The latest form of Nursing Home Abuse are attempts by the nursing home to seize resident’s assets. This is a new form of earlier actions.
The first case we saw related to a nursing home accepting a sum from a widow for lifetime care. This sum under their current rates should have lasted for nearly 10 years. However, the care rendered was very bad. Insulin for diabetes was either not given or not given in the appropriate dosage or on time. She died within six months of entering the home. Our firm recovered the majority of the funds from the nursing home for the family.
A new tactic, reported by the New York Times on January 26th 2015, is to get the nursing home appointed as a Guardian for the resident giving the Home control over the assets. When the family resists they use their muscle to fight the family to get the funds. This abuse has to be reported and stopped.
Nursing Homes may be entitled to appropriate payments but they are not permitted to gouge themselves on a family’s assets.
NURSING HOME ABUSE PART 2
We recently saw a nursing home order Doppler testing for every patient on a particular floor within the home. Doppler testing is a non-invasive test that cannot cause the patient any harm.
Doppler testing has clearly defined medical indications for when it should be ordered.
In this case, when Doppler testing was ordered for every patient on the floor. Ordering the Doppler studies was only a reason to bill Medicare and Medicaid for a test. The patient would not be charged, the patient would not be harmed but the Home would make money by doing unnecessary and un-indicated testing.
This costs us all money as it is Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
NURSING HOME ABUSE PART III
Nursing homes are strictly regulated and are required to have sufficient staff to see to the needs of the type of patients in the nursing home. Individuals need different levels of care and the care must be individualized for the particular patients.
If a resident develops bed sores, contractures, marked deterioration in the physical condition it is often caused by the patient not receiving the care that is required.
Equipment, such as specialized beds are not ordered or if ordered not provided. Turning of a patient who is bedridden is not provided due to lake of staff.
Nursing home negligence can only be stopped by an attentive family who take action, report the abuses to the appropriate authorities and bring suit to stop the abuse.