Hearing loss in nursing home residents may have a critical impact on quality of life. As such, facility staff should be encouraged to embarrass more comprehensive hearing assessments. On this week’s episode, we welcome Dr. Kathy Dowd, AuD to talk about hearing assessments, care plans, and the “hearing standard of care” for nursing home residents.

The Center for Elder Law & Justice is a non-profit civil legal services agency, providing free legal representation in Western New York. On this week’s episode, we welcome Lindsay Heckler, supervising attorney, to discuss the Center’s mission.

Every nursing home must conduct a comprehensive assessment of each resident’s specific risk for skin breakdown. With hundreds of variables, systematizing such an assessment for efficient use by nursing home staff is critical. In this week’s episode, we welcome Dr. Nancy Bergstrom, who along with Dr. Barbara Braden, developed the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Ulcer Risk to talk about the importance of skin assessments and the myriad of variables at play. 

Under Federal law, nursing homes are required to assess every resident for risk of pressure ulcer development using an interdisciplinary team that includes nurses, physicians, and other hands-on care givers. Why is such a comprehensive approach necessary? Holistic approaches provide better prevention and treatment plans. In this week’s episode, we welcome Dr. Aletha Tippett to talk about how simple, systematic approaches to assessments can yield great results for residents.

We’ve made it 150 Episodes! In celebration of this milestone, we are dedicating the episode to highlighting five valuable resources to families of loved ones in nursing homes. From informative websites to advocacy groups, nursing home lawyers Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss the must-know tools to help prevent neglect in Georgia nursing homes.

Georgia regulations require that a resident’s representative be called at certain times. For example, when a resident suffers an injury or requires a new medication.  On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorney Rob Schenk discusses five circumstances in which nursing homes are required to call a loved one.

Georgia nursing homes are required to follow both Federal and State regulations. Of the hundreds and hundreds of pages of regulations, many rules affect the day-to-day welfare of nursing home residents, from grievance filings to health assessment obligations. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss five things to know about Georgia nursing home regulations.

Recent surveys reveal that between 4% and 6% of seniors inside or outside long-term care facilities are victims of financial abuse, physical abuse or neglect. The numbers climb each year. It is up to all of us to reverse these trends. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss four ways to report abuse and neglect in Georgia’s nursing homes.

When assisting nursing home residents from bed, up from a wheelchair, or to the bathroom, having the appropriate amount of staff and the correct technique can be critical for safety. Many injuries occur every year during transfers and lifts because of lapses in judgement or failure to follow a care plan. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith welcome Teresa Boyton to discuss transfer and lift safety in nursing homes.

It is easy to become confused about different types of long-term care facilities. In Georgia, a personal care home is not the same thing as an assisted living facility. An assisted living facility is a personal care home that serves over 25 people and is licensed to provided “assisted living care,” which includes assistance with daily living and administration of medications. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorney Rob Schenk discusses five things to know about Georgia personal care homes.

In general, the goal of occupational therapy is to help nursing home residents become more independent through meaningful activities and exercises. By improving life skills, substantial improvements can be made to the quality of life and dignity of the resident. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorney Rob Schenk welcomes Susan Touchinsky OTR/L @SusieTouchinsky of Adaptive Mobility Services, LLC to talk about the importance of occupational therapy in a long-term care setting.

Infectious diseases are a major concern for our nation’s nursing home residents. In fact, Infectious diseases account for one third of all deaths in people over the age of 65. As such, infection protocols in nursing homes must be implemented as a matter of Federal law and as a line of protection. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorney Rob Schenk welcomes Richard Mollot @LTCconsumer  of the Long Term Care Community Coalition to discuss the importance of infection control protocol in nursing homes.

It goes without saying that the ability to communicate is important. However, communication for seniors in long-term care, expressing oneself is critical. Being able to communicate simple thoughts, like pain, hunger, thirst, or other desires can be life-saving. This is why speech therapy is critical. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith welcome Sena Crutchley, MA, CCC-SLP of the University of North Carolina Greensboro to discuss how speech therapy plays into nursing home care.

