During the global COVID-19 pandemic, elderly populations are among the most vulnerable to the virus and its devastating effects. Nursing Homes are especially vulnerable, as elderly or immunocompromised residents are clustered together. An analysis by the Chicago Tribune finds that federal nursing home inspection records show that Illinois’ nursing home…
As we now know from the tragic deaths at a Seattle area nursing home, the elderly and patients in nursing and long-term care facilities–especially those with underlying health conditions– are most at risk from the coronavirus. That is why it is so important for your loved one’s nursing home to…
Senators Reveal Names of 22 Illinois Nursing Homes with Seriously Poor Care Placing a loved one in a nursing home can be a difficult, heartbreaking, and confusing decision. As nursing home attorneys, we see why this can be so painful for families. They want the best care for their loved one,…
When you place your loved one in the care of trained staff at a nursing home, the last thing you think about is the possibility that your relative may succumb to a fatal infection. But that is what is happening around the country, as elderly patients in overcrowded nursing homes…
By 2050, people age 65 and older will make up 20% of the total U.S. population. The fastest growing group of American’s are those 85 years old and up. According to the last census in 2010, there were 5.8 million age 85 or older. By 2050, it is estimated that…
As the population in the United States continues to age, it is estimated that there will be 19 million Americans over the age of 85 by the year 2050. Currently 1 in 8 Americans reside in a long-term care facility or nursing home. This doesn’t even factor in the number…
Nursing home residents have rights that are protected under federal law, and which must be explained to the resident in understandable language. In summary, these are the rights (See the link below from Medicare.gov. for a more detailed description): (1) To be treated with respect. (2) To participate in activities.…
A shift in power and control has returned to those who most need it – nursing home residents and their families. In a recent ruling, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) prohibited mandatory pre-dispute arbitration agreements between federally funded nursing homes and their residents. Prior to the new…
Are you concerned that a family member is being abused or neglected at a nursing home? Mistreatment at the hands of a caregiver can happen in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes. The mistreatment may take the form of physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, or even financial exploitation. Signs of…
Co-authored by Gregory Zimmer of The Collins Law Firm, P.C. Contusions, bedsores, broken hips—all signs of nursing home neglect or abuse that can be caught earlier or even prevented with protective-care cameras. Last week, the Illinois legislature sent Governor Rauner a bill aimed at getting cameras in the rooms of…