Nursing home employee faces charges of patient abuse

An Ohio woman faced a judge Tuesday morning, accused of physically abusing an elderly  woman at Fostoria nursing home. The Fostoria Police department said Kim Reid, 28, was an employee at the Independence House nursing home in Fostoria. Investigators said Reid repeatedly abused the 94 year old woman.
Reid was charged with one count of patient abuse, a fourth degree felony. She was released on bond, and has a preliminary hearing set for January 26th. According to court records, investigators said Reid repeatedly abused the 94 year old woman on numerous occasions, by pulling her hair and pinching her nose so hard it left marks lasting into the next day.
Nursing home employee faces charges of patient abuse - WTOL.com: News, Weather and Sport for Toledo, Ohio

Kindred Healthcare Employee Reviews: Understaffing, Profits over patients

The Website "http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Kindred-Healthcare-Reviews-E8220.htm posts employee reviews of many U.S. Corporations. One such corporation, Kindred Healthcare, a  large national healthcare chain of nursing homes, resulted in 63 past and current employees writing in reviews. These reviews are anonymously written to protect the employees who are still employed at Kindred. They range from good to bad. Important to note are some of the recurring criticisms of Kindred by their own employees in areas of nursing home patient care and employee support for providing care to nursing home elders. Another is the recurring theme of putting profits over people. Under staffing is repeatedly mentioned. The reviewers gave an average rating of 2.7 out of a possible 5 saying it "was O.K." (5 being the highest or best rating as a workplace). Paul Diaz, the CEO got a "47% approve" rating.
According to Glassdoor, the following comments were made including these quotes:
Jan 30, 2012 reviewer

Cons

"They say they go by patient accuity, but they don't. They cram as many patients' in as they can and sometimes 2 patients' to tiny rooms where beds aren't hardly 2 feet apart! They take anybody, whether the patient has been known to abuse staff and also many weighing over 300 pounds, which is hard on staff. It is all about money there! .... Staff goes out with way too many patients! We are then expected to watch patients "closely"(one floor won't allow sitters and hardly any restraints) who are confused and unrestrained, so that they aren't falling and pulling trachs out, but no one can keep up with workloads , watching patients, and answering alarms promptly. People who are FULL Codes are allowed to repeatedly pull out vital tubes, and staff must promptly" keep" replacing them in emergent situations.

2) Oct 25, 2011

"Very depressing place to work"

Advice to Senior Management: Monitor employee behavior"

3) Nov 5, 2011

"terrible leadership at the top, backstabbing, unprofessional conduct by the administrator and people over her, no respect for the good people working there and giving their best for the patients, hidden agendas by the DO, which caused the entire building to fall apart when the good people left..."

4) July 11, 2011. This reviewer gave Kindred a good rating but still added some:

"Cons - Corporate emphasis on making money seems to detract from patient care. Not enough staff/staff cut to minimum when census low."

5)  August 15th, 2011 "“Very Stressful Environment, Lacking Communication and Professionalism” 

 "Cons - There is a lack of communication between Nursing and Nurse Management. There is lack of support and trust of Nursing staff among upper management. There is a very negative morale in the facility among employees. The corporation does not provides the resources needed to do a quality job. Patient care is not priority.

Advice to Senior Management

Please read your mission statement. Patient care is and should be priority. Give your nurses what they need, please."

6) July 6, 2011 Employee:

  “It's all about the bottom line...money”

"Pros: great co-workers who work very hard without much appreciation

Cons: big push on getting people in the door, regardless of the quality of care given

Advice to Senior Management: treat your employees like you would like to be treated."

7) June 26, 2011:

“Very dangerous place to work.”

Cons

"Intentionally very short staffed, ......Care plans from other disciplines have to be completed by the nurses and it is impossible to know what tasks were completed. .....Too many opportunities for errors.

Advice to Senior Management Listen to the nurses at the bedside. What's good for them is good for patients. Making the nurse's jobs impossible to do well is not good business practice. Protecting and padding the bottom line today will not pay for potential litigation tomorrow."

