Patients and Patient Representatives are Entitled to Medical Records A common question that we are asked is, “Can I have access to my elderly mother’s medical records?” The short answer is yes if you hold the Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA). Cal Health & Safety Code § 123110(b) states: Additionally, any patient or patient’s representative shall be entitled to copies…
Nursing Homes’ Misuse of Medications May Increase Risk of Dementia Another study concludes that benzodiazepine use is associated with an increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This recent study states that unwarranted, long term use of benzodiazepine drugs should be considered as a public health concern. Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs mainly used to treat anxiety or insomnia. Unfortunately, nursing…
More Half Dementia Patients in Nursing Homes Are Given Dangerous Drugs JAMA Internal Medicine conducted a study and analysis to estimate the prevalence of medications with questionable benefits being used by nursing homes on residents with advanced dementia. The...
Nursing Homes Responsible For Dehydration – Dehydration in the elderly is a real problem in nursing homes. Dehydration occurs when the resident loses more water than they take in. Our bodies require a certain amount of fluid to function properly. There are many preventable causes of dehydration, including medications that act as diuretics, nursing home’s failure to monitor for dehydration,…
Wide Spread Use of Anti-Psychotic Drugs in Nursing Homes Recently, the Federal Government took rare action by filing a federal lawsuit against two California nursing homes for a persistent problem of overmedicating their residents with psychotropic drugs....
Nursing Home Left 90 Year Old Outside for Three Hours in 90 Degree Heat Another nursing home makes the news again for an all too frequent occurrence: facilities abandoning residents outside the building, leading to death from exposure of the outdoor elements. The most...
Lack of Training Results in Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Yet another story makes the news involving a nursing home where a CNA staff member, while using a mechanical lift, drops a resident resulting in a serious head injury. During the Department of Health &...
County Failed to Follow State Guidelines as Some Nursing Home Complaint Investigations were Closed Inappropriately A just released audit of the Los Angeles County Public Health Department concludes that the County inappropriately closed nursing home investigations and...
Failure to Report Allegations of Abuse or Neglect Federal law requires that Medicare and Medicaid certified skilled nursing facilities report abuse and neglect allegations and subsequent investigations/findings to the appropriate governmental authorities within a...
New York Times Report – How Nursing Homes Can Game The System A recent article by the New York Times examines the five-star rating system for nursing homes and exposes how nursing homes can game the system. Including Rosewood Post Acute Rehabilitation, a North...