Alabama Nursing Homes Honored for Innovative Approaches to Elder Care

Several Alabama nursing homes were honored for implementing innovative approaches to elder care by the Alabama Nursing Home Association's Best Practices Program earlier this month. Eight long-term care facilities presented their creative techniques at the 16th annual Alabama’s Best Practices Program on August 13th in Birmingham.

According to the ANHA's web site, the eight selected nursing care facilities presented the following presentations on innovative care techniques:

“Validation If You Please" - Cherokee County Nursing Home - Centre: Home-like stations with different sets of activities in the Alzheimer’s unit provide residents with familiar work settings and can serve as behavioral intervention tools.

“Runaway Gang” - Southland Nursing Home - Marion: Social driven residents are given a breath of fresh air by participating in events outside of the nursing home which gives them a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

“July 4th Celebration” - Crossville Health & Rehabilitation - Crossville: Annual July 4th celebration has quickly become one of the largest events in the surrounding area and promotes a positive image of the nursing home to the community.

“Once We Get Them...We Keep Them” - Piedmont Health Care Center - Piedmont: Dramatically reduced nursing staff turnover by implementing a number of changes including having nursing staff assigned to specific residents.

“Word Bowl” - Crowne Health Care of Montgomery - Montgomery: Encourages exercising the mind by having teams of therapy and activities residents spell smaller words from one large word.

“I’ve Been Everywhere” - TLC Nursing Center - Oneonta: “Vacations” where residents experience a famous destination without leaving the facility has increased participation in activity programs.

“Hand in Hand - UTI Prevention” - Hanceville Nursing & Rehab - Hanceville: Seeks to improve a resident’s quality of life by reducing the number of urinary tract infections and training staff on how to prevent infections.

“Montessori Dementia Management" - Civic Center Health & Rehabilitation - Birmingham: Creates and presents activities and interventions based upon the teaching methods of Maria Montessori to assist dementia patients in becoming as independent as possible.

While I applaud these care facilities for striving to improve their residents' quality of life, I know that nursing home abuse and neglect has reached almost epidemic proportions in the nation's long-term care facilities. Nursing home abuse must not go unreported. If you have any reason to suspect that your loved one suffered abuse or neglect at a nursing care facility, contact an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer to stop the abuse and protect your loved one's rights.

The Birmingham nursing home attorneys at The Walker Law Firm can help you get justice for the mistreatment of your loved one. We provide aggressive representation to abuse and neglect victims in Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Tarrant, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. Call 1-877-925-5373 for a free consultation with a Birmingham nursing home lawyer regarding your case.

Illinois Nursing Home Facing Fines for Resident-on-Resident Abuse

A LaSalle County, Illinois, nursing home may be fined up to $20,000 by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for code violations that occurred earlier this summer. According to news reports, a male patient allegedly sexually molested 10 different female patients between June 6 and July 6, 2009. The home will be fined because it did not have policies in place to detect and stop the abuse.

Unfortunately, resident-on-resident abuse in nursing homes happens more often than you might think. Physical and sexual abuse committed by other residents often goes unreported. However, nursing homes and their staff are responsible for ensuring that residents are safe. If you believe your family member may have been a victim of abuse - whether by other residents or by nursing home employees - contact an experienced Birmingham nursing home lawyer immediately to stop the abuse and protect your loved one's legal rights.

If someone you love has been injured in a nursing care facility, call the Birmingham nursing home lawyers at 1-877-925-5373 for a free initial consultation. Our team of experienced personal injury attorneys can help you seek justice for your loved one's physical pain and emotional trauma. We provide aggressive representation to abuse and neglect victims in Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Tarrant, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. Our Birmingham nursing home attorneys won't charge a fee unless you receive monetary compensation in your case.

Legal Rights of Alabama Nursing Home Residents

Under the Older American's Act, nursing home residents have the right to a dignified existence, including the right to self-determination, the right to communicate with family members and other individuals outside the care facility, and the right to have access to the medical services of their choosing. This is a federal law that applies to all nursing home residents in the state of Alabama.

Sadly, the rights of many vulnerable adults are routinely violated by staff and administrators at nursing care facilities. Residents are sometimes treated like prisoners, denied access to their friends, loved ones, and doctors outside the nursing home. When this happens, nursing home residents often do not tell anyone about the abuse or neglect out of fear of retaliation by nursing home staff. The Birmingham nursing home attorneys at The Walker Law Firm can help protect victims against retaliation when they reveal that they have been abused or neglected by employees at a nursing care facility.

If you believe your loved one's rights may have been violated by an Alabama nursing home's staff or administrators, call the Birmingham nursing home lawyers at 1-877-925-5373 for a free consultation regarding your case. Our nursing home injury attorneys provide aggressive representation to abuse and neglect victims in Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Tarrant, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. Let our Birmingham nursing home injury lawyers put our expertise and resources to work for you.

NY Nursing Home Worker Charged with Abuse

A nursing home employee was arrested this week for allegedly abusing a resident at the Adirondack Medical Center's Mercy Nursing Home in Tupper Lake, N.Y. According to news reports, the 88-year-old patient sustained visible bruising to her face and suffered a broken collar bone as a result of the incident. The employee, 42-year-old John Ette, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a vulnerable adult and is being held on $1,000 bond. The nursing care facility has terminated his employment.

While this nursing facility has a "zero-tolerance" policy regarding abuse, many instances of abuse often go unnoticed or unreported. In the absence of noticeable bruising or other visible injury, many vulnerable adults refrain from reporting abuse out of fear of retaliation by nursing home staff. If you have any reason to suspect that your loved one is being abused or neglected in a nursing care facility, it is of the utmost importance that you contact a Birmingham nursing home lawyer immediately. An experienced attorney can help you keep your loved one safe and bring the wrongdoers to justice.

