U.S. senator questions the government about their response and action to reports of nursing home abuse and privacy violations made on social media. Delaware senator Thomas R. Carper recently sent a letter to Jocelyn Samuels, the director of the Office for Civil Rights. In his correspondence, the senator asks Samuels about what the U.S. Department of …
According to federal and state laws, nursing home residents have the right to be free from physical and chemical restraints. To prevent falls, at-risk residents are typically given alarms so they can request help when they need to get up. The nursing home injury lawyers at Pintas & Mullins report on a troubling new effort …
In honor of World Alzheimer’s Day, Pintas & Mullins would like to spotlight a particularly insidious and often-ignored problem. The overuse and misuse of antipsychotics among nursing home residents with dementia is dangerous, rampant, and illegal. We urge anyone with a loved one suffering from dementia in a nursing home to be aware of the …
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one-fourth of people aged 65 and older suffer at least one fall per year. Roughly 3 million elderly people receive treatment in a hospital emergency room for a fall injury annually. Nursing home residents are also susceptible to potential falls and their resulting injuries. If …
Illinois Governor Quinn recently signed into law two pieces of legislation that will help nursing home residents voice concerns about their care. The first law, effective immediately, allows these complaints to be submitted electronically rather than only over the phone. Nursing home negligence lawyers at Pintas & Mullins explain these new laws and how nursing …
Unfortunately, every year we hear of reports involving violent behavior, sexual abuse, theft, neglect and other unacceptable actions towards nursing home residents. Because of this, our Chicago nursing home neglect lawyers encouraged by Illinois’ ambitious state plan to shift mentally ill, adult nursing home residents into community-based programs. However, this plan doesn’t appear to be …
If your loved one lives in a nursing home with substandard care practices, which may rise to the level of elder abuse, their risk of choking increases substantially. The Importance of Following the Standard of Care Maintaining a safe nursing home means complying with industry-wide standards that control the quality of care. Some basic tenets …
A recent online study by the University of California, San Francisco shows that the nation’s largest for-profit nursing home chains provide decidedly lower quality care than their non-profit and government-owned counterparts. This study was made available in advance of print publication in Health Services Research, and states that the primary cause of the reduced quality of care …
Nursing home negligence lawyers at Pintas & Mullins illuminate a recent jury verdict out of Polk County, Florida, awarded to the family of a woman who died at a local nursing home. The facility, Auburndale Oaks Healthcare Center, is owned and operated by Trans Healthcare Management, which was listed as the defendant. The lawsuit was …
Inadequate care in American nursing homes is a widespread problem, with often dire consequences. One recent case in California highlights the issue of suicide in long term care settings, which fortunately is not a common problem, though the statistics are not decreasing. Nursing home negligence lawyers at Pintas & Mullins bring this case to light …
Although an immense amount of trust is placed in American nursing homes, our nursing home negligence lawyers recognize that some, particularly for-profit facilities, are prioritizing profit margins over patient care. A recent article in Bloomberg News revealed many troubling issues posed by our country’s nursing homes. The article cited November reports by federal health care …
As the News-Gazette is reporting, the Vermilion Manor Nursing Home is facing hefty fines after state public health inspectors found several violations relating to bacterial infections among the residents. The Danville, Illinois nursing home did not admit any new Medicare or Medicaid residents for three months while the violations were corrected. Inspection reports from the …
Nursing home negligence lawyers at Pintas & Mullins point to a troubling new study published in the Annals of Surgery detailing the risk of abdominal procedures in nursing home residents. Compared to seniors of the same age undergoing the same surgical procedure, nursing home residents experienced substantially higher rates of mortality and invasive interventions. The …
Currently, New Jersey does not have legislation that mandates the number of nursing aides that nursing homes should hire. Rather, these facilities are allowed to use their discretion on how many, or how little, aides they hire for their residents. Unfortunately, this leads to many nursing homes trying to cut corners and save money by …
Our Chicago nursing home lawyers understand that nursing home negligence can happen, even in skilled nursing homes. A family from Arlington Heights recently filed a lawsuit against the nursing home responsible for a maggot infestation that had to be surgically removed from their loved one’s ear. As CBS Chicago is reporting, the 92-year-old severe Alzheimer’s …
A homicide investigation continues into the death of an 80-year-old dementia patient who was brutally beaten by a fellow resident at an Oak Park nursing home on February 12, 2012. According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, the victim of the attack was found lying unconscious after an altercation with a 66-year-old resident from …
As tax day approaches, criminals posing as IRS agents are taking to the phones to try to scam senior citizens out of their retirement money. Elder law attorneys at Pintas & Mullins detail how the telephone scam works and how to protect your loved ones. The Fraud Watch Network recently issued a press released outlining …
Nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Pintas & Mullins highlight a recently article published in the Chicago Tribune concerning the known risks of bed rails for the elderly. Bed rails were designed and introduced into seniors’ homes and long-term care facilities to increase mobility and independence, however, the effects of these medical devices have …
At least 250,000 older adults are hospitalized for hip fractures every year, and more than 95% of those injuries are caused by falling. Complications can be life-threatening, and almost all hip fractures require some form of surgical repair or replacement. The recovery is long and difficult, and may leave the injured person unable to live …
Nursing home abuse lawyers at Pintas & Mullins report that Skilled Healthcare, one of the nation’s top ten for-profit chains, finds itself again under intense scrutiny. Due to recent citations and lawsuits, Skilled Healthcare will be closely monitored by state and federal authorities as it agrees to spend more of its budget on staffing levels …