The Guardian Blog : Arizona Nursing Home Lawyer & Attorney : Solomon & Relihan Law Firm : AZ Assisted Living Neglect & Abuse : The Guardian Blog

A former nursing home worker in Lufkin, TX was recently sentenced to 20 months in jail after pleading guilty to abuse of a 77-year-old nursing home patient. The victim’s husband had noticed signs of abuse, but due to his wife’s mental state, it was difficult to prove that abuse was taking place. The husband then planted a hidden camera in his wife’s room and recorded two instances of the worker abusing his wife by grabbing her arm and twisting it violently and striking her repeatedly on the arm.

This case illustrates several problems that nursing home residents and their families must deal with. Since many nursing home residents suffer from Alzheimer’s, dementia, and similar disorders, they may not be able to report abuse themselves, so family members must be vigilant in looking for signs of abuse. In addition, since this abuse happened repeatedly, after the husband had noticed it, the administrators of the nursing home may be found liable for the abuse, as they allowed it to happen on multiple occasions despite there being signs that abuse was taking place. If you believe your loved one is being abused in a nursing home, you should contact a nursing home abuse attorney to discuss your case and decide on the best course of action.
 

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A former nursing home worker in Lufkin, TX was recently sentenced to 20 months in jail after pleading guilty to abuse of a 77-year-old nursing home patient. The victim’s husband had noticed signs of abuse, but due to his wife’s mental state, it was difficult to prove that abuse was taking place. The husband then planted a hidden camera in his wife’s room and recorded two instances of the worker abusing his wife by grabbing her arm and twisting it violently and striking her repeatedly on the arm.

This case illustrates several problems that nursing home residents and their families must deal with. Since many nursing home residents suffer from Alzheimer’s, dementia, and similar disorders, they may not be able to report abuse themselves, so family members must be vigilant in looking for signs of abuse. In addition, since this abuse happened repeatedly, after the husband had noticed it, the administrators of the nursing home may be found liable for the abuse, as they allowed it to happen on multiple occasions despite there being signs that abuse was taking place. If you believe your loved one is being abused in a nursing home, you should contact a nursing home abuse attorney to discuss your case and decide on the best course of action.
 

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According to a recent report in the Washington Post, Washington, D.C. is severely lagging in investigating abuse at group homes for people with developmental disabilities. The report found that the city had not filed timely reports for over 400 cases. This report illustrates the problem of group home abuse investigations throughout the country, as underfunded and overworked government agencies cannot keep up with the number of abuse cases. Additionally, these are just the cases that are reported. Many cases of group home abuse go unreported.

Here in Arizona, our government agencies face similar problems properly overseeing group homes that care for adults with developmental and physical disabilities. Therefore, if you have a friend or loved one in such a facility, it is important to be diligent in looking for signs of abuse. These signs could include depression, welts, lethargy, or other sudden and unexplained changes in mood or behavior. If you believe your loved one is being abused, you should contact an experienced group home abuse attorney to discuss your case and decide the best course of action.
 

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An Albuquerque group home for children with hearing impairment may be shut down due to excessive calls to the police. The Albuquerque news reports that the police have been to the home "dozens of times," responding to violence and threats. Some of the teens reportedly threatened to kill staff members, broke windows and slapped their caregivers.

The operators admit the situation is not appropriate. They claim to have taken steps towards a better environment, including giving staff "additional training." This begs the question, "why wasn't the staff trained properly to begin with?" Additionally, one wonders how healthy this environment can be for the teens when the staff can't control the situation and police must be called. A group home is supposed to be a supportive environment that helps its members adapt and function in society. This level of chaos and stress would surely hinder that kind of development

This article indicates the importance of a properly trained staff and safe group home environment. If a member of your family is in a group home, be sure to make sure they caregivers manage issues constructively. And, always be aware of the signs of abuse or neglect that may be occurring.
 

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When loved ones enter the hospital or assisted living centers, we expect them to receive quality care from experienced professionals. But what if your family member was actually being ignored by a recently hired nurse whose license was suspended in another state? A recent report by the LA Times detailed that exact situation, and reveals similar situations occur more than we realize.

The problem the article explores is the lack of oversight in the temporary nurse staffing industry. Staffing companies provide temp nurses to hospitals and nursing homes when demand increases or if the nursing home prefers to use temp staffing. While these companies are needed to help keep nursing homes and hospitals staffed, problems arise when neither the temp company nor the nursing home perform background checks on the temp nurse.