8) June 26, 2011 current employee

“Please look into the facility before you agree to be an employee. You may be shocked!”

Cons
"Terrible communication between staff and management
State deficiency =TOO many!
Lack of sensitivity and empathy (management and co-workers)
Understaffed for every shift
Dangerous working environment"

9) March 17, 2011 current employee

“High burnout, no bonus, abusive management, keep you in the dark”

Cons

.....Not a professional environment...Team members get written up on a frequent basis if someone speaks up. It is an uncaring environment where everyone is unhappy.

10) Feb , 2011 past employee

“Consistently understaffed, overworked and underpaid!”

Cons

Frequently under staffed. 

11) Jan 6, 2011

"The company cares too much about money and not enough about the patients."

12) Sept 9, 2010 current employee

“If you want a for-profit place to work that is more concerned about money than patient care, this is it.”

Cons

"Bottom line is, Money First, People Second. I just cannot get past the mantra of a for-profit business like this. Making a buck is more important than making a difference for a patient.

Advice to Senior Management

Your Senior Management leaders should be CLINICIANS - RN's, MD's, etc. Healthcare Adminstrator and Marketing Managers - these people could have come from sales in cell phones. They have no idea how a real hospital works".

13) Aug 12, 2010 current emplyee

“Kindred has reputation for over-working staff and understaffing.”

Cons

"Everything is about cost, budget, cut-backs, money. You work with MINIMUM staff for high accuity patients, and they go by census. Our bldg is HOT too, because it is old, and you are over-worked..."

14)  July 28, 2010 

“Fix your company”

Cons

"Never enough people to take care of the residents. Sometimes their is only 4 cnas for 70 residents,most of the time only 1 or 2 nurses on the floor for 70 people. That is not proper care ."

15) April 6, 2010

"Patient satisfaction is secondary to making money."

16) 3-31-2010 past employee (2009)

“Worked to the bone.”

Cons

Nurse to patient ratio is the biggie. I would have 5 vents and 1-2 walkie-talkies. All on numerous antibiotics and needing full care. Did I mention that we would have 2 CNAs for the ENTIRE floor. Sometimes only one.  All in all, a hellhole, and that's why those of us who endured that place called it "HELLDRID".

17)  March 21, 2010 current employee

“Saving a dollar takes priority over competent patient care”

Cons

.....we are constantly understaffed and overworked. Instead of going by patient acuity, which means that they would have to have more staffing, they're going by the number of patients in the building, trying to save a dollar, but in reality, they're putting the patients in jepardy. And another thing, how can you cut the respiratory staff, when Kindred is a respiratory hospital? Hello, is anyone home? Why is there one respiratory therapist assigned to twelve or thirteen patients? I don't understand, but in the end it's the patient that is going to suffer

Advice to Senior Management

My advice would be to .... really take the concerns that your employees have seriously, because you never know when you or your family may be laying in the bed wondering why is it taking so long for your nurse to give you pain medicine, or why you are laying in the bed choking, and your respiratory therapist isn't there to suction you in a reasonable time."

18) March 2, 1020 current employee

Cons

People in charge so scared of going over budget I can't make orders the last week of the month practically. There are never enough supplies in the building for our residents because of this.

see these Kindred employee reviews at: http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Kindred-Healthcare-Reviews-E8220.htm

Government terms Pressure Ulcers as "Abuse"

 The Administration on Aging lists the types of conduct that constitute elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes:

Each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected, and exploited. Many victims are people who are older, frail, and vulnerable and cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs. Abusers of older adults are both women and men, and may be family members, friends, or “trusted others.”
In general, elder abuse is a term referring to any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. Legislatures in all 50 states have passed some form of elder abuse prevention laws. Laws and definitions of terms vary considerably from one state to another, but broadly defined, abuse may be:

• Physical Abuse - inflicting physical pain or injury on a senior, e.g. slapping, bruising, or restraining by physical or chemical means.
• Sexual Abuse - non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.
• Neglect - the failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for a vulnerable elder.
• Exploitation - the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a senior for someone else's benefit.
• Emotional Abuse - inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts, e.g. humiliating, intimidating, or threatening.
• Abandonment - desertion of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person.
• Self-neglect – characterized as the failure of a person to perform essential, self-care tasks and that such failure threatens his/her own health or safety.

