California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Antipsychotic Drug Use Negatively Impacts Dementia Patients

January 22, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

Making the decision to place a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility is a complex task. It is normal to fear the outcome of care for your loved one, especially regarding the use of medications and the possible abuse against the individual.

Antipsychotic drugs are a major concern in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia. Antipsychotic drugs are approved to treat serious mental illnesses, such as, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but are not regarded as a treatment for dementia. Unfortunately, many dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease patients are given antipsychotic drugs to help reduce agitation, anxiety, and aggression, all emotions associated with dementia.

Slow Walking Speed is a Strong Indicator of Future Depressive Symptoms in Elderly Patients

January 18, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

Psychomotor activity is a strong indicator of mood disorders. Psychomotor slowing in adults with depression may indicate a dimension of symptoms that can facilitate the process of diagnosing the depression subtype and deciding on the best treatment. Due to age-related factors, psychomotor activity pertaining to both cognition and gait speed can significantly decline.

New Studies Show That Stress is More Harmful to Health Then One May Realize

January 15, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

Stress is an integral part of everyone’s lives, whether it comes from work, school, financial issues, relationship problems, etc. Statistics show that an estimated 75% of Americans reported feelings of moderate to high levels of stress within the past month. Although most people are aware that stress can take a toll on sleep quality, cause headaches and increase the risk of depression, but studies have found more surprising effects stress can have on our health.

Care Providers Must Assess Burdensome Symptoms and Care Practices Potentially Deleterious to End-Of-Life Patients

January 14, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

As the older adult population continues to escalate in North America, so does the elderly population residing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities toward the end of life. Most older adult residents in long-term care are predicted to die in a nursing home (an estimated 80%) or to be discharged or transferred to a hospital right before passing away. The duration an older adult stays in a nursing home is not long: 20 to 25 months on average in Canada and 5 to 33 months on average in the United States. The quality of death these elderly residents experience as a primary component of late-life quality of life is clearly critical. Unfortunately, many long-term care residents near the end of life are victims to burdensome symptoms and potentially deleterious care practices.

Care Providers Must Help Elderly Patients Maintain their Mental Well-Being

January 12, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

With the welcoming of the New Year, most of us have probably made at least one resolution for 2016. While resolutions that revolve around the improvements in physical health are important—such as going to the gym more often and losing weight—resolutions that focus on the improvement of mental health are just as important, too. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Mental health is an integral part of health; indeed, there is no health without mental health.” A large number of studies support this statement. According to a study from 2012 published in The BMJ, for example, poor mental health is highly associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular illness and cancer. Another study reported by Medical News Today showed that mental illness was significantly associated to higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Older adult residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are vulnerable to declines in mental health and must be given the proper care to maintain every aspect of their quality of life.

Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility Staff Must Properly Care for Patients At Risk of Falls

January 11, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

Many older adults are at high risk of falls that can cause serious injury and debilitation. Impaired lower extremity function increases the likelihood for falls, hip fractures, sarcopenia, and loss of independence. Given that the elderly population has been experiencing major growth worldwide, interventions to prevent functional decline and the impending undesirable and costly consequences are in critical need.

An Increasing Number of Older Adults are Dying from Cardiovascular Disease

January 8, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) 2016 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease and stroke are the two top contributors for deaths worldwide. Although efforts have been made to reduce the rates of death from heart disease and stroke, the numbers are still very high. More than 800,000 American people died in 2013 due to cardiovascular diseases, including more than 370,000 deaths from heart disease and almost 129,000 from stroke. There are seven factors associated with cardiovascular health that people should be aware of: smoking, exercise, diet, body weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.

Post-Acute Care Staff Must Address Preventable Factors that Can Lead to Hospital Readmission

January 7, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

The rate at which older adults in post-acute care (PAC) facilities are readmitted back into the hospital due to an adverse event is far too high. According to the Office of the Inspector General, 22% of all hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries discharged to post-acute care facilities are victims of an adverse event that sends them back to the hospital. 60% of the adverse events were found to be preventable with better care procedures, such as enhanced medication reconciliation and more vigilant patient monitoring. Residents in post-acute care facilities who experience hospital readmission are less likely to return to the community. Is it crucial that rate of readmissions from post-acute care is significantly reduced.

Nursing Home Staff Must Assess Burdensome Symptoms and Potentially Harmful Care Practices For End-Of-Life Patients

January 6, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

Many nursing home residents reaching the end of life are often vulnerable to burdensome symptoms and potentially improper care practices. Managing symptoms appropriately and preventing negative care practices from occurring is paramount to high-quality care for end-of-life patients. A recent study sought to identify common burdensome symptoms and potentially negative practices for nursing home residents reaching the end of life. The study also aimed to come up with a procedure for care providers in nursing homes to rate impact of symptoms and practices and create recommendations for action.

A Nursing Home Is Convicted of False Claims Act and Settles to Pay $600,000

January 5, 2016 | by Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi

According to a recent McKnight’s article, Genesis Healthcare LLC has been found guilty of False Claims Act allegations for a skilled nursing facility in Arlington, VA and is subject to pay $600,000. A statement from the Department of Justice, Eastern District of Virginia reported that Potomac Center staff neglected to implement patient care activities as recorded in the resident medical record of a patient and failed to provide certain care activities corresponding to a physician order for over a month in the year 2008.