According to a recent study, each week 179,000 nursing home residents are given  antipsychotic even though the residents do NOT have diagnoses for which the drugs are approved. Often, these drugs are administered without informed consent. Unrelated to any underlying treatment, the medications are provided to make the resident docile. In today’s episode, nursing home lawyers Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss in appropriate use of medication in nursing homes with Kelly Bagby, an attorney and Vice President of the AARP Foundation Litigation.

Hundreds of encounters between nursing home residents resulting in injury occur each year. What are the causes of these incidents and what are some of the interventions that nursing homes can take to reduce their occurance? In today’s episode, nursing home lawyers Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss resident-to-resident incidents with Dr. Eilon Caspi, a Gerontologist and Dementia Behavior Specialist who recently authored a study on this phenomena.

Restraints are often used in nursing homes to prevent unwanted behavior in residents. Restraints may include physical restraints, such as Geri Chairs or bed rails, or chemical restraints, such as sedatives. Federal law prohibits the use of restraints of any kind unless absolutely medically necessary. In today’s episode, nursing home lawyers Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss the inappropriate use of restraints in nursing homes with guest Diane Carter, RN, founder of the American Association on Post-Acute Care Nursing.

Senior Medicare Patrols (SMPs) assist Medicare beneficiaries to detect and report health care fraud and abuse. SMPs conduct outreach to educate the community, recruit and engage volunteers, and receive and investigate complaints from Medicare beneficiaries. In today’s episode, nursing home abuse lawyers Rob Schenk and Will Smith talk in depth about SMPs with guest Nathan Coflin a representative of the Georgia Senior Medicare Patrol Program.