Nursing Home patients in 'immediate jeopardy' |

Saying they have found nursing home violations that constituted "immediate jeopardy" to elderly nursing home patients at the Hebert Nursing Home on Log Road, federal and state health officials have given the 133-bed facility until Feb. 1 to make corrections or they will terminate it as a Medicare and Medicaid provider for skilled nursing care.
Additionally, the U.S. agency dealing with Medicare and Medicaid services has been fining the facility $5,500 a day since Dec. 22 and has imposed a denial of payments for any new admissions after Jan. 23.

Hebert Nursing Home patients in 'immediate jeopardy' The Valley Breeze

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care giver facing abuse charges

A CARE home worker has been accused of abuse against elderly patients.Janice Glover faces eight separate charges covering a two year period when she worked at Ayr’s Claremont Nursing Home.She denies the charges, however, has been sacked from her job at plush Bupa run Claremont, which specializes in the care of dementia patients.It is alleged that between May 1, 2010 and November 30 that year, Glover assaulted an elderly nursing home patient by handling her chest.It is further alleged that between July 2, 2009 and February 1, 2011, Glover ill-treated an elder patient by repeatedly striking him on the ears with her fingers, inserting a pen into his ears, repeatedly instructing staff not to care for him when he had fallen, making him sleep in a chair overnight when there was no medical need to do so and repeatedly swearing and making offensive remarks towards him.The third charge states that Glover ill-treated another male patient by repeatedly swearing and making remarks of a sexual nature towards him between July 2, 2009 and February 18 2011.
Claremont carer facing catalogue of abuse charges.

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Health department verifies neglect at Sartell's Country Manor

The Minnesota Department of Health has substantiated a case of nursing home neglect that occurred at a Sartell nursing home, it was announced Wednesday.
A resident at Country Manor Health & Rehab Center fractured his pelvis in a nursing home fall after being left unattended on the toilet with an alarmed motion monitor, according to the complaint. The man was described in the report as having osteoarthrosis, diabetes mellitus and dementia, and had a history of falls. Health department verifies neglect at Sartell's Country Manor St. Cloud TIMES sctimes.com:

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Worst Massachusetts Nursing Homes mentionned

According to USA Today, 3 Massachusetts Nursing Homes have been included on the Governments list of lowest rated Nursing Homes:

- Calvin Coolidge Nuring & Rehab Ctr - Northampton	Northampton	MA
- Springside Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center	Pittsfield	MA
- Wingate At Wilbraham Rehab & Skilled Nurs Resid	Wilbraham	MA

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-10/nursing-home-federal-ratings/53031094/1?csp=obinsite

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Nurse Aide fired for Elder Abuse

A certified nursing assistant at a Grand Marais nursing home was cited for elder abuse for pulling two residents by the arms and speaking to one in a “disrespectful manner,” according to a state report made public on Wednesday.

The facility, Cook County North Shore Hospital and Care Center, was cited for procedural failings in relation to the incident, according to public records from the Minnesota Department of Health.
The employee, who wasn’t named, was suspended during an internal investigation that began June 2; she later was fired due to “lack of respect” for residents, the report said. An unannounced follow-up visit on Nov. 17 determined the facility had corrected its deficiencies, it added.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/223150/group/homepage/

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Family files $15 million wrongful death suit against Nursing Home

Family members filed a $15 million wrongful death lawsuit against a local nursing home on Wednesday. The complaint says Erwin Health Care Center in Unicoi County waited days before notifying a doctor or family members that one of their patients was “comatose.”
"This is a classic example of pure neglect,” attorney for the plaintiff Parke Morris said. “He was just forgotten."
Morris said William Warden, 93, entered Erwin Health Care Center on March 8th, 2011.
On March 28th, he weighed 162 pounds.
The lawsuit suggests Warden was in good health on April 25th when he visited with Alan Altizer and had a “pleasant conversation.”
But Warden's medical notes indicated a decline on May 2nd. They described him as "comatose."
Morris said no one notified a doctor – or the Warden Family – for two full days.
"If this had happened to an animal, we'd have the SPCA out demanding that a full investigation be done,” Morris said. “Here, it's just swept under the rug because it's a bunch of old people."
Family files $15 million wrongful death suit against Erwin Health Care TriCities.com

