Coming up on Thursday’s edition of Singapore Tonight 106 Braddel Road, Singapore 359912 Tel : 6333 3000 Fax : 6287 6940 General Enquiries: 62876109 Email : info@nightingale.com.sg Nightingale Nursing Home Pte Ltd www.moh.gov.sg Excellent & wide range of nutritious meals Each patient has a nurse call bell Ample parking facilities Ministry of Health licensed Consultant dietition, therapists & doctor in attendance MATV & CCTV facilities Well-ventilated rooms with attached bathrooms Isolation and/or private rooms available Big, open & spacious rooms www.singaporemirror.com.sg

Other Comments –
Question by sasquatch: Today’s NYT (9-23-07) had an article on corporate abuse of nursing homes. The Carlisle Group is implicated.
Doesn’t that implicate the Bush family? Bush 1 is a big player in Carlisle and Carlisle is buying nursing homes, gutting them of quality care, hiding nursing home ownership entities, and then selling them for big profits. Tricky corp. tactics make it hard for families of victims to sue for negligent care.

Best answer:

Answer by Ray H
No. No court in the land would associate the two. Remember “White Water Gate” during the Clinton administration? Couldn’t make a case. Can’t make one here either.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

by id-iom

Nursing homes are meant to be a safe place for the elderly where help is provided to those who cannot attend to their own daily needs. However, some of the best intentions go awry due to human greed. Lately, it has been reported that there is a rise in the number of abuse claims in many nursing homes within New York.

Today, some senior citizens have become victims of abuse, incompetence, and neglect. In some cases, records of the nursing homes have been doctored in order to hide abuse which elderly people in their have had to endure. The main reason for this increase in New York nursing home abuse is due to the faculties which are set up to concentrate more on profits than on the care of senior citizens. The aged is no longer respected as money has gained more importance in some New York nursing homes.

Some Instances of New York Nursing Home Abuse
A typical example of nursing home abuse is cases where the elderly patient suffers from bed sores. When neglected and treatment is not given for an issue such as this, they can become so infected that they reach the resident’s bones which are severely painful for someone of any age. These sores are painful and rather difficult to treat and cure, and arise mainly because of insufficient staff which therefore leads to inadequate cleaning and attention in elderly people.

In some more severe cases, some elderly residents’ have also become victims of rape, physical abuse and other violence in their nursing home. This is because they are left within the care of young and aggressive people who are mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed, and in some shocking cases, may also end up being killed by these people.
What is most shocking and disturbing about these cases, is that usually nothing about this abuse is reported to the authorities, and consequently, those responsible for this heinous work do not get punished.

Insufficient Staff for Monetary Reasons
According to some reports, some nursing homes don’t feed many of their elderly patients, which can then lead to many suffering from malnutrition and death in some cases. As some nursing homes cut down on staff to increase their profits, the existing staff does not have sufficient time to ensure all their residents get fed.

Some of these nursing homes are so profit-orientated that at times, there isn’t even sufficient staff to carry out the necessary functions for their resident. Many hire poorly trained staff because they quote cheaper pay than experienced staff, and as a result they hire poor trained staff, incapable of taking care of the elders. There are also cases where patients are left alone for days in their beds without food, and sometimes even lying in their own waste.

Medicated to Keep Quiet
Some nursing homes provide their residents with minimal access to professional medical care; and with minimal physicians and nurses on duty at these nursing homes, residents are sometimes medicated-not with the intention of treating them properly, but just to keep them quiet.

With so much going on behind the doors of some New York nursing homes, the families of these elderly people have had to turn to civil litigation for justice. It is only if a worker or an institution is charged for their wrongdoings that it’s possible for you to get justice for any form of New York nursing home abuse your loved one may be going through. Contact a specialized New York nursing home abuse attorney for further discussions and see if they can aid you in getting justice for these terrible crimes.

Question by edgeofdarkness: how can l report resident abuse in a nursing home?
I am a cna(certified nursing assistant)
l know a lot of nursing homes deal with neglect and l want to report a nursing home. I have gone to my don the adon and administrator but nothing gets done. I have days off and when l come back to work. People have sores and bruises. They are falsifying documents to make it read different than what actually happened. When l report it to them (chain of command) .Nothing is done . l have been told by my don. “l don’t want to hear it”. “you are starting to p*** me off” and have been told to lie to the government during a state survey. lf anyone one has any advice of who to contact in the state of michigan please let me know. Until l have a legal ground to stand on l am not going to say much in fear of losing my job. and letting them win, and nothing ever being done. So on behalf of the residents in the place l work please help us find a voice.

