Nursing Home Negligence Category Archives — Page 3 of 22 — Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog Published by Chicago, Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

After A Private Nursing Home Acquisition, What Happens to Patient Care?

Published on: March 23, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

University of Chicago Researchers Say Privately Invested Nursing Homes Have Increased Death Rates Among Residents

Researchers at the University of Chicago, Penn, and NYU have been busy studying Medicare data covering more than 18,000 nursing home facilities nationwide. Their review includes about 1,700 facilities that were bought through private equity from 2000 to 2017. Total private equity investment in U.S. nursing homes went from $5 billion in 2000 to more than $100 billion in 2018.

The findings, published in a new working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, showed that when private equity firms acquire nursing homes, about 1,000 more resident deaths occur every year, bringing the risk of patient mortality to 10% more than the overall average.

Are Nursing Home Visits Allowed in Illinois Yet?

Published on: March 18, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

New Federal Guidelines Expand Visitation Options in Some Illinois Nursing Homes, Families Should Lookout for Signs of Abuse or Neglect

Although the risk of COVID-19 transmission within nursing homes and other long-term care facilities has been high, related outbreaks and deaths in nursing homes are down, according to a report by The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. And with many facilities now operating with residents fully vaccinated, in-person nursing home visits are being allowed at some senior living facilities in Illinois.

According to the updated guidance released on March 10, 2021, from CMS, facilities can now allow responsible indoor visitation for all residents unless specific scenarios arise that would limit visitation options, such as an increase in community infections. The updated CDC’ visitation guidance recommends long-term care facilities follow these specific guidelines:

U.S. Lawmakers Begin To Introduce Nursing Home Reform Bills

Published on: March 9, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Legislators Send Nursing Home Reform Package to New York Governor in Response to Disastrous COVID-19 Care

New York state, once ground zero for the COVID-19 pandemic and where long-term care tragedies have left many in shock, may soon become the new epicenter for nursing home care reform. State lawmakers began passing several measures on Feb. 22, as scandals break and the coronavirus pandemic continues to haunt residents, their families, and underpaid and overworked care teams. And on Wednesday, Mar. 3, the New York Assembly passed another series of nursing home-related bills to increase the transparency of facility violations, require quality assurance, and study long-term care facilities in the state. The lawmakers have said the sweeping reforms were designed to “increase safety and improve the quality of life for New Yorkers living in nursing homes.”

These are the highlights focused on New York’s four overall nursing home quality and coronavirus care-related issues addressed in the reform package. A detailed statement regarding the legislation was released by New York’s Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) on Mar. 4 and can be reviewed in more detail here.

Nursing Home Falls Are No. 1 Cause of Resident Brain Injuries

Published on: March 4, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Fall-Related Brain Injuries Go Unnoticed Too Often in Nursing Home Residents

March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month. Those who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) acquired their irreversible injury due to severe trauma – typically when the head violently hits an object or an object pierces the skull and enters the brain. These brain injuries can be serious for the elderly, especially those with underlying conditions, and require greater assistance with daily living activities, such as long-term care patients and nursing home residents. For this older group, TBI is physically painful and can cause devastating mental and emotional challenges.

Severe skull fractures and TBI are also, unfortunately, the most common fall-related injuries that lead to a decline in an older adult’s health, including death. Ultimately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TBI contributes to 20% or about 1,800 nursing home resident deaths each year.

How To Know If Your Loved One Is Malnourished, Dehydrated

Published on: March 2, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

March is National Nutrition Month – Nursing Home Negligence Can Lead to Malnutrition and Dehydration

In long-term care and post-acute care settings, malnutrition is often a result of ongoing neglect by caretakers who do not offer enough food or do not monitor proper nutrient consumption either by the mouth or a feeding device. And although delivering nutritious food, adequate amounts of water, and quality care to these individuals seems like basic necessities all facilities should provide, a staggering 85% of elderly living in nursing home-type environments suffer from malnutrition.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:

Chicago Area Still Seeing Daily COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths

Published on: February 17, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Illinois Nursing Home Residents Still Battling COVID-19 Challenges, Pandemic Concerns Remain High in Cook County

On Feb. 25, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported 1,884 new coronavirus disease cases. And while 130,000 doses of vaccine were administered across the state, the greatest group of individuals at risk of deadly exposure remain the elderly and those living in nursing homes and long-term care and rehabilitation facilities. In the weekly report, IDPH also provided a list of counties with recent fatalities.

Adams County: 1

Illinois Nursing Homes Fined For 2020 Care Violations

Published on: February 15, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

State Releases Final Report of Illinois Nursing Home Violators in 2020

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has released its last quarterly report of nursing home violators for 2020. This report dates October 2020 thru December 2020 and reflects quarter-four surveys and inspections. It highlights facilities cited for violations of the Nursing Home Care Act, public links to access the survey reports, and the related fines. Facilities with the most significant and severe penalties accrued more than $50,000 in fines. They included Generations Rock Island, Aperion Care Chicago Heights, Stephenson Nursing Center, Stearns Nursing & Rehab Center, Metropolis Rehab & Healthcare Center, and Lakeside Rehab & Healthcare in East Peoria.

Accolade Healthcare of Paxton on Pells (Paxton)

As Vaccines Roll-In, Nursing Home Care Quality Must Not Be Forgotten

Published on: February 10, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

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COVID-19 Vaccines Are Showing Improvement in Illinois Nursing Home Infections

Finally, as more and more vaccines are being distributed by CVS Health and Walgreens and now received by Illinois’ most vulnerable residents against the coronavirus, the majority of the state’s 1,800 long-term care sites have now completed their first round of shots. The CDC reported on a sample of 11,460 skilled-nursing sites that while 77.8% of residents had received a dose, only 37.5% of employees received their first dose. The low number could prove to be problematic and related to inadequate worker training and education.

Nursing home residents, rehabilitation patients, and those dependents on assisted living services account for nearly half of the state’s COVID-19 deaths. The Illinois Department of Public Health recorded only 861 new cases and 85 fatalities among residents during the week ending Friday, Feb. 18. That was the lowest weekly death tally for Illinois long-term care facilities since October.

25 Alarming Problems Illinois Nursing Homes Have

Published on: February 3, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

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2021 Justice in Aging Guide Identifies 25 Ongoing Nursing Home Problems

State-licensed elder care and rehabilitation centers in Illinois may include assisted living facilities, and residential or personal care homes. Unfortunately, hundreds of investigations into these facilities continue to reveal these 25 repetitive problems noted by the Justice in Aging. The organization’s newly published 2021 list points to issues related to relaxed oversight and understaffing workforces, preventable resident injuries, painful and unnecessary evictions, Medicaid complications, dangerous patient abuse and neglect, and irreversible tragedies for families.

Problem #1: Providing Less Care to Medicaid-eligible Residents

Most Illinois COVID-19 Infections Occur at Long-Term Care Facilities

Published on: January 27, 2021 | Levin & Perconti

Part 2: Illinois Nursing Homes with High COVID-19 Case Numbers

(Facilities M thru Z)

Not only are elderly groups at a high risk of being infected by — and dying from — the coronavirus, many people linked to nursing homes also die at a higher rate than the general population. At least 152,000 coronavirus deaths have been reported among residents and employees of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for older adults in the United States since the pandemic began in February 2020. The virus has now infected more than 1,234,000 people at some 31,000 facilities nationwide. And the total number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections among Illinois residents in all long-term care facilities, not just outbreaks, is 73,286 cases and 9,571 deaths.