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Belleville nursing home negligent in 77-year-old resident's death

The 77-year-old nursing home resident who walked away from a Belleville nursing home last month and later died in the cold had wandered off from the facility two times in the weeks and months before his final disappearance, according to an inspection report released Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Despite these previous attempts, Aubrey Giles, who suffered from dementia, kidney failure and heart disease, was not wearing a patient monitoring device Jan. 14 when he left Midwest Rehabilitation and Respiratory Care, 727 N. 17th St., the report states.The report also states that Giles' care plan -- the set of services staff is supposed to provide the patient for their proper care -- "does not address (Giles') exit seeking behaviors and elopement attempts, and goals and interventions to address these behaviors."

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/02/11/2053992/report-nursing-home-was-negligent.html#storylink=cpy

State: Belleville nursing home negligent in 77-year-old resident's death - Belleville news - bnd.com

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Former nursing home employee speaks out about abuse

A former nursing home employee said she was a witness to the elder abuse and neglect.

Ex-Brandon Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center employee who we'll call "Ann" worked as a certified nursing assistant at the facility for about six weeks.

"while I worked there I reported several cases of abuse," said Ann.

The health professional said she left after repeatedly seeing elderly patients neglected, left for hours in their waste and treated cruelly.

"I witnessed a gentleman fall out of his wheelchair and I witnessed one of the other aides that I was shadowing pull his shirt up over his head and when she did that his head bounced and hit the floor," said the certified nursing assistant.

The 30 year old wife and mother said she told her supervisors about the abuses but nothing was ever done.

She was disturbed by the sight of 74 year old Tommi Lovern's injuries.

"I definitely believe what the people are saying," said Ann.

"My dad was fine until he went to that nursing home. He was in his right mind and it's like he went down and down and down from there," said Renee Guy Thomas.

Former nursing home employee speaks out about a - Flash Player Installation

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Sexual abuse of elderly resident at Nursing Home investigated

Workers at the Hebert Nursing Home have told health authorities and police that they witnessed, and reported in vain many times, what they consider a disturbing pattern of long-term abuse, with sexual overtones, of a mentally impaired resident. Reports from government health agencies indicate that the resident - an 89-year-old woman - for months was subjected to digital penetration of her private parts, and other indignities, by her two daughters.
Sexual abuse of elderly resident at Hebert Nursing Home investigated | The Valley Breeze

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Nursing Assistants Charged with Abusing Elders

Two former employees of Central Coast Nursing Center — recently stripped of its operating license after state officials discovered widespread health and safety violations at the Santa Barbara nursing home — have been arrested on sexual battery and elder abuse charges. Central Coast Nursing Center, located at 3880 Via Lucero, has a capacity of 154 residents and is one of the county’s largest long-term care locations.
Brian Watt, a 29-year-old Ventura resident and registered sex offender, was arrested on September 9, charged with felony lewd act upon a dependent adult, felony sexual battery on an institutionalized victim, and misdemeanor dependent adult abuse. According to the California Department of Justice, which spearheaded the investigation, the charges are related to an incident that took place on September 4, 2010. Mary Barron with the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office explained that if Watt is convicted on all counts, he could face up to six years in prison.
The Santa Barbara Independent Nursing Assistants Charged with Abusing Elders#commenttoggle

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Nursing Homes Face Fines For Resident Injuries in CT