If you believe your loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing care facility, call an experienced Birmingham nursing home injury attorney to discuss your case. The personal injury attorneys at The Walker Law Firm can help you get justice for the mistreatment of your loved one. We provide aggressive representation to abuse and neglect victims in Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Tarrant, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. Call 1-877-925-5373 for a free consultation regarding your case.

Medical Experts Warn Against Use of Common Pain Killers by Older Adults

This week, the American Geriatrics Society warned against regular use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by adults over the age of 75. Long-term use of over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and high-dose aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and life-threatening ulcers. These drugs are often used by the elderly to combat aches and pains that accompany arthritis and other conditions associated with aging. However, doctors suggest that elderly patients would be better off taking addictive opiates, such as codeine or morphine, than taking NSAIDs on a regular basis.

According to experts, nearly 85% of nursing home residents experience moderate to chronic pain every day. If your loved one is a nursing home resident, you should investigate how the facility manages residents' pain. If your loved one currently uses NSAIDs on a regular basis, you should consult a doctor about receiving alternative pain medication that is less harmful to elderly patients. If you or a loved one has suffered any type of injury in a nursing care facility, you should consult an experienced Birmingham nursing home attorney immediately to discuss your legal options.

If someone you love has been injured in a nursing care facility, call the Birmingham nursing home lawyers at 1-877-925-5373 for a free initial consultation. Our team of experienced personal injury attorneys can help you get justice for the mistreatment of your loved one. We provide thorough representation to abuse and neglect victims in Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Tarrant, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. You don't pay a fee unless you receive monetary compensation for your injuries.

NY Nursing Home Aide Steals Resident's Diamond

A nursing home aide in New York has been charged with stealing the diamond out of a patient's wedding ring. Chad R. Smith allegedly used nail clippers to remove the diamond from a ring on an 80-year-old patient's finger while she slept. The patient suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He then pawned the ring, which was reportedly worth over $4,000, for only $300 at a local pawn shop. The nursing home reported the theft to the police, who later picked up Smith for the crime. The diamond has not yet been recovered.

This is a classic example of financial exploitation. Nursing home residents' rights include the right to remain free from financial exploitation by care facilities and their staff. Caregivers can financially exploit elders by unlawfully taking, misusing, or concealing the money, property, or other assets of their patients. Patients who suffer from dementia are especially vulnerable to financial exploitation.

If you or a loved one has been financially exploited in a Birmingham nursing home, call the Birmingham nursing home lawyers at 1-877-925-5373 for a free consultation regarding your case. Our nursing home injury attorneys provide aggressive representation to abuse and neglect victims in Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Tarrant, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. Let our Birmingham nursing home injury lawyers put our expertise and resources to work for you.

Tips for Choosing a Nursing Home for Your Loved One

Nursing home abuse and neglect is becoming more and more prevalent in our society as nursing home populations grow to meet the expanding senior citizen demographic in this country. If you have a loved one who requires nursing care, you may be facing the tough decision of placing him or her in one of Birmingham's many nursing homes. You may be confused about how to choose the right home for your loved one and concerned that the nursing home you choose may not provide them proper care.

The American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) offers 10 helpful tips for choosing the right nursing home for your loved one:

1. Appeal the Hospital Discharge: Most nursing-home admissions follow a hospital stay, where you may get as little as 24 hours' notice to find a long-term care facility. If the patient is on Medicare, tell hospital administrators you want to appeal the discharge. This will automatically give you two extra days to check out the nursing homes in your area.
   
2. Get a List of Nursing Homes. Begin your search for a nursing home with the Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116). This agency will put you in touch with your local Area Agency on Aging, which will give you a list of nursing homes in your area.
   
3. Start Close to Home. Once you have a list of facilities, start with the ones nearest your home.
   
4. Pop in Unannounced. If your first visit is during regular business hours, don't make an appointment—you'll get a better idea of how the facility is run. Just walk in and ask for the administrator, who should be on site. If not, ask for the next person in charge to show you around. Be sure to ask about the ratio of caregivers to residents or seek a copy of the staffing schedule.
   
5. Inspect the Restrooms. Any restroom in the public areas will do. Sure, evaluate the overall cleanliness—but what you really want to check out is the hot water, the lack of which is a common complaint in a lot of nursing homes, especially larger ones.
6. Look for Residents—in the Right Places. If you see them in activity areas, dining rooms, and outdoor areas, that's good. If you see them being changed, dressed, or toileted, it means the facility doesn't value their patients' privacy—or dignity.
   
7. Stay for Meal Time. Ask to see the kitchen where the residents' meals are prepared. A good nursing home will have no problem with this request.
   
8. Ask for Inspection Reports. All long-term care facilities must provide their most recent state inspection survey (Form 2567). The report lists the most recent violations found by state inspectors.
   
9. Join the Residents. All nursing homes are supposed to support both family and resident councils. There should be a schedule of these meetings posted. Ask to sit in on one and you'll get a sense of what's going on within the facility. Ask questions. You'll get frank answers.
10. Visit Often. The most important thing you can do is to visit often, to make sure the patient's care plan is being followed, and to consistently monitor his or her care.

If you believe your loved one has been abused or neglected in a long-term care facility, call an experienced Birmingham nursing home injury attorney to discuss your case. The personal injury attorneys at The Walker Law Firm can help you get justice for the mistreatment of your loved one. We provide thorough representation to abuse and neglect victims in Bessemer, Birmingham, Fairfield, Helena, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Tarrant, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. Call 1-877-925-5373 for a free consultation regarding your case.