The Arizona Republic reported that these temp nurses have been known to steal medication, fall asleep on the job, and even fail to perform critical tests on patients. Nurses can be disciplined at other hospitals and even lose their licenses, but moving to another state lets them get hired again, putting patients at risk.

This study illustrates that seniors in nursing homes rely on quality care from the institution as well as their individual caregivers. A normally decent home could unwittingly hire a neglectful nurse who doesn't give your loved one the proper care or attention needed and deserved. When visiting family in a nursing home, it is critical to know the signs of neglect and prevent such problems from escalating to serious health concerns.
 

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During the holiday season it is only natural for thoughts to drift to family and friends. Unfortunately, seniors living in nursing homes sometimes feel isolated from family who have limited time to visit or live out of state. These feelings are only intensified by the lack of activities in a nursing home setting. Thankfully, a group of college students in Yuma put together a project to reach out to seniors in nursing homes this holiday season.

The Yuma Sun reports that these NAU-Yuma students went above and beyond their assignment and actually implemented their class project. Wanting to help their community, they collaborated with local businesses to bring entertaining performances and informative workshops to local nursing homes. The workshops teach hobbies and skills seniors can use to stay connected and engaged with the community.

This student project will go a long way to help Yuma seniors stay connected and engaged. Their efforts are especially helpful in nursing homes, where seniors can feel isolated and idle. Lack of adequate staffing or materials leaves residents with little to do with their time. If you visit family in a nursing home this holiday, you may want to ask what kind activities are offered, as well as making sure their basic health and comfort needs are being met.
 

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The Washington Post reported Saturday that hundreds of cases of group home abuse in Washington D.C. are going uninvestigated due to a lengthy backlog of reports. This backlog was created when the Department on Disability Services reformed its oversight methods and began investigating privately run group homes, thus discovering many cases of neglect and abuse that had gone on with impunity.

The department reported a 60 percent increase in serious incidents, up to 1057 in 2009, and will be hiring additional investigators to resolve the claims. But, this inability to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens in our nation’s capital speaks to the difficulties faced by those living in group homes.

As Arizona’s budget crisis deepens, deep cuts will be made to the Arizona Department of Economic Security and Department of Health Services, negatively affecting the care and wellbeing of group home residents. With government agencies falling behind, it is now more important than ever for family members to know the signs of neglect in group homes and nursing homes. Families serve as the first and best line of defense to protect the health and happiness of their loved ones.
 

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Arizona is one of the few states in the country that has a unique statutory definition of “abuse” of nursing home patients.

“Abuse” means:

1. Intentional infliction of physical harm.
2. Injury caused by negligent acts or omissions.
3. Sexual abuse or sexual assault.

This definition is broader than the common definition of abuse and therefore includes what would ordinarily be classified as simple negligence. This expanded definition is helpful in asserting claims for poor care given to Arizona nursing home patients.

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Many patients remain in the nursing home setting for the balance of their lives. Their final years can either be comfortable or tragic depending on the quality of care they receive.

It is difficult for an individual family to influence the nursing home’s management to improve patient care.

The best opportunity for success in improving patient care is through the nursing home’s Family Council.

Members of the council are the families of the residents. They can set their own agendas and present the facility with their concerns which must be addressed by management.

There are care issues that are common in nursing homes. The following is an outline of several of them and how they can affect nursing home patients’ quality of life.

1. Nutrition. When there is a shortage of staff in the facility, patients who are unable to feed themselves independently, suffer.

2. Hydration. A lack of adequate fluid intake is a cause of significant problems for residents including confusion, falls, and urinary tract infections.

Residents must have water conveniently located in their room. The water container must be regularly filled. Patients must be encouraged to drink water throughout the day.

Once again, inadequate staffing is usually the underlying problem when patients are dehydrated.

3. Assistance with Activities of Daily Living. Another area of concern is the insufficient number of nursing assistants to provide patients with assistance in their activities of daily living.

These activities include: bathing, dressing, grooming, transfers to bed and chair, ambulation, toileting, and eating (as discussed above).

The Family Council through its family members can provide factual accounts of care concerns at the facility and request that the facility provide adequate staff to attend to their vulnerable patients.

If cooperation isn’t forthcoming, the Council should then request the Arizona Department of Health Services to investigate the inadequacy in the facility’s level of care.
 

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