Two nursing homes, in West Haven and Waterbury, face fines from the state for incidents in which staff members reportedly were abusive towards residents, while four other homes have been cited for other care lapses that led to resident injuries.
Administrators of both Paradigm Healthcare Center of West Haven and Abbott Terrace Health Center in Waterbury told state Department of Health inspectors that they terminated the employees involved in the alleged incidents of elder abuse.
Paradigm faces a $650 fine in connection with an incident in which four nursing employees held down a resident during a procedure, in a way that “did not follow the facility’s protocol for providing care in a dignified manner,” a DPH report says. Paradigm also was cited for failing to provide pain medication promptly to a patient, and for not properly monitoring another resident who was dehydrated and who suffered broken ribs while in the nursing home.
Abbott Terrace faces a $755 fine after an incident in which a nurse’s aide treated a resident in a rough manner that may have caused the patient to hit his or her head on a bedrail, a state report says. The aide was terminated because of the incident. The home also was cited for three other incidents involving injuries to residents, including one who suffered a leg fracture.
Other nursing homes fined by the state DPH in January include:
• Rose Haven of Litchfield was fined $710 after a resident sustained a leg fracture while being moved from a bed to a wheelchair without proper supervision by a physical therapist.Nursing Homes Face Fines For Resident Injuries | CT Health I-Team

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Worst Nursing Homes remain on Government Rating List.

More than 560 of the nation's nursing homes have not budged for the past three years from a one-star federal government rating — the lowest on a five-star scale — even as most homes improved, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal data.

In Georgia, more than one in 10 nursing homes have consistently received one star in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rating. Pennsylvania and Louisiana each had 8% of homes at the lowest rating. "Nobody wants to see consistent one-stars; they give everybody a bad name," says Larry Minnix, president and CEO of LeadingAge, an association of non-profit nursing homes. "You'd like to think the marketplace would deal with it and residents wouldn't get placed there, but sometimes they don't have a choice."

INTERACTIVE: See ratings for 15,000 nursing homes

The lowest overall rating is awarded to nursing homes "much below average" compared with others in their state, according to CMS. Among problems that can drop a rating: consistently dirty equipment and linens, elder mistreatment and unlicensed caregivers or specialists.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-10/nursing-home-federal-ratings/53031094/1

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Hospital Acquired Infections -- Massachusetts Rtats

New data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows that Massachusetts has the 14th lowest/best rate among the 50 states in the incidence of one of the most serious and deadly types of hospital acquired infections (HAIs). Kaiser News has a good summary here. In 2009, there were 41,000 central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in U.S. hospitals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These infections happen when narrow tubes are inserted in a major vein to inject medicine or fluids or to perform tests. Each one, according to CMS, adds about $17,000 in costs to a hospital stay, and about one fourth of patients who get the infection die from it. And, if hospitals follow recommended guidelines, the infection is almost entirely preventable. As part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA/ObamaCare -- section 3008), hospitals with excessively high rates of preventable HAIs (e.g.: these infections) will soon face significant financial penalties from CMS.

Hospital Acquired Infections -- How Does Massachusetts Stack Up? - Health Stew - Boston.com

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Verdict in Nursing Home Cover Up

A Jefferson Circuit Court jury on Monday awarded $8 million in damages to the estate of a retired surgeon whose legs were broken while he was in the care of Treyton Oak Towers in Louisville.
Attorneys William Garmer and Matt Minner said that Dr. David Griffin died less than two months after he was improperly transferred from a chair into his bed — and that Treyton Oak tried to cover up what happened.
“We got justice today and are thrilled for our clients and thrilled for the elderly citizens of Louisville,” Minner said in an interview.
Minner said after Grifffin’s legs were broken in the September 2008 incident, he was put back in bed “like it didn’t happen” and employees were ordered to change medical records and cover the incident up.
Because of a stroke, Griffin couldn’t tell anybody “about the agony he was in,” Minner said.
After being found with two broken bones on Sept. 24, 2008, he was treated at a hospital and later transferred to a different nursing home. He died Nov. 3.
Scott Whonsetler, who defended Treyton Oak Towers, said it would appeal.
“We are profoundly, profoundly disappointed that we were unable to convey to the jury how much we cared for this man,” he said in an interview. Whonsetler also said “we categorically deny that there was any coverup whatsoever” and said no abuse or neglect was ever substantiated.
Whonsetler said Griffin had severe osteoporosis and doctors failed to inform nursing home employees of this diagnosis. Whonsetler said it is unknown exactly how Griffin’s legs were broken.
The verdict was returned after the jury deliberated for about two hours and included $2 million for pain and suffering, $1 million for violating the state nursing home statute and $5 million in punitive damages.
The plaintiffs claimed Griffin was transferred without a lift and by only one nursing assistant, in violation of the nursing home’s care plan, which required two assistants.
That was disputed by the nursing home. No one answered a phone call to the nursing home.
Griffin was in his mid-80s and had retired many years before he was injured, Garmer said.
He had been a patient in Treyton Oak Tower’s skilled residential facility.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120213/NEWS01/302130089/-8-million-verdict-returned-against-Louisville-nursing-home?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

