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

There has been a slow upward climb in the number of deficiencies that the nursing homes are experiencing. The amount of time between surveys at each nursing home has grown from 12 to 15 months over the past three years. After a federal mandate inspection surveys occur every 15 months in Kansas nursing homes to ensure that these elderly residents are provided with the care they deserve and that the nursing homes are upholding the standards set by the state and federal regulations. The inspection teams are made up of nurses who are employed by the Kansas Department of Aging.

It is so important that nursing homes are upholding the standards that are set by the state and federal regulations. These standards are what keep our loved ones safe and unharmed. There needs to be more follow up on these standards especially if a nursing home is charged with multiple violations. If your loved one was harmed at a nursing home that is not upholding a high standard of care, then your family should pursue compensation for the injuries or emotional damage your loved one has suffered.
 

State law requires that assisted-living facilities, which serve the elderly, and group homes, which serve developmentally and mentally disabled adults, be inspected annually. However, the audit revealed that 725 of the state's 1,367 assisted-living facilities and 154 of its 201 group homes had not had an annual inspection in the last year.

The Office of Health Care Quality, which is responsible for the inspections, has had problems keeping up with its inspections for much of the past decade and blames the problem on a heavy workload and understaffing.

This incident highlights an important problem in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and group homes. Residents and their families often assume state inspections and regulations will prevent abuse and neglect, but this is often not the case. Instead, family members and residents must be vigilant in detecting and reporting abuse and neglect and taking legal action if necessary.

During an inspection in July, an inspector noticed a pool of standing water in the boiler room and in the laundry room corridor with an extension cord draped through it across the floor. There were also packages of meat without any dates, which is another violation of state law. In August they were cited for failing to supervise a resident that was a registered sex offender with a history of sexual aggression. The resident left the facility without permission and was hit by a car and was admitted to a hospital for a knee injury. Yet after a couple of weeks all the health deficiencies in the facility had been corrected.

These close calls and almost shut down’s of nursing home facilities are scary for the residents who often times have nowhere else to go. It is a shame that nursing home administrators are not working harder to maintain higher standards of care in their facilities so that the threat of being shut down doesn’t exist. Your loved one deserves the best care and should not have to live in a facility that endangers their well-being. If your loved one was injured by nursing home facility, then contacting a professional can help your loved one receive the care they deserve.
 

In early 2009, the office of New York Attorney General started an investigation of Robert Gundersen, a certified nurse at Northwoods Rehabilitation Center who was suspected of sexually abusing a 78-year-old resident.  In March and April of that year, the attorney general's office planted a hidden camera at the facility and conducted a six-week investigation.

What they saw on the hidden camera led the attorney general's office to arrest 14 nurses and aides at the facility on a variety of charges related to neglect of residents. The 175 charges included falsifying records, endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, and willful violation of health laws.

Among the specific acts of neglect that were documented on the hidden camera video were failure to administer medication, improperly treating bedsores, and failure to check residents for incontinence.

Gundersen pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual abuse and was sentenced to 10 years probation and is no longer allowed to work in nursing homes. Five of the 14 other workers have already pleaded guilty. The other nine pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial, which is scheduled to start January 31.

This case is a shocking demonstration of the pervasiveness of nursing home neglect. The six week investigation turned up 175 distinct acts of neglect by 14 different staff members, in addition to the sexual assault that prompted the investigation. It demonstrates that nursing home residents and their families should always be vigilant about detecting and reporting abuse.

The inspections were not taking place as a result of budget limitations and as a way to save money. There have been at least 15 outbreaks of food borne illnesses since 1995. Experts have stated that people who reside in nursing homes are the most susceptible to food borne incidents.  Day care centers were also feeling the result of the budget problems, but the Department of Children and Families have temporarily taken over the task of inspecting the food preparations in day care centers. The decision to end the inspections was a result of a lack of funding from the federal government and their decision to give more inspection authority to the states. Before the cuts, the health department had inspected the nursing homes and hospitals four times a year. The governor’s spokesperson has stated that they are working together with multiple agencies in order to re-examine the cuts they made for next year. 

When you entrust a loved one in a nursing home or hospital your suspect them to uphold a high standard for care. While some nursing homes and hosptials take pride in the cleanliness and the quality of food in the hospital, there are some nursing homes that fall through the cracks and are responsible for the unnecessary suffering of hundreds of patients and residents. If your loved one has fallen victim to food poisoning caused by hospital or nursing home food, then contacting an Arizona personal injury lawyer can help bring these negligent parties to justice.