California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Blog

Residents of a nursing home are usually admitted due to their need for care beyond that which can be provided at home. When a resident enters a nursing home they are promised proper care and treatment. Often times, this requires staff to clean, change and move the resident regularly. However, this does not always occur. When a person is not changed regularly both the moisture and the acid from their urine and feces can cause skin breakdown causing a condition commonly referred to as bedsores. Additionally, if a resident is not regularly repositioned, the areas of their bodies bearing their weight may also suffer from skin breakdown. These areas can include the elbows, heels, back and tailbone. You may also hear bedsores referred to as pressure ulcers, decubitus ulcers and pressure sores. If a resident has a bedsore, it may be the result of neglect.

Bedsores are preventable. In fact, it is easier to prevent a bedsore than it is to treat a bedsore. Nevertheless, bedsores are becoming commonplace in many nursing homes. Bedsores are extremely painful and should be addressed immediately. These sores can lead to sepsis and death if they are ignored or improperly treated. The first sign of skin breakdown is the appearance of reddened skin. This is easy to spot on areas such as the elbows and knees. However, families may not be present while a resident is being changed or bathed and may therefore be unaware of an area of reddened skin on their tailbone or hip. Often, family members are unaware that their loved one is suffering with a bedsore because he/she is unable to communicate either their pain or the location of the sore to their families. If your loved one is unable to communicate, you may need to be extra vigilant in checking their skin for any signs of breakdown.

If a resident does unfortunately have a bedsore, medical personnel may tell you the severity by stage. Bedsores range from Stage 1 to Stage 4, with Stage 4 being the worse. According to the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, bedsore stages are described as:

· Stage 1: Intact skin with non-blanchable (redness that does not subside when the pressure is relieved) of a localized area usually over a bony prominence.

· Stage 2: Partial thickness loss of dermis presenting a shallow open ulcer with a red pink wound bed, without slough.

· Stage 3: Full thickness tissue loss. Subcutaneous fat may be visible but bone, tendon or muscle are not exposed.

· Stage 4: Full thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon or muscle.

Regardless of the stage, bedsores require prompt and appropriate treatment. If you see an area of reddened skin, request that the nursing home provide the resident with preventative devices such as a special air filled mattress and/or cushions that can be placed to alleviate the pressure on that particular area. Also, make sure that resident is receiving medical care to ensure that the area does not continue to worsen. These measures may help but ultimately the nursing home must take appropriate steps to ensure that the cause of the reddened skin is remedied. Nursing homes owe it to their residents to provide the care necessary to prevent these sores.

Continue reading "Bed Sores Are Easier To Prevent Than to Treat Says Los Angeles Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect Lawyer Steven Peck" »

Almost half of all nursing homes in California don't meet federal standards for preventing surgical infections or bedsores, including MRSA, C. Dificile, and Sepsis says Los Angeles Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Steven Peck.

The federal government has set benchmarks for nursing homes in preventing bedsores, surgical infections, and using patient restraints. Medicare officials say homes that made the list aren't necessarily bad, they just do not adhere to the Federal Regulations. .

Elder Abuse Lawyer Peck says "If you're gonna be putting your father, your mother, or your spouse into a nursing home, you'd better get out there and take a look yourself, and get a feeling for the quality of care."

Peck says the overall level of care in California nursing homes is poor. He says "part of the problem is the state's inspection system is one of the weakest in the nation."

Continue reading "Almost Half of the Nursing Homes In California Do Not Meet Federal Guidelines indicates Los Angeles Nursing Home Abuse and Negelct Lawyer Steven Peck" »

A superbug victim, for infections, was not given proper medical assessments until seven weeks after going into the hospital indicates Los Angeles Elder Abuse Lawyer Steven Peck.

A particular 86-year-old was admitted anemia and dehydration.

But it was not until 50 days later after being moved to a new ward for the second time since being admitted, that staff carried out a falls risk assessment, a nutrition assessment and an assessment which outlines the patient's chances of developing bed sores. The elder also tested positive for C diff a horrible and painful infection which killed eighteen other residents.

According to Department of Health Services records, the assessments and the medical records were inadequate in care planning for these elderly patients.

The bed-sore assessments, in this matter, rated many of them as at "high risk" of developing pressure sores, but ignored guidelines for review procedures.

Continue reading "Proper Medical Assessments Are Mandatory For the Safety of Elder Patients Says California Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer Steven Peck" »

One in 20 hospital patients get infections. In California, roughly 200,000 people get hospital infections annually, and 12,000 of them die, according to state Department of Public Health statistics. That makes such infections one of the state's leading causes of death, ahead of automobile accidents and Alzheimer's disease.

Yet these deaths have remained mostly in the shadows. They often are classified as "deaths from complications," an oblique term used in obituaries and often unquestioned by relatives and friends says California Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect lawyer Steven Peck.

Even the best doctors can be baffled whether an infection was acquired before or after a patient was admitted, and if it was the principal cause of death or no factor at all.

Many health care providers historically have viewed hospital infections - going by obscure names or acronyms such as C.diff, CLABSI, VRE and the more familiar MRSA - as a sometimes inevitable consequence of being hospitalized.

That has begun to change. Research has demonstrated that many hospital infections are preventable, and most hospitals, have launched campaigns to rid their facilities of infections.

The change has not come nearly fast enough for many of our loved ones who have died as a result of these facility acquired infections.

"Hospitals are in denial," Elder Abuse Attorney Peck says "Because the public does not have knowledge and understanding of C. difficile, a very potent infection. It is easy for the hospitals to sweep this serious situation under the carpet, and the relatives of the deceased are none the wiser."

Continue reading "Many To Many People Are Being Killed In Long Term Care Facility Acquired Infections Says Los Angeles Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer Steven Peck" »

State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, said he voted for a bill last week that would protect care-dependent people from abuse and neglect.

House Bill 1053 would amend the Pennsylvania Crimes Code to include caretakers who intentionally or knowingly endanger the welfare of a care-dependent person in their care by failing to provide needed treatment, care or goods and services. Further, the bill would prohibit caretakers from physically or mentally abusing a care-dependent person.

"While I believe most caretakers are professional and conscientious about their care, this legislation seeks to deter abuse and hold those who violate care-dependent individuals accountable for their actions," DePasquale said.

DePasquale said care-dependent people may be elderly, disabled or have mental retardation. Private care residences are private residences whose owner or operator provides food, shelter, clothing and personal care or health care in the home to no more than three non-relatives.

"Because these operations are so small, they are not subject to inspection or held to the same stringent standards as larger facilities," DePasquale said. "Tragically, this had led to incidents, including deaths, which inspired this legislation."

Under H.B. 1053, a caretaker would commit the offense of abuse of a care dependent person if he harasses, annoys or unduly alarms the person. Among the actions that constitute abuse are physical harm, lewd or lascivious behavior and threats.

"Unfortunately, it seems the frequency of elder/disabled abuse is becoming greater as people live longer lives and more people are living to an age when they are vulnerable to those helping to care for them," DePasquale said.

The National Center on Elder Abuse reported a 150 percent increase in reported incidents of abuse to state adult protective services.

Continue reading "Legislation Against Caregivers Commmitting Elder Abuse is Warranted" »