Telltale signs of abuse can include:

• Bruises, pressure marks, broken bones, abrasions, and burns may be an indication of physical abuse, neglect, or mistreatment.
• Unexplained withdrawal from normal activities, a sudden change in alertness, and unusual depression may be indicators of emotional abuse.
• Bruises around the breasts or genital area can occur from sexual abuse.
• Sudden changes in financial situations may be the result of exploitation.
• Bedsores, unattended medical needs, poor hygiene, and unusual weight loss are indicators of possible neglect.
• Behavior such as belittling, threats, and other uses of power and control by spouses are indicators of verbal or emotional abuse.
• Strained or tense relationships, frequent arguments between the caregiver and elderly person are also signs.

http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/Elder_Rights/EA_Prevention/whatIsEA.aspx

Elder Abuse Lawyer Comments on Nursing Home Quality of Care Performance Study

I wrote this article today outlining some statistics regarding the current state of nursing home care in America:
Elder Abuse Lawyer Comments on Nursing Home Quality of Care Performance Study

• 146,000 deficiencies were issued to nursing homes for violations of federal regulations in 2010, indicating many quality issues in the nation’s nursing homes. 23 percent of the nation’s nursing facilities received deficiencies for poor quality of care that caused actual harm or jeopardy to residents.
• 43 percent of nursing homes failed to ensure a safe environment for residents to prevent accidents.
• 30 percent of nursing homes received deficiencies for failure to meet professional standards, 28 percent for failure to provide comprehensive care plans, 23 percent for giving unnecessary drugs, 21 percent for poor clinical records, 20 percent for failing to ensure resident dignity, 20 percent for poor housekeeping, and 19 for failure to prevent pressure sores.
• Facilities with more RN staffing have higher quality of care on average. The average staffing levels were below the level recommended by experts.
• About 90,000 residents (6.5 percent) have pressure sores.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/quality/nursingcare/prweb8968967.htm -

Massachusetts Law against Sex Offenders living in Nursing Homes

Level 3 Sex Offenders Living in Nursing Homes a Crime in Massachusetts:

It is a crime for a Level 3 sex offender to "knowingly and willingly" live in any convalescent or nursing home, infirmary maintained in a town, rest home, charitable home for the aged or intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded which meets the requirements of the DPH under G.L. c. 111, § 71. Penalties for committing this crime are as follows:

• First conviction: imprisonment for not more than 30 days in a jail or house of correction;
• Second conviction: imprisonment for not more than 2 ½ years in a jail or house of correction nor more than 5 years in a state prison or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment; and
• Third and subsequent conviction: imprisonment in a state prison for not less than 5 years; provided, however, that the sentence imposed for such third or subsequent conviction shall not be reduced to less than 5 years, nor suspended.

Crimes against the elderly have become all to common. Many states like Massachusetts try to protect elders in nursing homes from predatory attacks by former sex offenders by requiring registration and or outright exclusion from nursing homes. 
Source: Massachusetts 

Allegations of abuse of a nursing home patient

A Rankin County woman is accusing a nursing home of abusing her elderly mother.
It is an allegation officials at the Brandon facility deny.
Betty Lovern Chambers has posted pictures on her Facebook page that show injuries her Tommi Lovern, 74, suffered last week.
"I feel strongly in my heart that it is abuse and neglect," Chambers said.
She said a nurse at the Brandon Nursing Home &Rehabilitation Center called her at 1:30 a.m. on January 25th telling her that her mother was admitted to the hospital after she fell from her wheelchair.
"I went over to the nursing home to confront the nurse on duty which was Crystal Wheaton...Her exact words to me were 'I had had enough," Chambers said. "So I gave her an Ativan to calm her down, and I didn't want her to wake the other residents."