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Forcing nursing home owners to be accountable

Today's editorial in Tampa highlights the attempt by many nursing home owners to escape accountability for violating safety regulations for the elderly.
"Every nursing home should be legally and financially responsible for what happens to its vulnerable residents. But nursing home owners are too often missing in action. They avoid legal liability by structuring ownership interests in ways so convoluted that it is often impossible to hold anyone accountable. And with that lack of accountability has come deteriorating care. The situation has long been known by government regulators and consumer advocates, but it wasn't until passage of President Barack Obama's health care reform that federal law seriously began to address the issue. The Affordable Care Act forces more transparency on nursing home owners in ways that should help protect Florida's elderly. Tampa Bay Times staff writer Stephen Nohlgren recently examined one egregious case of a nursing home using elaborately layered ownership to evade lawsuits for abuse and neglect......
Make nursing home owners more accountable - Tampa Bay Times

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Nursing home neglect

A private nursing home chain enforced such strict rations on diapers that staff wrapped residents in towels and plastic garbage bags to keep their beds dry.
A resident at a Bradford home who was prone to falls was left alone on a toilet. The resident fell and sustained a head injury.
Residents in a Hamilton home had untreated bedsores and were famished from lack of food.
An elderly woman with a broken thighbone in a Pickering nursing home suffered for days without treatment.
A Brantford home was so short staffed that residents frequently missed their weekly baths.
Eight years after an Ontario government promise to revolutionize nursing home care, the elderly are still suffering neglect and abuse.
Responding to Thursday’s front page Toronto Star story on the rape of one senior in a home, allegedly by a male nurse, Health minister Deb Matthews has called an emergency meeting at her office with nursing home leaders Friday to find out what is going wrong in the publicly funded system.
“I need to have a very, very serious conversation with them,” Matthews said.
“(Homes) have a duty to report (assaults and abuse.) I need to know they are following the law. We have zero tolerance for homes that break the rules.”
The Star’s investigation draws from material uncovered by a new inspection system created by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in July 2010. It has since investigated 2,993 complaints and critical incidents, like broken bones or assaults.
We analyzed more than 1,500 of those inspection reports and found at least 350 cases of neglect where residents were left in soaking diapers, suffered untreated injuries, bedsores, dehydration, weight loss or were put at risk from outdated care plans that ignored changing medical needs. Other reports, scrutinized for Thursday’s story, focused on abuse.
Today the Star probes the issue of neglectful treatment of home residents.
The reports reveal that many families have no idea what their loved ones are subjected to. Inspectors found that some homes do not disclose problems to the ministry or police.
For example, Hallowell House in Picton, owned by the private chain Revera Long Term Care, did not immediately notify families of four residents to say their loved ones had suffered “neglect related to their continence care,” according to a ministry report from a September 2010 inspection.
The neglect stemmed from a staff member who skipped a room during rounds, Janet Ko, Revera’s vice president of communications, said in an email.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1088858--nursing-home-neglect

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Doctors admit they lie to patients and hide mistakes

Great article in the Boston Globe showing the survey results from Doctors: Many admit to lying to patients and "covering up" mistakes.
"Most physicians paint overly optimistic prognoses for their patients, and many doctors have told lies or withheld information concerning their medical mistakes and financial relationships with drug companies and device manufacturers, according to a national survey conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers.
The 2009 survey of nearly 1,900 doctors, published today in the journal Health Affairs, shows that many doctors don’t adhere to the standards of medical societies and accreditation groups, which have long required doctors to be honest and open with their patients.
Doctors admit they lie to patients and hide mistakes, survey reveals