Best answer:

Answer by Teeby
Call the police since what’s going on is neglect/abuse of a vulnerable adult.

Add your own answer in the comments!


60 Minutes Reading Nursing Homes E-Book Makes Critical Difference for Elderly

WOOD RIVER, IL, (PRWEB) June 20, 2006

In 2004, there were over a quarter million complaints filed against nursing homes, says the Department of Health and Human Services. And over 75 percent of those complaints involved residents’ rights, resident care, or quality of life. “Today, Americans are living longer, and sadly, nursing home neglect and abuse is on the rise,” said attorney Brad Lakin, author of the free e-book, “How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One” (http://www.nursinghomechoice.com). “It’s unfortunate, but children considering nursing home care for their elderly parents worry about what will happen once they leave their parents in a nursing home.”

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of Americans aged 65 years and older who reside in nursing homes jumped by a half million between 1974 and 1999 (the last year for which figures are available). Nevertheless, Lakin points out, family members are often overwhelmed by the process of choosing a nursing home. “If you don’t know what questions to ask or what to look for, it’s impossible to make an informed choice about what is already a difficult decision,” he said.

Lakin’s track record as an elder rights advocate along with a personal tragedy involving nursing home neglect inspired him to write “How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One,” and to offer it as a free download on NursingHomeChoice.com. “I wanted to provide consumers with a comprehensive guide to nursing home care,” he said. “Because they don’t have a voice for themselves, it’s important that families of the elderly are well-informed advocates who can speak on their behalf.”

“How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One” includes detailed information about locating and evaluating nursing homes; reviewing state surveys and complaint investigations to check a nursing home’s track record; and the warning signs of abuse and neglect. In addition, the e-book provides a myriad of checklists and resources, including a Nursing Home Checklist that serves as a guide when considering a specific nursing home; the Nursing Home Resident’s “Bill of Rights”; and hyperlinks to inspection information, and local and state sources of information.

“Spending 60 minutes reading ‘How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One’ can prevent a personal tragedy,” said Lakin, whose firm has litigated numerous cases of elder abuse and neglect. “Despite the revenues generated by the nursing home industry, many nursing homes are understaffed or hire unqualified staff.” Lakin strongly feels that states often leave the policing of nursing homes to attorneys. “Most states have adopted nursing home care statutes, but regulations are only as good as the level of enforcement,” he said. “Unfortunately, monitoring is underfunded in virtually every state, leaving litigation as the only alternative to hold nursing homes accountable for their actions.”

Lakin concludes, “If there’s one thing I want ‘How to Select a Nursing Home for a Love One’ to do, it’s to help families choose quality nursing care facilities, which will lessen personal tragedies.”

# # #

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

SINGAPORE: The Nightingale Nursing Home along Braddell Road has been suspended with effect from April 12, from admitting new patients, after some of its staff members were found to have mistreated a resident there. The incident came to light after Channel NewsAsia alerted the Ministry of Health to a video, taken by a hidden camera on a patient’s bedside. The video showed an elderly woman patient sitting next to a bed without any clothes, while the ceiling fans in the room were on. After a while, two staff members were shown lifting the patient and throwing her onto a bed.

In one footage, a staff member was shown slapping the patient after she moaned in pain. The old lady has been a resident of the home for the past four years. The nursing home said it has disciplined the staff involved, and placed additional measures such as getting senior staff to visit the wards and checking the conduct of its staff. The measures also include holding regular meetings with patients and their family members.

In its reply to Channel NewsAsia, the Ministry of Health said: “There were significant lapses in the care standards provided to the patient in question. “This should not have happened. There should have been tighter supervision of staff rendering care to vulnerable patients. Patients’ dignity and respect must be upheld at all times”. A family member of the patient said: “Of course we are unhappy with the incident. “We sent her there for the nurses to take care of her; we’re …
Video Rating: 2 / 5

Rostrevor staff stage sit-in over pay issues
TWO OF the workers who blew the whistle on the alleged abuse of elderly residents at a south Dublin nursing home were fired by the home last week.
Read more on The Irish Times

Other Comments -

Free case evaluation for your personal injury, hospital negligence, nursing home neglect or nursing home abuse case. Serving all of central Pennsylvania from our office in Altoona, PA. Attorney Doug Stoehr has been helping the injured people of Blair, Cambria, Bedford, Huntingdon, Clearfield, Indiana, Centre and surrounding counties recover money for their injuries.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Other Comments -

Learn what the proper steps are when nursing home abuse is suspected.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Other Comments -

by id-iom

Despite greater awareness, nursing home abuse is still running rampant in the United States. Our elderly family, friends, and neighbors are still being neglected to the point where serious harm can come to them. And many of them are being forced to try to survive in absolutely terrible living conditions.

