Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog

June 15th is World Elder Abuse Day, a day to increase awareness of issues related to the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older individuals. The day was established in 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and consists of a variety of activities such as professional conferences and community outreach events. Awareness of issues such as nursing home abuse and neglect is critical to developing solutions to failures to monitor and regulate elder abuse. The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse is designed “to recognize and respond to the mistreatment of older people in whatever setting it occurs, so that the latter years of life will be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation.”

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Chicago nursing home attorneys Steven M. Levin and Michael F. Bonamarte will be featured speakers at the Andrews Nursing Home Litigation Conference this February in Sanibel Island, Florida.

Steven M. Levin, Founding Partner at Chicago-based Levin & Perconti is the Co-Chair and moderator of the conference. Michael F. Bonamarte, an Associate at Levin & Perconti will address the conference on the issue of Unavoidability.

The conference will begin Thursday February 28th and end Friday February 29th. This interactive conference is designed for both plaintiff and defense lawyers who litigate nursing home abuse and neglect cases.

There are three easy ways to register for the conference: 1) Call 1-800-328-9352; 2) Fax 651-687-4111; or 3) Go to west.thomson.com and enter OFFER NUMBER 563293 (Click here for this option).

Click here for the conference brochure, listing the featured speakers and topics, hotel accomodations information and more!

The Elder Law Initiative and School of Social work present the Third Annual Summer Institute on Aging. The Summer Institute on Aging is a four-day, interdisciplinary course co-sponsored by the Loyola University Chicago School of Law and School of Social Work open to social workers, nurses, physicians, counselors, geriatric care managers, and attorneys. This highly interactive course will explore the psychosocial, ethical, policy, and legal issues related to aging and mental health, taking into account racial, gender, ethnic, and income differences among the elderly. The course will feature faculty and guest speakers from a variety of disciplines. Through simulations and group work, the course provides an excellent opportunity for true interdisciplinary collaboration. Continuing education credit available.

Click here for more information or contact Marcia Spira at 312.915.7580

On May 22nd, Boulevard Healthcare will be hosting its annual Medical Directors meeting. The keynote address will be delivered by Steven M. Levin of Levin & Perconti. Mr. Levin will be addressed Litigation in Long Term Care: The Emerging Storm.

For more information.

Drew Velting, a New York Psychologist, will be taking his geriatric-friendly, stand-up comedy show on the road to observe National Nursing Home Week (May 13-19). Over a span of two weeks, the comedian will entertain residents and staff at elder care centers. He loves performing at nursing homes and is convinced that laughter promotes hope and recovery.

For the full article.

Join elder care advocates from across the nation at the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) annual meeting from October 21-24, 2007 at the Hilton Crystal City. The theme is: Quality Care No Matter Where.

The NCCNHR is a nationwide grassroots organization concerned with encouraging citizens and advocates to fight for quality long term care and prevent nursing home abuse.

To learn more about the conference.

The March 31 seminar hosted by The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Education Fund entitled “Top Ten Things Every Lawyer Should Know” is approaching. Steven M. Levin, of Levin & Perconti, will be presenting on skills and strategies in deposition-taking. Other topics include pre-trial litigation, medical malpractice lawsuits, jury consultants, and experts.

For more information, call 800-252-8501.
To register, call 217-789-0810.

The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Education Fund is sponsoring a seminar at the Hilton Suites Chicago on March 31, 2007 entitled "Top Ten Things Every Lawyer Should Know." Topics include experts, pre-trial litigation, medical malpractice lawsuits, and jury consultants. Steven M. Levin, of Levin & Perconti, will be presenting on skills and strategies in depositions.

To register, call 217-789-0810.
For more information, call 800-252-8501.

A reminder from a previous post: The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. is hosting their annual Illinois Chapter meeting tomorrow, Friday, January 12, 2007 at 12:30 p.m. CST. The meeting will occur at LaSalle National Bank, 135 S. LaSalle Street, 18th Floor, Conference Room C.

To participate via telephone, you can call (888) 447-7153 and enter 3983990#. NAELA is a non-profit association that assists lawyers and other organizations specializing in elder law, including nursing home abuse and neglect.

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. will be holding their annual Illinois Chapter meeting this Friday, January 12, 2007 at 12:30 p.m. CST.The meeting will occur at LaSalle National Bank, 135 S. LaSalle Street, 18th Floor, Conference Room C. To participate via telephone, you can call (888) 447-7153 and enter 3983990#. The NAELA is a non-profit association that assists lawyers and other organizations specializing in elder law, including nursing home abuse and neglect.

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) will be hosting a web seminar on 10/12/06 from 3:30-4:30 CST about courtroom technology, discussing the implementation of different computer programs to organize and present cases to a judge or jury.

To register.

The National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) is hosting a conference call training for nursing home residents and their family members. This call is part of NCCNHR’s consumer project entitled “Giving Voice to Quality: A Consumer Education Project to Equip Nursing Home Residents and Their Families.” Active family and resident involvement is essential to protect against nursing home abuse and neglect.

To register for the conference call or to learn more information, please e-mail voice@nccnhr.org.

The National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) is hosting its 5th Educational Conference Call. This call’s topic is “Eating with Dignity: Nutrition and Hydration.” The call begins at 2:00 p.m. CST and features expert speaker Jeanie Kayser-Jones, a professor of gerontological nursing and medical anthropology.

NCCNHR is instrumental in the fight against nursing home abuse and neglect . For more information on NCCNHR.

To register for the conference call, please e-mail voice@nccnhr.org.

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. will be hosting its 2006 Advanced Elder Law Institute entitled “Re-Visioning the Practice.” Sessions cover topics, such as “The Future of Elder Law” and “Substance Abuse, Depression, and Other Mental Illness and the Elderly.”

To register.

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 landmark Illinois Home Health, Home Services, and Home Nursing Agency Licensing Act will take effect September 1, 2008. Under the new law, agencies will be licensed as one or more of the following entities: Home Health, Home Nursing, and/or Home Services. The regulations are designed to protect the senior consumer. Under the Act, the agency will have to comply with a set of standards and will submit to specific training and supervision requirements.

The Illinois HomeCare Council, Life Services Network, and the National Private Duty Association are hosting the following information seminars on the new law: 10/4/2006 in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, 10/5/2006 in Springfield, Illinois, 10/10/2006 in Rockford, Illinois, and 10/12/2006 in Deerfield, Illinois.

To register.

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) in conjunction with the American Law Institute – American Bar Association will be presenting a webcast on October 4, 2006 entitled “Protecting Mama’s Life Savings.” The webcast will be broadcast from 1:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Central Standard Time and will consist of discussion with interactive question and answer sessions.

The NAELA focuses on assisting lawyers, organizations, and others who work with older clients and their families. They provide information, assistance, and education in many specialized issues that surround elderly life.

To register for the webcast.

To learn more about NAELA.

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.