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Care centers need more monitoring in Iowa

Iowa lawmakers are considering legislation to ensure everyone knows when a convicted sex offender is living in a state-regulated facility. If implemented, nursing homes, assisted living centers and residential care centers would be required to notify residents if an offender moved in. They would check the names of newcomers against a state registry. Courts would have new responsibilities about notification. Homes would have to “implement a written safety plan.”
That isn’t enough for some lawmakers. They say a special home for elderly and disabled sex offenders is needed. One representative suggested the state might purchase one and operate it to ensure these aging sex offenders residents are contained.
Such proposals are a response to the story of William Cubbage. The 83-year-old convicted sex offender is suspected of assaulting a nursing home resident. The incident got the attention of Gov. Terry Branstad and lawmakers.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120201/OPINION03/302010021/0/IOWA_VS_ISU/?odyssey=nav|head

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Legal Blogs Offer Insight on Elder Abuse

Thanks to Attorney Jonathon for a shout out about our Nursing Home abuse site in today's article naming some of the best nursing home abuse blogs. He named our site  http://nursinghomeabuse-lawyerma.com/ as one.
You can read his article here "Legal Blogs Offer Insight on Elder Abuse & Beyond"
http://www.nursinghomesabuseblog.com/national-nursing-home-issues/legal-resources/

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Trial in Nursing Home Abuse Case Begins

Jury selection began Tuesday in Troy in the trial of four nurses accused of neglecting an incapacitated nursing home patient. The four nurses are the remaining defendants from a group of 14 nurses arrested two years ago. All 14 were accused of neglecting a 53-year-old resident of the Northwoods Rehabilitation Center over a six week period in March and April of 2009.
Prosecutors charge the nurses and nurses aides at Northwoods Rehabilitation Center outside Troy allowed the victim to lie motionless in her own waste for hours on end on repeated occasions, filing false reports of proper care.  Ten of the 14 who were arrested two years ago have pleaded guilty. The four remaining nurses or assistants are now on trial. Each is accused of falsifying business records, a felony. Also endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and willful violation of the health laws.
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S2486224.shtml?cat=300

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$300,000 award set in bed-sore case

An Allegheny County jury awarded $300,000 to the estate of a former resident of a Squirrel Hill nursing home related to damage stemming from bed sores.
Jeffrey Green of the North Side filed a lawsuit in 2009 on behalf of his mother, Dolly Brown, a former resident of The Commons at Squirrel Hill. Brown, 72, died from unrelated causes.
Green's attorney, argued that the nursing home was responsible for the bed sores, which caused her pain.
Reports said the company would appeal the jury decision.

Read more: $300,000 award set in Squirrel Hill bed-sores case - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_779302.html#ixzz1lQ7xwjqB

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Nursing Home Accused in Death of Resident

A southeastern Minnesota nursing home is accused of neglect after a patient died from choking on food during a meal last march, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Officials said the incident happened on March 18, 2011, at the Adams Health Care Center south and east of Austin. Staff interviews and a review of the staff scheduling did not identify the person responsible for the resident’s meal assistance on March 18.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/02/07/nursing-home-accused-of-neglect-after-patients-death/

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Nursing Home Abuse Case: CNA Admits to Neglecting Dependent Adult

A former employee of the Central Coast Nursing Center pleaded guilty last week to neglecting a dependent adult under circumstances likely to produce great bodily harm.
Brian Watt, who was 29 years old at the time of his arrest in September 2011, had worked as a certified nursing assistant at the center.
Watt will be sentenced next month to three years of probation, Barron said. He had originally been charged with a lewd act on a dependent adult, felony sexual battery on an institutionalized victim, and misdemeanor abuse of a dependent adult abuse.
Watt will not be able to work as a caretaker for the elderly while he is on probation, and his record will come up during required background checks should he apply to work at another facility.
Watt was one of two men who worked at the nursing center arrested by authorities last year.
http://www.independent.com/news/2012/feb/07/plea-deal-reached-nursing-home-abuse-case/

