Sweeping Legislative Reform for Nursing Homes…

About a week ago, sweeping reform was passed by both houses in the Illinois Legislature which will help ensure better patient care and safety of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Senate Bill 326 as originally introduced was to amend the Older Adult Services Act and in provisions concerning the development of…

Nursing Homes Investigated by Authorities

According to an article published January 23, 2010 here, authorities in both Illinois and Indiana are investigating numerous nursing homes for patient safety problems. According to the article, an Indiana nursing home named Northlake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center run by a for-profit company may avoid likely closure. The primary investor of the nursing home is nursing home operator Eric Rothner…

Cameras in Nursing Homes to Protect the Elderly?

A recent article notes that a top state prosecutor is supporting the placement of cameras in nursing homes residents’ rooms to protect them. Read the full article here. While residents would obviously have the right to object for privacy matters, the idea seems like one that would add another level of security to our most vulnerable segment…

Another Bill To Try to Cap Damages in Nursing Home Cases…

Yet another bill has been introduced to try to cap non-economic and punitive damages when nursing home residents and their families attempt to hold nursing homes accountable for abuse and neglect. Read the full article here. The article reiterates what the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has found in the quality of care in this…

Man Charged with Abusing Nursing Home Residents…

A man has been charged with abusing nursing home residents. Three patients were videotaped on the abuser’s cell phone and had been seen by several witnesses before they were erased. Read the full article here. The saddest part of this situation is that most residents are not in a condition to even report such abuse…

Doc, Nurse and Pharmacist Drugged Residents…

A doctor, a nurse and a pharmacist have been criminally charged in connection with drugging some 22 nursing home residents with psychotropic medications simply to make them more tranquil. Read the article here. The article notes that 3 people may have died and one suffered great injury as a result. The attorney general noted: ‘These…

Nursing Home Sued Over Resident Freezing to Death…

An Itasca-area nursing home called The Arbor of Itasca has been sued after an 89-year-old woman, who suffered from dementia, was found frozen to death in the nursing home courtyard. Read the full article here. According to the coroner, the woman was outside for at least 90 minutes. Her family noted that she wasn’t even able to…