Neglect or physical abuse is any failure or any action that can cause unreasonable misery, suffering, harm, or injury to the resident of a nursing home that is caused by a healthcare provider.

Financial abuse includes misusing the resident’s funds to pay for services that have already been paid by a federal or state program. It could also be the misuse of nursing home resident’s funds that weren’t authorized by the resident, the trustee, the guardian, or the administrator of the resident.

Physical abuse includes sexually assaulting the resident, striking the resident, and/or withholding adequate or necessary physical care, food, or medical attention.

It’s been almost ten years since the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee issued a special report about nursing home abuse. The report found that nursing home abuse was a significant and widespread problem.

That report found that in only two years, 1999 and 2000, there were more than 9,000 cases of reported abuse in 30% of the nursing homes in the US.

In other words, there was nursing home abuse in almost 5,200 residences that are responsible for the well being of some of our elderly population. Sadly, much of the abuse actually harmed the residents. In excess of 1,500 of the cases that were reported to Congress were so severe as “to cause actual harm to residents or to place the residents in immediate jeopardy of death or serious injury.”

The abuses that were reported included sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, and more.

Abuse violations had risen dramatically from 1966 to 2000. They skyrocketed from 5.9% to 16%. And many of the nursing homes were repeat offenders. They had multiple reports of violations on their records. The percentage of assisted living and nursing home violations is on the rise.

The homes that were cited in the report accommodate more than half a million residents.

If you see any of the warning signs of sexual or physical abuse or if you believe that a criminal act has been perpetrated then you should contact an attorney who specializes in nursing home abuse.

Question by ladybug: Hi I wrote an article on nursing home abuse, and I don’t know what magazine I should submit it to.?
the New Yorker? Wall Street Journal? O magazine? any ideasss please telll =)

Best answer:

Answer by shiningstar123
Maybe you should send it to all 3, that way there would be a greater chance of it being published. Hope I helped!

Give your answer to this question below!


Local Advocate for Victims and Families of Nursing Home Abuse Denounces Last-Minute Rule Change by Bush Administration

Wood River, IL (PRWEB) March 1, 2009

Brad Lakin of LakinChapman, LLC, a noted advocate for victims and families of nursing home abuse, denounced last-minute rule changes by the Bush Administration that will benefit the $ 144 billion nursing home industry and make it harder for families to investigate claims of abuse.

This change was just one of a large array of “midnight” rule changes put forward by the Bush Administration during the last weeks before the transition.

Lakin said, “The Bush Administration quietly slipped in this major rule change just before leaving office. The effect is going to be extremely damaging to victims and families of nursing home abuse and will make it more difficult for them to investigate claims of abuse as part of a lawsuit.”

The rule itself designates that state nursing home inspectors and Medicare and Medicaid contractors are federal employees, and thus are prohibited from providing evidence in a lawsuit.

Lakin explained, “Families investigating abuse claims by filing a lawsuit will be prohibited from interviewing and collecting evidence of abuse form these inspectors. The interviews and evidence collected by these state employees can be crucial in establishing abuse claims.”

The 6,800 state nursing home inspectors are the front line of defense for victims as they investigate complaints and survey facilities to make certain they comply with nursing home regulations.

“This rule change may have a significant chilling effect on lawsuits designed to uncover and protect nursing home abuse. Advocates for nursing home abuse victims will be working to overturn these unfair, pro-industry rules. I urge anyone with family members in nursing homes to contact their Congressional representatives immediately,” Lakin said.

Lakin is the author of a guide for families with loved ones in a nursing home that is available for free at http://www.nursinghomechoice.com.