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Nursing home employee faces charges of patient abuse

An Ohio woman faced a judge Tuesday morning, accused of physically abusing an elderly  woman at Fostoria nursing home. The Fostoria Police department said Kim Reid, 28, was an employee at the Independence House nursing home in Fostoria. Investigators said Reid repeatedly abused the 94 year old woman.
Reid was charged with one count of patient abuse, a fourth degree felony. She was released on bond, and has a preliminary hearing set for January 26th. According to court records, investigators said Reid repeatedly abused the 94 year old woman on numerous occasions, by pulling her hair and pinching her nose so hard it left marks lasting into the next day.
Nursing home employee faces charges of patient abuse - WTOL.com: News, Weather and Sport for Toledo, Ohio

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Kindred Healthcare Employee Reviews: Understaffing, Profits over patients

The Website "http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Kindred-Healthcare-Reviews-E8220.htm posts employee reviews of many U.S. Corporations. One such corporation, Kindred Healthcare, a  large national healthcare chain of nursing homes, resulted in 63 past and current employees writing in reviews. These reviews are anonymously written to protect the employees who are still employed at Kindred. They range from good to bad. Important to note are some of the recurring criticisms of Kindred by their own employees in areas of nursing home patient care and employee support for providing care to nursing home elders. Another is the recurring theme of putting profits over people. Under staffing is repeatedly mentioned. The reviewers gave an average rating of 2.7 out of a possible 5 saying it "was O.K." (5 being the highest or best rating as a workplace). Paul Diaz, the CEO got a "47% approve" rating.
According to Glassdoor, the following comments were made including these quotes:
Jan 30, 2012 reviewer

Cons

"They say they go by patient accuity, but they don't. They cram as many patients' in as they can and sometimes 2 patients' to tiny rooms where beds aren't hardly 2 feet apart! They take anybody, whether the patient has been known to abuse staff and also many weighing over 300 pounds, which is hard on staff. It is all about money there! .... Staff goes out with way too many patients! We are then expected to watch patients "closely"(one floor won't allow sitters and hardly any restraints) who are confused and unrestrained, so that they aren't falling and pulling trachs out, but no one can keep up with workloads , watching patients, and answering alarms promptly. People who are FULL Codes are allowed to repeatedly pull out vital tubes, and staff must promptly" keep" replacing them in emergent situations.

2) Oct 25, 2011

"Very depressing place to work"

Advice to Senior Management: Monitor employee behavior"

3) Nov 5, 2011

"terrible leadership at the top, backstabbing, unprofessional conduct by the administrator and people over her, no respect for the good people working there and giving their best for the patients, hidden agendas by the DO, which caused the entire building to fall apart when the good people left..."

4) July 11, 2011. This reviewer gave Kindred a good rating but still added some:

"Cons - Corporate emphasis on making money seems to detract from patient care. Not enough staff/staff cut to minimum when census low."

5)  August 15th, 2011 "“Very Stressful Environment, Lacking Communication and Professionalism” 

 "Cons - There is a lack of communication between Nursing and Nurse Management. There is lack of support and trust of Nursing staff among upper management. There is a very negative morale in the facility among employees. The corporation does not provides the resources needed to do a quality job. Patient care is not priority.

Advice to Senior Management

Please read your mission statement. Patient care is and should be priority. Give your nurses what they need, please."

6) July 6, 2011 Employee:

  “It's all about the bottom line...money”

"Pros: great co-workers who work very hard without much appreciation

Cons: big push on getting people in the door, regardless of the quality of care given

Advice to Senior Management: treat your employees like you would like to be treated."

7) June 26, 2011:

“Very dangerous place to work.”

Cons

"Intentionally very short staffed, ......Care plans from other disciplines have to be completed by the nurses and it is impossible to know what tasks were completed. .....Too many opportunities for errors.

Advice to Senior Management Listen to the nurses at the bedside. What's good for them is good for patients. Making the nurse's jobs impossible to do well is not good business practice. Protecting and padding the bottom line today will not pay for potential litigation tomorrow."

