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Many people who wind up in a nursing home are transferred there after a hospital stay. But an article in today’s The Washington Post points out a technicality that could block your ability to have Medicare cover the cost of your nursing home stay. Basically, everyone in the hospital is categorized as being in either […]
Know Your Hospital Status to Prevent Medicare Confusion Read More »
According to an article on WRAL.com, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has recommended that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services fine Britthaven of Chapel Hill nursing home for violations that led to the hospitalization of six patients in February. One patient, 84-year-old Rachel Holliday, died. Ms. Holliday and eight
State Calls for Fines for Britthaven of Chapel Hill Nursing Home Read More »
People recovering from serious illness used to recuperate in a traditional hospital, no matter how long it took. But in the past 15 years, a new form of hospital–the long-term acute care hospital–has emerged. These hospitals can provide intensive and specialized care for patients who don’t necessarily need all of the services offered by a
Poor Outcome from Long-Term Acute Care Hospitalization Read More »
Dr. Kathryn L. Locatell is a geriatrician who has extensive experience with nursing homes, personally and professionally. Her first job as a teenager was in the kitchen of a nursing home, and her father died as the result of neglect in a nursing home. Dr. Locatell was asked to testify before Congress about the state
Expert's View Inside a Nursing Home Read More »
An article on the WRAL webite today reports that an excessive amount of morphine contributed to the death of a patient in the Alzheimer’s unit of Britthaven of Chapel Hill nursing home. In February, patients were drug tested when managers expressed concern about the way the patients were acting. Of 25 Alzheimer’s patients, nine tested
Britthaven of Chapel Hill Death Update: Excessive Morphine Read More »
The Wake Forest Care Center has been rocked by another blow to its reputation. According to an article on the website for WRAL, a nursing assistant was arrested and charged with sexual assault on a resident who was “physically helpless.” The accused man, 42-year-old Michael Lee Brodie, was charged with sexual assault, and is being
Sexual Assault in a Wake Forest Assisted Living Center Read More »
The SmartMoney Magazine website published an eye-opening list of “10 Things Nursing Homes Won’t Tell You,” which was adapted from a book by Jonathan Dahl and the editors of SmartMoney. Everyone related to a nursing home resident should visit the site, read the list, print it, study it, and post it somewhere visible. So I
What Nursing Home Administrators Won't Tell You Read More »
One of the many lessons of the still-developing story of Britthaven of Chapel Hill is that sick, elderly nursing home residents may be easy targets if the nursing staff wants to slip an extra pill or two into their patients’ medication allotment to ensure that the residents remain unresponsive and sleepy–a form of chemical restraint. There
Know EVERY Medication Given in Nursing Home Read More »
It was horrifying to families that had already lived through the tragedy of having a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. As reported in the media, 9 residents of the Britthaven of Chapel Hill nursing home tested positive for strong pain medication–opiates–that hadn’t been prescribed to them…one later died. Now, ENCtoday.com reports that the incident
Investigations into Britthaven of Chapel Hill Abuses Read More »
In response to continuing reports of deaths, abuse, and substandard care at long-term nursing facilities, the Senate Finance Committee has opened an investigation. The company in the spotlight is Select Medical Corporation, a for-profit long-term care provider with 89 facilities in 26 states, including North Carolina. (They own Select Specialty Hospitals in Durham and Winston-Salem.)
Nursing Facilities Face Investigation Read More »