Introducing our NEW Nursing Home Newsletter Series!

On Behalf of | Jun 22, 2018 | Firm News

Introducing our NEW Nursing Home Newsletter Series!

K&M Nursing Home Abuse Cases :
We handle nursing home abuse cases and crimes/scams committed with the intent to defraud older demographic groups. For example, we settled two cases in 2017. Both were in litigation after we filed lawsuits. The first one settled for six figures and involved a pressure sore. The second case involved a rehab facility for a middle aged stroke victim who was injured with improper use of a hoyer lift. That case settled for six figures after seven depositions including expert testimony. We filed a new one earlier in 2018 involving the death of an elderly gentlemen at a skilled nursing facility. That lawsuit was filed and discovery is underway. We are investigating a potential class action involving fraudulent medical billing by a lab which included many, many Medicare recipients.
It seemed natural that a series of newsletters and an informational booklet would be a good way to educate our friends/clients and their families about preventing some of the issues we see come up frequently. This newsletter is the first in a series designed to address some of those issues.
Your parents are aging and in need of care. A family member suffers from an injury or disease and needs care. Perhaps it is a friend. We all face these issues. Here are some ideas and resources to help you through the morass of information and decision making. 
What type of facility does my loved one need?
There are many names for various types of facilities. What is the difference between a nursing home/senior living facility/Alzheimer dementia facility/rehabilitation facility/home care services/hospice services/personal care home, etc…
An independent senior community is often for fully independent adults with limited support services but often services which are focused on the older population.  ALFs (assisted living facilities) provide the next level of care….not fully skilled nursing but with minimal servicing which might include dining to laundry. Personal care homes or residential care facilities offer more care for those in need but still do not fall under the definition of a skilled nursing facility which provides the most detailed health care for those in the most need of those services.
See these links for more information.
http://www.caregiverslibrary.org/caregivers-resources/grp-care-facilities/types-of-care-facilities-article.aspx
Not only do you need to identify what type of facility your loved one needs, but you need to select one particular facility.
Some questions to ask include whether the facility deals with any special or unique medical needs of our loved one, ownership (local or national), whether it is rated by any independent agencies and staff to resident ratios.   With regard to nursing homes, here is a good checklist to consider:
These questions are good but you will often get the “corporate” answer….which is almost always guided by the facilities self-interest. A great way to “answer” these questions yourself is to visit the facility at different times and observe what is going on yourself. Or do independent research on the facility. Here are some other ideas for selecting a nursing home:
We hope this information is helpful. Next time, we will discuss in home care, and steps you can take to prevent abuse whether your loved one is cared for at home or in a facility.