8) June 26, 2011 current employee

“Please look into the facility before you agree to be an employee. You may be shocked!”

Cons
"Terrible communication between staff and management
State deficiency =TOO many!
Lack of sensitivity and empathy (management and co-workers)
Understaffed for every shift
Dangerous working environment"

9) March 17, 2011 current employee

“High burnout, no bonus, abusive management, keep you in the dark”

Cons

.....Not a professional environment...Team members get written up on a frequent basis if someone speaks up. It is an uncaring environment where everyone is unhappy.

10) Feb , 2011 past employee

“Consistently understaffed, overworked and underpaid!”

Cons

Frequently under staffed. 

11) Jan 6, 2011

"The company cares too much about money and not enough about the patients."

12) Sept 9, 2010 current employee

“If you want a for-profit place to work that is more concerned about money than patient care, this is it.”

Cons

"Bottom line is, Money First, People Second. I just cannot get past the mantra of a for-profit business like this. Making a buck is more important than making a difference for a patient.

Advice to Senior Management

Your Senior Management leaders should be CLINICIANS - RN's, MD's, etc. Healthcare Adminstrator and Marketing Managers - these people could have come from sales in cell phones. They have no idea how a real hospital works".

13) Aug 12, 2010 current emplyee

“Kindred has reputation for over-working staff and understaffing.”

Cons

"Everything is about cost, budget, cut-backs, money. You work with MINIMUM staff for high accuity patients, and they go by census. Our bldg is HOT too, because it is old, and you are over-worked..."

14)  July 28, 2010 

“Fix your company”

Cons

"Never enough people to take care of the residents. Sometimes their is only 4 cnas for 70 residents,most of the time only 1 or 2 nurses on the floor for 70 people. That is not proper care ."

15) April 6, 2010

"Patient satisfaction is secondary to making money."

16) 3-31-2010 past employee (2009)

“Worked to the bone.”

Cons

Nurse to patient ratio is the biggie. I would have 5 vents and 1-2 walkie-talkies. All on numerous antibiotics and needing full care. Did I mention that we would have 2 CNAs for the ENTIRE floor. Sometimes only one.  All in all, a hellhole, and that's why those of us who endured that place called it "HELLDRID".

17)  March 21, 2010 current employee

“Saving a dollar takes priority over competent patient care”

Cons

.....we are constantly understaffed and overworked. Instead of going by patient acuity, which means that they would have to have more staffing, they're going by the number of patients in the building, trying to save a dollar, but in reality, they're putting the patients in jepardy. And another thing, how can you cut the respiratory staff, when Kindred is a respiratory hospital? Hello, is anyone home? Why is there one respiratory therapist assigned to twelve or thirteen patients? I don't understand, but in the end it's the patient that is going to suffer

Advice to Senior Management

My advice would be to .... really take the concerns that your employees have seriously, because you never know when you or your family may be laying in the bed wondering why is it taking so long for your nurse to give you pain medicine, or why you are laying in the bed choking, and your respiratory therapist isn't there to suction you in a reasonable time."

18) March 2, 1020 current employee

Cons

People in charge so scared of going over budget I can't make orders the last week of the month practically. There are never enough supplies in the building for our residents because of this.

see these Kindred employee reviews at: http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Kindred-Healthcare-Reviews-E8220.htm

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Government terms Pressure Ulcers as "Abuse"

 The Administration on Aging lists the types of conduct that constitute elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes:

Each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected, and exploited. Many victims are people who are older, frail, and vulnerable and cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs. Abusers of older adults are both women and men, and may be family members, friends, or “trusted others.”
In general, elder abuse is a term referring to any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. Legislatures in all 50 states have passed some form of elder abuse prevention laws. Laws and definitions of terms vary considerably from one state to another, but broadly defined, abuse may be:

• Physical Abuse - inflicting physical pain or injury on a senior, e.g. slapping, bruising, or restraining by physical or chemical means.
• Sexual Abuse - non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.
• Neglect - the failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for a vulnerable elder.
• Exploitation - the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a senior for someone else's benefit.
• Emotional Abuse - inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts, e.g. humiliating, intimidating, or threatening.
• Abandonment - desertion of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person.
• Self-neglect – characterized as the failure of a person to perform essential, self-care tasks and that such failure threatens his/her own health or safety.