# # #

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Malnutrition is the silent form of nursing home abuse that can’t necessarily be seen by the naked eye. While it is normal for patients to lose a few pounds in the initial days of residence, it is not normal for a patient to continuously lose weight after a brief adjustment period.
Unfortunately cases of nursing home abuse that are the result of malnutrition often aren’t caught until it is too late. The resident of the home has already lost an excessive amount of body weight and illness has set in before malnutrition is discovered. This type of abuse often crosses the desks of lawyers as a wrongful death suit. Malnutrition in the elderly can often be deadly.
Nursing home abuse lawyers are working diligently to catapult the laws and the punishments for breaking those laws to a much higher level of consciousness within the court systems. Already, tens of thousands of lawsuits are filed annually. This is an alarming amount of nursing home lawsuits, and a definite societal concern. These problems are not just about the beating of an elderly woman, they are about the neglectful care that our elderly fall under when no one is watching.
Nursing home lawsuits set a standard of care faster than anything else. Once a jury determines there is monetary value in a claim, it becomes of similar value across the board, more or less. Nursing home abuse lawsuits are staggering, both in their horrific nature and in their jury awards. Lawyers work tirelessly for victims who all too often are unable to speak for themselves, sometimes as a result of the nursing home abuse. Malnutrition in the elderly can lead to dementia, coma, and death if it is not discovered early in the process. Often an illness or infection will set in, exposing both the malnutrition and the abuse at the same time.
However, many families believe the information they are given such as the resident did not wish to eat and there were no warning signs of malnutrition setting in. It is up to the family to determine to call a lawyer to have the matter investigated thoroughly. Explanations may be acceptable in one case, but often nursing homes that are in violation of nursing home abuse laws have several cases of malnutrition in their record, and its usually a record that is shocking to those who ask a lawyer to investigate their claims.
Often family members are hesitant to call a nursing home abuse lawyer despite their concerns because they are afraid of pointing a finger at an innocent facility. The truth of the matter is, this is such a rampant problem that even reputable nursing homes expect to be contacted by a few lawyers. Of course, those without cause have nothing to hide and are not immediately put on guard and understand a family’s desire to keep their loved one safe. Typically, facilities that are hiding their record, intentions, or actual abuse are going to be the ones most likely to give signs of patient retaliation.
Unfortunately it happens more regularly than most people realize.

Once a nursing home abuse lawyer has determined whether or not there is enough evidence to proceed with a lawsuit, the family can then start making decisions about how to proceed with their loved one’s care. It obviously doesn’t make good sense to leave a loved one in the same care that you are filing a lawsuit against. Though a nursing home lawyer can only provide what they are capable by law, a lawyer is likely to know which facilities have had no substantiated or successful lawsuits filed against them under current management.
Nursing home lawsuits, as well as nursing home abuse lawyers, are the front line of defense against abuse and neglect. It is an unfortunate state of affairs that this type of attention is needed to care for our elderly. Without lawsuits, the progression of nursing home abuse laws would never have come as far as they have. They still have a long way to go before the punishment fits the crime, but at least there is continually progress thanks to lawyers who went to bat for a few older, lonely souls in the not so distant past.

Question by Jenny: My grandmother’s fingernail was missing….nursing home abuse?
Hi everyone. I just left my grandmother who is in a nursing home and is suffering from dementia. My mom and I noticed that one of her thumbnails was completely off, except for part of it that was still there (on the very right side and this part looked healthy). We thought this was weird. We looked at her other nails and they looked like there was dirt under them and a few others were yellow and cracking.

We asked the nurse about it and she said that sometimes the nails get dry and fall off and that this is normal with age. Now I want to know IF this is normal, or could we have a case of nursing home abuse here? I dont want to overlook this because there might be an abuse issue here. I am concerned that her thumbnail was ripped off only because I saw part of the nail still there and that part was healthy. Does anyone have any idea if its normal for you to lose your nails as you age and/or for them to turn yellow and thick? Thanks.

Best answer:

Answer by TKS
Yes, older people often have thick yellow nails. They also do dry out and easily get caught on things and tear or break off. Take your grandmother some good hand lotion and put it on for her when you come visit.

Add your own answer in the comments!

This week, the New York Times reported that 90 percent of all nursing homes have been cited for violating federal health and safety standards. Even worse, 94 percent of all privately-owned facilities were cited for such violations. It is clear that nursing home abuse and neglect has become an epidemic, and anyone with a loved one in a nursing home needs to be aware of this issue.

Nursing home residents rights are guaranteed by the federal 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law. The law requires nursing homes to promote and protect the rights of each resident?.  Yet, as the New York Times recently made clear, nursing homes are not doing enough to protect their residents.

The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates at least one in 20 nursing home patients has been the victim of negligence and or abuse, though it concedes that the number is probably higher. According to the National Centers study, 57% of nurses aides in long-term care facilities admitted to having witnessed, and even participating in, acts of negligence and abuse.  Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nursing home neglect played role in the deaths of nearly 14,000 nursing home patients between 1999 and 2002.

The New York Times report detailed a study conducted by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.   According to the inspector general, more than 1.5 million people live in the nations 15,000 nursing homes. To participate in Medicare and Medicaid, facilities must meet federal health and safety standards. These programs cover more than two-thirds of nursing home residents, and cost taxpayers more than billion per year.

