advocates for elderly target 'chemical restraint' abuse at care facilities

Calling it a form of chemical restraint, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and advocates for the elderly Tuesday blasted the practice of prescribing antipsychotic drugs for dementia patients in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
"It is a form of elder abuse. It's chemical restraint -- no less pernicious and insidious than physical restraint of patients -- and it should be stopped," Blumenthal said.
During a press conference at the Capitol, Blumenthal announced that he has introduced a bill to crack down on the overprescription of these off-label drugs. At the same time, health care advocates and advocates for the elderly announced that they have formed a statewide coalition that aims to reduce this type of off-label antipsychotic drug use in Connecticut by 50 percent.
Both Blumenthal and the coalition are trying to combat the practice of giving agitated or confused dementia patients antipsychotic drugs, such as Risperidone, Quetiapine and Olanzapine, to calm them down.
Blumenthal, advocates for elderly target 'chemical restraint' abuse at care facilities | The Connecticut Mirror

Woman accused of slapping nursing home patient gets probation

A Cape Girardeau woman accused of slapping a 98-year-old nursing home patient will spend the next two years on probation.

According to officials at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse, Sherri Sprenger pleaded guilty to a charge of elder abuse Wednesday morning.

The judge gave Sprenger two years in jail, but put her on probation instead. But he told Sprenger she'd go to jail if she violates that probation.

Sprenger worked at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She's since been fired.

Police say she admitted to losing her temper because the patient yelled at her.

Sprenger says she responded by slapping the elderly victim across the face with the back side of her hand. She says she didn't mean it, and she feels remorse.

Police responded after family members noticed bruising on the woman's face.

As part of her sentence, the judge ordered Sprenger to write the family an apology letter.

Woman accused of slapping nursing home patient gets probation - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

Racism, patients’ lack of awareness contributing to health disparities for residents of color in Boston, specialists say

Health disparities persist in the city of Boston between people of color and white residents, and efforts to combat racism and increase minority patients’ awareness of their rights as health care consumers are needed to bridge the divide, specialists said on Monday.

Speaking at a forum hosted by the State of Black Boston, a coalition of groups that ­includes the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, public health specialists discussed findings that were detailed in a report that showed black Bostonians suffered from a number of serious health conditions at higher rates than white residents.

Dr. Karen Winkfield, a radiation oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said people of color in the city sometimes do not seek medical care because they expect to be treated poorly by health providers.

“We have to realize that it’s real and we can’t just sweep it under the carpet,” Winkfield said at the forum, which was held at the Dimock Center in Roxbury, of the racial bias she said is faced by minorities in hospitals. She also said a lack of adequate transportation and child care are obstacles to care for minority patients.

According to the report, which the Urban League published in collaboration with other groups, black infants died at rates ranging from 8.7 to 14.6 children per 1,000 births between 1996 and 2008, compared to rates between 2.8 and 9.5 for white infants during that period.

Barbara Ferrer, executive ­director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said that stress related to the effects of racism is a major factor in the higher rates for black infants. She said public agencies and other groups must work to combat the effects of racial prejudice on public health.

Racism, patients’ lack of awareness contributing to health disparities for residents of color in Boston, specialists say - Metro Desk - Local news updates from The Boston Globe

Missouri nursing home worker no longer employed after abuse allegation

 

A worker at a Cape Girardeau assisted-living facility is no longer employed there following an allegation of assault from a 92-year-old female resident. Police said Monday they continue to investigate the charges and have alerted state authorities as is mandated by law.The Cape Girardeau Police Department received a report Wednesday about the possibility of elder abuse at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau when visiting family members said they noticed their relative had bruising on her cheek, said department spokesman Darin Hickey. The nursing home resident told police she had been assaulted by a Lutheran Home staff member, Hickey said.

seMissourian.com: Local News: Cape nursing home worker no longer employed after abuse allegation (08/28/12)

Care home nurse fired

A NURSE who told a dying dementia patient it was “time for the big sleep” has been struck off.
Shiona Nelson made the heartless comment in front of the woman's family. The patient’s grand-daughter fled from the room in tears.
Nelson also let a student nurse practice taking blood samples from the pensioner, referred to as “Patient B”, and carried out an “unjustified” intimate examination of another patient.
She was in charge of training young nurses at a care home in her home town of Kirkcaldy, Fife.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council said her behaviour was “wholly unacceptable” and she was unfit to practice. Nelson did not turn up to hear the verdict.
Nelson, a registered nurse since 1983, made her callous deathbed comment in 2009 at the Adam House home in Kirkcaldy.
Care home nurse struck off after telling dying dementia patient it was 'time for the big sleep' - Daily Record