Telltale signs of abuse can include:

• Bruises, pressure marks, broken bones, abrasions, and burns may be an indication of physical abuse, neglect, or mistreatment.
• Unexplained withdrawal from normal activities, a sudden change in alertness, and unusual depression may be indicators of emotional abuse.
• Bruises around the breasts or genital area can occur from sexual abuse.
• Sudden changes in financial situations may be the result of exploitation.
• Bedsores, unattended medical needs, poor hygiene, and unusual weight loss are indicators of possible neglect.
• Behavior such as belittling, threats, and other uses of power and control by spouses are indicators of verbal or emotional abuse.
• Strained or tense relationships, frequent arguments between the caregiver and elderly person are also signs.

http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/Elder_Rights/EA_Prevention/whatIsEA.aspx

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Elder Abuse Lawyer Comments on Nursing Home Quality of Care Performance Study

I wrote this article today outlining some statistics regarding the current state of nursing home care in America:
Elder Abuse Lawyer Comments on Nursing Home Quality of Care Performance Study

• 146,000 deficiencies were issued to nursing homes for violations of federal regulations in 2010, indicating many quality issues in the nation’s nursing homes. 23 percent of the nation’s nursing facilities received deficiencies for poor quality of care that caused actual harm or jeopardy to residents.
• 43 percent of nursing homes failed to ensure a safe environment for residents to prevent accidents.
• 30 percent of nursing homes received deficiencies for failure to meet professional standards, 28 percent for failure to provide comprehensive care plans, 23 percent for giving unnecessary drugs, 21 percent for poor clinical records, 20 percent for failing to ensure resident dignity, 20 percent for poor housekeeping, and 19 for failure to prevent pressure sores.
• Facilities with more RN staffing have higher quality of care on average. The average staffing levels were below the level recommended by experts.
• About 90,000 residents (6.5 percent) have pressure sores.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/quality/nursingcare/prweb8968967.htm -

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Massachusetts Law against Sex Offenders living in Nursing Homes

Level 3 Sex Offenders Living in Nursing Homes a Crime in Massachusetts:

It is a crime for a Level 3 sex offender to "knowingly and willingly" live in any convalescent or nursing home, infirmary maintained in a town, rest home, charitable home for the aged or intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded which meets the requirements of the DPH under G.L. c. 111, § 71. Penalties for committing this crime are as follows:

• First conviction: imprisonment for not more than 30 days in a jail or house of correction;
• Second conviction: imprisonment for not more than 2 ½ years in a jail or house of correction nor more than 5 years in a state prison or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment; and
• Third and subsequent conviction: imprisonment in a state prison for not less than 5 years; provided, however, that the sentence imposed for such third or subsequent conviction shall not be reduced to less than 5 years, nor suspended.

Crimes against the elderly have become all to common. Many states like Massachusetts try to protect elders in nursing homes from predatory attacks by former sex offenders by requiring registration and or outright exclusion from nursing homes. 
Source: Massachusetts 

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Allegations of abuse of a nursing home patient

A Rankin County woman is accusing a nursing home of abusing her elderly mother.
It is an allegation officials at the Brandon facility deny.
Betty Lovern Chambers has posted pictures on her Facebook page that show injuries her Tommi Lovern, 74, suffered last week.
"I feel strongly in my heart that it is abuse and neglect," Chambers said.
She said a nurse at the Brandon Nursing Home &Rehabilitation Center called her at 1:30 a.m. on January 25th telling her that her mother was admitted to the hospital after she fell from her wheelchair.
"I went over to the nursing home to confront the nurse on duty which was Crystal Wheaton...Her exact words to me were 'I had had enough," Chambers said. "So I gave her an Ativan to calm her down, and I didn't want her to wake the other residents."

Allegations of abuse of a nursing home patient - Flash Player Installation

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