According to the inspector generals report, in the past year, poor nursing home conditions were the subject of 37,150 complaints. Of those, 39 percent were later substantiated by inspectors, and at least 20 percent involved the abuse and neglect of patients.  Whats more, 17 percent of nursing homes had deficiencies that caused “actual harm or immediate jeopardy? to patients, the report said.

About two-thirds of the nations nursing homes are owned and operated by for-profit companies. Non- profit organizations own 27 percent, while government entities own and operate 6 percent. Of the facilities owned by non-profits, 88 percent were cited for violations, while 91 percent of government-run institutions received citations. According to the report for-profit nursing homes averaged 7.6 deficiencies per facility, while not-for-profit and government homes averaged 5.7 and 6.3, respectively.

To protect a loved one living in a nursing home, it is important to understand what constitutes nursing home abuse and how to spot it. The most common type of nursing home abuse is neglect. Understaffing at nursing homes is the main culprit behind this kind of abuse. Evidence of nursing home neglect includes bedsores and stiff joints, as well as signs of depression. A patient who appears over medicated or is needlessly sedated could be a victim of nursing home neglect.  The smell of urine or feces and poor personal hygiene are hallmarks of this problem.  Extreme unexplained weight loss in an otherwise healthy resident can also be a sign of abuse. And if visitors are made to wait while the staff readies a patient to see them, – or does not allow the visit at all – neglect could be the reason.

Nursing home neglect is as much a crime as any other form of abuse. Nursing home neglect robs patients of their dignity, and it can be deadly. Neglected nursing home patients have been known to wander away from facilities, and sadly some of these patients have died of exposure. Other unattended patients have been allowed to die as a result of undetected internal bleeding or other ailments that could have been corrected with proper medical care.

Physical abuse is an unfortunate fact of life in many nursing homes. Nursing home staff are often guilty of this crime, but abuse among residents is not unheard of. About 2500 cases of physical abuse by nursing home staff are being reported each year.  While physical abuse encompasses crimes like battery, it also includes placing a patient in excessive restraints or physically confining residents for no valid reason.  Over-medicating patients simply to keep them quiet, or withholding medical care are also forms of physical abuse.

And sadly, sexual abuse also occurs in nursing homes. Again, both staff and other residents can be guilty of this type of abuse. According to a 1996 Medicaid Fraud Report, 10% of all physical abuse cases in nursing homes are of a sexual nature. Sexual elder abuse is defined as non-consensual sexual contact of any kind with a nursing home resident. Sexual contact with any person incapable of giving consent is also considered sexual elder abuse.

Often, nursing home sexual abuse goes undetected. Sadly, the physical and cognitive impairments common among nursing home patients make it impossible for them to fight off sexual assailants or report sexual abuse. Some physical signs of nursing home sexual abuse bruising around breasts, upper abdomen, or inner thigh; is often evidence of inappropriate touching or worse. Signs that a nursing home resident has been the victim of a sexual assault include bleeding from the vagina or anus; the presence of a sexually transmitted disease; troubles walking or discomfort when sitting; and irritation or itching in genitals.

If nursing home abuse is suspected, immediate action must be taken. Call 911 if a resident appears to be in immediate danger, otherwise, report the situation to an administrator. All nursing homes are required to have formal complaint procedure and a staff person who is designated to review grievances. Submit specific information about your complaints and attempts to resolve them. If the situation is not resolved, then the problem should be reported state agency charged with overseeing nursing homes.  It may be necessary to remove a resident from a deficient nursing home if the problem is not corrected. In many cases of suspected nursing home abuse and neglect, it can be helpful to retain an experienced elder abuse lawyer to take action on a loved one’s behalf.

This is for my Disability Studies class. It is about the truth in nursing homes. Working in a nursing home myself, I hope to be an advocate for those who have been abused, or a family member who has lost a loved one from abuse.

Find More Nursing Home Abuse Articles

Question by Scooter9: Has anybody heard of nursing home abuse in the Fresno area?
*******Please only serious answers*******
If u have heard of any nursing home abuse reports in the FRESNO area(they dont have to be recent) please past a link here to the website proving your answer. Also feel free to share any stories u may have relating to this topic, it would be greatly appreciated. THNXXX

Best answer:

Answer by Lincoln6
How about Nursing Home abuse in all areas? The day that George Bush left office, he snuck in legislation, limiting people’s ability to sue Nursing Homes for malpractice. Was George a corporate butt kisser or what? Many Nursing Homes at night, have one Nurse to look after 50 to 60 patients.

Add your own answer in the comments!

State putting nursing home inspection reports online
The state started putting the findings of its nursing home inspectors online Wednesday in an effort
Read more on Lexington Herald-Leader