It plagues cruise ships year-round. The virus is extremely contagious and is transmitted through close contact with infected people or digesting contaminated food. Its symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and low-grade fever. Unfortunately, there is no treatment. Experts recommend handwashing and good sanitation to prevent the virus from spreading.

For the full article.

The National Center for Health Statistics recently released the facility data tables from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey online. The tables include the following information about nursing homes: characteristics, staffing, management, programs, services, and employee vaccinations. With the constant fears of nursing home abuse and neglect, the tables are especially useful for families researching a home for a loved one.

To view the tables.

Adverse drug reactions alone are between the 4th and 6th leading causes of death for individuals 65 and older in the United States. Medication-related problems can be categorized into eight categories: untreated conditions; drug use without indications; improper drug selection; subtherapeutic dosage; overdosage; drug interactions; failure to receive medication; and adverse drug reactions.

The study showed that seniors are affected by medication-related problems by causing, aggravating, or contributing to common and costly geriatric problems.

For the full study report.

A Maine nurse is suing a nursing home operator, charging that she was fired for reporting nursing home abuse and neglect. The lawsuit states that the nurse called the Department of Health and Human Services to report nursing home neglect to a patient who had broken his hip. The nurse had learned from a co-worker that the man had fallen almost five hours earlier and had been put back in his bed without an assessment. The nurse alleges that she was fired in retaliation for doing the right thing and reporting nursing home abuse and neglect.

For the full article.

Choosing a nursing home for a loved one is incredibly difficult, especially with fears of nursing home abuse and neglect. A California newspaper recently featured an article about how to choose a nursing home. They state the following helpful tips: ask friends and doctors for recommendations; visit the home and observe interactions between staff and residents; smell for foul odors which should not be common; observe organized activities; ask about accreditations; and remain involved after admittance.

For the full article.

A recent study addressed the fact that the oldest old (age 85+) in nursing homes is declining. While the number of people living age 85+ nearly doubled in the past 10 years, the number of people 85+ living in nursing homes remained about the same.

This article attributes the decrease to: wealthier older people who can afford alternatives; state efforts to increase the availability of funding for alternatives; continued development of alternatives; increased availability of private long term care insurance; and state and federal government initiatives.

For the full report.

Since the 1990’s, the death rate from falling has risen sharply for elderly people. Experts have accounted the rise in statistics to be the result of people being less likely to die from chronic disease. Falling is currently the 14th leading cause of death among elders.

Nursing homes should be on high alert for residents who are likely to fall. Unfortunately, some nursing homes are not showing such concern. Nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuits often center around staff failing to supervise or protect its residents when the victims have fallen. A nursing home was recently fined $40,000 for Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect in failing to protect its residents when several residents were injured from falls.

For the full article.

A Philadelphia Inquirer article recently reported about a certified nursing assistant working in a “Green House." The Green House is a small assisted living home with just 10 residents. Nursing aides enjoy their occupation because they get to spend quality time with the residents. The Green House looks like a new home – located on residential streets, with pitched roofs, shutters, and a garden. The hallway feels like a home – with a vase and flowers on a small table, opening up into one large living area. However, the residents are just as frail, sick, and elderly as any other nursing home with one major difference: they are very happy.

The Green House concept was first conceived by Bill Thomas, the pioneer behind the Eden Alternative. There are Green Houses in Mississippi, Nebraska, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. There are two registered Eden Alternative homes in Illinois.

For the full article.

The FDA released a guide and recommendations for products that will treat chronic cutaneous ulcer and burn wounds. The guide also applies to pressure ulcers, a common symptom suffered by nursing home patients who have victims of nursing home abuse and neglect.

To view the guide.

Indisputable evidence continues to surface showing that many nursing home residents are neglected and abused on a daily basis. Despite establishing requirements against nursing home abuse and neglect in 1987 Congressional legislation, the abuse persists.

By law, nursing homes cannot receive funding from public health care programs like Medicare or Medicaid unless the facility cares for its residents in a manner respecting “the quality of life of each resident.” It’s obvious from the prevalence of abuse reports, nursing homes are bypassing this requirement through fraudulent means.

Some experts believe that the key to ending nursing home abuse and neglect lies in using the False Claims Act. A provision in the Act allows persons with knowledge of fraudulent claims being submitted to federal programs like Medicare or Medicaid to bring a lawsuit against the facility on behalf of the government. Another provision in the Act acts as an incentive for nursing home staff to be vigilant, allowing whistleblowers to earn between 15 and 30 percent of money recovered from a nursing home that submits fraudulent claims for inadequate care or services never rendered.

For the full article.

Demand for nursing assistants in nursing homes is extremely high as the number of Americans in need of long-term care is expected to double from 13 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2050. To make matters worse, nursing assistant turnover is equally high in the nursing home industry, even reaching 100% in some organizations. Gaps in staffing at nursing home affect patient care directly, decreasing the quality of patient care and the attention the patients receive. Unfortunately, these staffing gaps can result in increased occurrences of nursing home neglect and abuse.

The National Center for Health Statistics and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation have collaborated to survey certified nursing assistants in nursing homes to explain why retention in the nursing home industry is dismal. The survey is designed to provide an evidence base for understanding what draws individuals to nursing assistant careers in nursing homes and what contributes to their satisfaction in their jobs.

For more information on the National Nursing Assistant Survey.

A two year national campaign to address quality in nursing home care will kick off with a summit on September 29, 2006. The goals for the project center around nursing home abuse and neglect and include: reduction in high risk pressure ulcers; reduction in the use of daily physical restraints; improvement in pain management in both long stay and short stay residents; setting individualized quality improvement targets; regular assessment of resident and/or family satisfaction; reduction of staff turnover; and adoption of consistent staff assignment whereby residents are cared for by the same caregiver regularly. One of the founders of the campaign is the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR).

To learn more about the campaign.
To learn more about NCCNHR.

The National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) is hosting its annual conference on October 22nd – 24th. This year’s conference will be held at the Hilton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The keynote speaker will be consumer advocate Erin Brockovich.

For over thirty years, the NCCNHR has been a leading advocate against nursing home abuse and neglect by pursuing federal and state regulatory and legislative policy development to improve the care and life of nursing home residents. They focus on many pertinent issues, including inadequate staffing, poor working conditions, the high cost of poor care, and resident empowerment.

To register for the NCCNHR conference.

To learn more about NCCNHR.

The website below provides cost reports for nursing homes in Illinois detailing the operating costs of each home including salary information.

http://www.hfs.illinois.gov/costreports/