What is wandering? Wandering is an aimless action that elderly people with dementia can sometimes engage in. Someone who is wandering is not specifically looking for an exit, but rather to move around. If they do exit a skilled nursing or assisted living facility, it is because they chanced upon…
What is Elder Abuse Awareness Day? In 2006, the annual date of June 15 was designated as “World Elder Abuse Awareness Day” by the International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations. The Day serves as a call-to-action for families,…
If your loved one resides in a nursing home or assisted living facility, it is important to be on the lookout for signs of abuse and neglect. Sadly, instances of abuse and neglect are not uncommon, and many elderly residents, especially those who suffer from cognitive issues such as dementia,…
What is Gabapentin? Gabapentin is used to treat chronic neuropathic pain, but it may cause dizziness, drowsiness, and confusion in some older adults. Making the decision on whether the benefit of gabapentin outweighs the side effects, which could lead to increased falls, may seem daunting. Gabapentin is one of the…
Abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities for the elderly is usually difficult to notice. Studies from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) indicate that as many as 1 in 10 elders experience some form of abuse each year, and figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that on…
On February 28, 2022, the White House announced new reform measures to better the quality of care and the safety of skilled nursing facility residents, as well as to “crack down on bad actors” operating nursing homes. In his State of the Union address, President Biden called on the Centers…
As Governor Gavin Newsom announced on May 4, 2020, California began to ease some of the restrictions in place starting Friday, May 8, 2020, introducing the state to the beginning of Phase 2 of California’s four-stage reopening plan. Reopening without the proper protective bulwarks can have dire ramifications. One crucial…
Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington, the first long-term care facility in the United States with a wide-scale coronavirus outbreak, was recently charged with a $600,000 fine for deficiencies that enabled the virus’ spread. Additionally, due to the slew of deficiencies, they are at risk of losing their Medicare…
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has left unprecedented marks on society, triggering stay-at-home orders, shelter-in-place orders, ceasing all in-office activities for non-essential businesses, implementing social distancing measures, to mention a few. The airborne respiratory disease is highly contagious and unfortunately, fatal to a percentage of its victims. And as novel as…
In January 2019, Amtrak sneakily added a forced arbitration clause into their ticket purchasing process. When a customer now wants to ride the Amtrak train, he or she is forced to agree to forced arbitration. Forced arbitration in this context means if the customer has any legal claims against the…