The coronavirus pandemic has hit residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities hard. Because coronavirus is very contagious and dangerous for seniors and people who have pre-existing medical conditions, residents are especially at risk. News of deaths and serious illness occurring at these long-term facilities in Georgia has been heartbreaking. People who have loved...
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Violent crime still a problem in Atlanta
Despite a nationwide trend that saw an overall reduction in violent crimes, Atlanta actually reported more violent crimes in the first six months of 2019, compared to the first six months of 2018. According to the FBI, the data is based on information from more than 14,000 law enforcement agencies and covers violent crimes that...
Read MoreWill GA lawmakers reform the senior care system to protect residents with dementia?
Did you know that as many as half the people living in senior residential care facilities in the U.S. suffer from some kind of cognitive decline? That’s according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which in recent months has been publishing an important series about Georgia’s senior care industry. The newspaper reports that those with dementia have...
Read MoreLawmakers and nursing home providers address staffing concerns in nursing homes
We previously weighed in on a federal investigation that revealed the underreporting of staffing at several nursing home facilities. Now, lawmakers seek to remedy the problem with newly introduced legislation, according to McKnight's Long-Term Care News. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) and Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky (Illinois) introduced The Quality Care for Nursing Home Residents Act under...
Read MoreNew consumer alert icon aims to help identify nursing home abuse and neglect
The federal government has begun fine-tuning how it tells people about good and bad nursing homes by displaying online a white-on-red hand alert icon. The alert icon is posted for nursing homes that have been cited for incidents of abuse, neglect or exploitation. It began showing up on the nursing homes' rating page on United States...
Read MoreUnsanitary kitchens and food handling put nursing home residents at risk
Whenever we see a news story about the horrors in America's nursing homes, the focal point is often physical abuse, falls, medication errors, bedsores, and sexual assault. Not as much attention seems to be paid to the cleanliness and safety of nursing home kitchens. Not nearly as much as should be, anyway, according to NBC News....
Read MoreThe spread of a dangerous fungus is putting nursing home residents in danger
If you're unfamiliar with Candida auris (C. auris), now is the time to familiarize yourself with this potentially deadly fungus. That's because it's becoming a growing threat in many nursing homes and could affect your loved one. It's a highly-contagious and drug-resistant pathogen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since entering the...
Read MoreCan we trust that our loved ones will be safe in nursing homes, assisted living facilities?
When we hear about the horror stories of abuse and neglect in nursing homes and assisted living centers, it leaves an underlying uncertainty within us all. It makes us question if we can trust that these facilities will care for and protect our loved ones. Sadly, many facilities employ dangerous and abusive staff members who...
Read MoreAn Atlanta Attorney Offers Best Ideas to Prevent Elderly Falls in Nursing Homes
Falls in nursing homes happen far too often and can result in causing serious and life-threatening injuries to elderly residents. Health conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and vertigo, are among the leading risk factors that put seniors in danger of falling. According to research which analyzed death certificates maintained by the National Center...
Read MoreU.S. Senate report: Georgia nursing home plagued by a sexual assault, wandering resident, odor of urine, untrained staff
Here’s a sentence that loved ones of a nursing home resident would rather not hear: “The patient was rescued before the train got there, but it was a very close call.” The sentence was in a story on AlbanyHerald.com that discussed patterns of serious health and safety violations at nursing homes nationwide, including in Georgia. The...
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