Although we would like to think it’s not the case, reports and lawsuits indicate that abuse within nursing homes and assisted care facilities are not isolated incidents. Following the recent U.S. trend regarding hidden cameras documenting nursing home abuse, an 85 year old resident in an Ontario long term care…
South Carolina is joining a group of states in a recent trend regarding legislation addressing hidden cameras. Sometimes referred to as “granny cams,” devices are placed inside nursing homes, and are designed to capture potential abuse of residents. The legislation, such as in other states, was inspired by at least…
The Florida Senate Judiciary Committee recently voted to approve a bill that would have a major impact on the ability of plaintiffs in nursing home lawsuits to recover punitive damages. SB 1384, which passed by a 7-2 vote, would require that at an evidentiary hearing the individuals establish that the…
An Alabama nursing home is facing a wrongful death lawsuit following a fire drill gone tragically wrong. While the circumstances surrounding the accident remain unclear, the victim in this case, a 93 year old woman, was confined to a wheelchair. During what seems to have been a routine fire drill,…
The Minnesota Department of Health recently published a report on its website, stating that it had substantiated claims of neglect and abuse in at least two different nursing homes. In the first case, a disabled resident was allegedly neglected when an employee left her inside of her room with the…
The Oklahoma Legislature is in the midst of deciding whether to approve a measure that would allow loved ones to place hidden cameras in resident rooms in order to document potential abuse. The issue of hidden camera placement is currently up to each individual facility to decide. As proposed, Senate…
Last month, a northern California nursing home received a severe citation and $100,000 fine for allegedly overmedicating an 82-year-old stroke patient with a blood thinning drug. These penalties were imposed following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the patient’s 2011 death while in the facility’s care. According to a representative…
Rosewood Heights, a 242 bed nursing home in Syracuse, New York was recently cited for 26 violations relating to patient care and safety standards. According to the December 2012 inspection report, which was recently published on the New York Health Department’s website, three of the violations were classified as “immediate…
Three Connecticut nursing homes are facing fines for serious lapses in care related to residents who as a result were injured or suffered a further deterioration in health due to improper wound treatment. In the first incident, according to a state inspection report, the rehabilitation center failed to provide adequate…
A former nursing home resident’s estate has filed suit against the facility the man was living in when he died, accusing the facility of negligence which caused the man to suffer several falls while in its care, which ultimately led to his death. The suit was filed on behalf of…