Old Age: Golden Age or Black and Blue Age?

Jeanie Oliver — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:48:22 GMT

Rocking chairs usually remind most people of the most beloved and protected time of their lives. That time when we were babies and in the caring arms of our parents or grandparents. People who had our best interest at heart. But, rocking chairs also remind some people that we will all get old. A process that will aflict all people. Also, unfortunately, with that age will come abuse and neglect for too many in our society.

Abuse and neglect of the elderly is a rising problem in the nursing home industry today. Abuse is the intentional harm of a patient: physical, emotional, or sexual. Neglect is that harm caused by the staff of a nursing home because of inadequate knowledge, training or laziness. Abuse is prevalent in nursing homes because all too often the system for background checks for staff is faulty. Federal law, according to the AARP, does not require long-term facilities to conduct national criminal background checks. Even in states that require background checks, the process can take 4 months. In some states, employees are allowed to work while waiting on the checks. So during this wait time, residents are in possible danger. In Arkansas, the Attorney General's office handles complaints and reports of elderly abuse in nursing homes. Information on this issue in Arkansas can be obtained at www.aradultprotection.com. Plan ahead and protect your loved one with knowledge and education in this area. Let's help old age be the golden age for all of America's elderly.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Nursing Home Abuse and Elder Neglect.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeanie Oliver

Daughter Suing Palos Heights Nursing Home for Mother's Death

Chrissie Cole — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:25:14 GMT

The daughter of a woman who died at a Palos Heights Nursing Home filed a lawsuit, Wednesday, in Cook Count Court, charging the facility with nursing home neglect and abuse that contributed to the death of her mother.

The complaint alleges Manor Care, at Palos Heights, failed to adequately provide her mother with timely medical care for various infections and medical conditions. She also suffered from dehydration and malnutrition while residing at the home, according to the lawsuit.

The woman was a resident from October through November 2005, she died in September 2006.

"The injuries that she suffered while in the nursing home were of such magnitude that they contributed to her death," Levin said. "They are not the actual cause, they caused a debilitative state that shortened someone's life."

The complaint asks for more than $50,000, including attorney's fees. An investigation into a complaint about her patient care was conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health in June 2006.

For more information on this subject, please visit our section on Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

El Dorado Personal Injury Lawyer - Nursing Home

Old Age: Golden Age or Black and Blue Age?

Daughter Suing Palos Heights Nursing Home for Mother's Death