While many experts consider falls to be preventable, they constitute more than 25% of emergency room visits for nursing home residents. In fact, this number may be well below the true number, as CMS indicates that many falls go unreported. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorney Rob Schenk welcomes Dr. Rein Tideiksaar @drrein1 of Fall Prevent LLC to discuss how the severity of injuries from falls may be reduced or eliminated.

Federal and state regulations limit the circumstances in which a nursing home may evict a resident. Based on the health circumstances of the average nursing home resident, eviction from their normal routine or surroundings can have catastrophic circumstances. Sadly, illegal evictions are on the rise. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorney Rob Schenk welcomes attorney William Alvarado Rivera @billyriv of AARP Foundation Litigation @aarpfoundation to discuss how AARP is fighting illegal evictions.

It goes without saying that most residents of nursing homes are disproportionately older and have chronic conditions, and often enter long-term care after an acute hospitalization. This makes nursing home residents especially vulnerable to safety problems in the course of their care. A systematic approach to resident safety is of the utmost importance. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorney Rob Schenk welcomes Dr. Nicholas Castle from the University of West Virginia’s Department of Health Policy and Management to discuss his research into patient safety culture in nursing homes. 

Pressure ulcers are one of the most common health problems in nursing homes. The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) project that over two million seniors will develop pressure ulcers annually. Not all pressure ulcers completely heal, and in fact, can lead to deadly complications. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith welcome Martha Kelso @MarthaRKelso of @woundcareplus to discuss the diagnosis and comorbidities that prevent proper healing of pressure ulcers.

We'll be returning on Monday, January 6th, 2020 with a new episode. See you next year!!

There are many tools to achieve justice for loved ones harmed in a Georgia nursing home. Attorneys and the civil justice system are just one of those tools. But what does a lawsuit actually do? On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss the concepts of damages, recovery, and remedies in nursing home cases.

AAA projects 54.3 million Americans will travel by care at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving. A great many will visit loved ones in nursing homes for the first time in many weeks or months. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss five tips for keeping your loved on safe this Thanksgiving.

While historians have documented pressure ulcers dating back to the time of ancient Egypt, there still doesn’t seem to be one universal model for staging the injury. While pressure ulcers remain a common problem in long term care facilities across the country, we only seem to be inching closer to a more effective standard for diagnosing. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith welcome Martha Kelso @MarthaRKelso of @woundcareplus to discuss current methods of  staging a pressure ulcer and the issues that come with each.

Earlier this month, on October 1st, 2019, the “Georgia Long-Term Care Background Check Program” went into effect. The law requires nursing home employees with “direct access” to residents pass a national background check. On this week’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss the statute, what it means to resident safety, and how it improves upon already existing laws.

The National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) is a national technical assistance center funded by the Administration for Community Living and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. HSRI is serving as the Center’s administrator, coordinating and providing assistance to help states, tribes, and territories implement person-centered practices. In this week’s episode, nursing home abuse lawyers Rob Schenk and Will Smith welcome Alixe Bonardi, Bevin Croft, & Shawn Terrell to discuss NCAPPS’ mission and goals.

By definition, a fall is as any event that leads to an unplanned, unexpected contact with a supporting surface. Most studies indicate that falls are a multifactorial event resulting from multiple risk factors, including unsteady gait, cognitive impairments, medication, and others. Understanding this, Federal and state law are clear that nursing homes must take reasonable steps to prevent the risk of fall in each resident. In this week’s episode, and in honor of Fall Prevention Awareness Day, nursing home abuse lawyers Rob Schenk and Will Smith welcome guest Dr. Mindy Renfro of Touro University to discuss common interventions for the reduction of nursing home falls.

According to recent studies, an elderly person will be treated for injuries from a fall every 13 seconds. An elderly person will die from injuries sustained from a fall every 20 minutes. The statistics for seniors living in nursing homes is even higher. These numbers tell us that interventions to prevent falls are paramount in skilled nursing facilities. In this week’s episode, nursing home abuse lawyers Rob Schenk and Will Smith welcome guest Dr. Pat Quigley to discuss common interventions for the reduction of nursing home falls.