Scabies is an itchy skin condition caused by mites that can cause infections. A severe type of scabies, crusted scabies (Norwegian scabies), can affect large parts of a nursing home resident’s body and can be difficult to treat. Unlike milder cases of scabies that involve about 10-15 mites, a resident who has crusted scabies may…

It’s bad enough that many nursing home residents are abused. It’s worse when the victims are too afraid to complain to the nursing home management, a state ombudsman’s office, their family, or an attorney. Yet many residents are too afraid to file complaints out of fear that the nursing home or someone who works for…

California enacted the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act (EADACPA) to address a variety of concerns about the care of the elderly. These concerns are common to elder care facilities throughout the United States. The law includes a number of key parts including identifying the reasons why the law was enacted, various definitions,…

Nursing homes need to anticipate the possible complications from bedsores in addition to the most expected consequences such as tenderness and swelling. One dangerous complication from severe bedsores (also called pressure ulcers) is the risk of infections – some of which may be life-threatening. Bedsores occur when the flow of blood to the skin is…

A recent study conducted by the University of Chicago Medical Center shows that almost three-quarters of acute stroke patients wait two hours or more to be transferred  from a smaller hospital that doesn’t provide stroke services to a comprehensive stroke center. This delay can be deadly or result in a long-term disability or severe harm…

Some people may be under the impression that understaffing in nursing homes is a minor inconvenience, meaning that their elderly family member will simply have to wait a little longer to get the care and assistance that they need for the day. However, understaffing in nursing homes is actually a big issue with serious and…

One of the most common reasons for elder abuse is because family members and relative caregivers become stressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed while caring for their loved ones. They may begin to feel resentful of how much time it takes to care for another person. They may have other duties and obligations, such as taking care…

Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon scenario to find out that a nursing home is overmedicating your family member or loved one. There may be various reasons behind this, but none of them are ethical. In fact, choosing to overmedicate an individual in a nursing home is considered nursing home abuse. What is medication abuse?…

When an individual suffers a stroke, their life often changes forever. In fact, they may become completely incapacitated and unable to participate in or enjoy the activities that they did before the stroke. While expensive medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering are all parts of a recovering stroke victim’s life, it is important…