Allegations of abuse of a nursing home patient - Flash Player Installation

What Keeps The CNA Going?

Good article on the challenges facing CNA's in Nursing Homes. The writer mentions the "G" (Greed) word as a factor in the compromise of elder care in nurssing facilities.
Some excerpts: "When a resident is a two assist meaning that there needs to be two people to care for them by state law and only three CNA's on a shift all the residents suffer. Lights are ignorned residents fall, and some are left in their own feces or with there pants down because a CNA can't get back to them to help. As someone looking in on this it is sad that in some of these Nursing Homes where one unit like rehah pays for the entire place yet employees are told there is are enough funds to hire more help. The other day I read about the oath doctors take in the medical profession, and after reading it again I certainly question why this abuse continues. For these men, and women who give of themselves they get burnt quickly, and much of the time sugar and coffee are two drinks that keep them going. How good is that for their bodies, and minds? As I wrote before there is no Humanity where this is happening.

A growing number of physicians have come to feel that the Hippocratic Oath is inadequate to address the realities of a medical world that has witnessed huge scientific, economic, political, and social changes, a world of legalized abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and pestilences unheard of in Hippocrates' time.
One is told it will get worse? why? this writer still says greed, and employers trying to squeeze the most out of an employee. During Hippocrates time there where no CEO's of companies no issues with states, and federal government it was about patients~!! As in this verse, I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. Speak to anyone in a nursing home and see how many are being harmed by the lack of care~!!!!

New Year's Resolutions? What Keeps The CNA Going? - Syracuse Job Search Examiner.com

Suspicious Elder Deaths Rarely Investigated

Joseph Shepter died in January 2007 at age 76. On Shepter's death certificate, the nursing home's chief medical officer, explained that the cause was heart failure brought on by clogged arteries.

Shepter's family had no reason to doubt it. The local coroner never looked into the death. Shepter's body was interred in a local cemetery.

A tip from a nursing-home staffer would later prompt state officials to re-examine the case and reach a very different conclusion.

When investigators reviewed Shepter's medical records, they determined that he had actually died of a combination of ailments often related to poor care, including an infected ulcer, pneumonia, dehydration and sepsis.
Investigators also concluded that Shepter's demise was hastened by the inappropriate administration of powerful antipsychotic drugs, which can have potentially lethal side effects for seniors.
Prosecutors in 2009 charged two former colleagues with killing Shepter and two other elderly residents. They've pleaded not guilty. The criminal case is ongoing.

Gone Without a Case: Suspicious Elder Deaths Rarely Investigated - ProPublica

Soaring numbers of patients die with bedsores and infected wounds

Numbers of nursing home patients dying with bedsores and infected wounds soaring
Seventy five patients are dying in hospitals and care homes every day while suffering from conditions caused by neglect, new figures show.
In 2010, more than 27,000 people died with bedsores or infected wounds - a rise of more than 50 per cent in a decade.
Bedsores are caused when patients are not turned regularly, or are left in poor hygiene. They may become infected if not spotted and treated quickly.
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the English Patients Association called the figures "horrifying".

She said: "When people are admitted to hospital, they are weak and vulnerable, and they have to trust in the health service to care for them.
"Instead, tens of thousands of people are dying every year while afflicted with bedsores and infected wounds - this is as shaming as an indictment of the care they received as it is possible to see."
Earlier this month Mr Cameron announced that nurses would have to undertake hourly ward rounds to check whether patients are hungry, in pain, or need help going to the lavatory.
It followed spot checks by NHS regulators, which found that half of 100 hospitals were failing basic standards to treat elderly with dignity, and ensure they were properly fed.
At Alexandra Hospital, in Redditch, West Midlands, failings were so fundamental that it was warned last May that it was breaking the law.
Since then, families of more than 20 patients treated there have contacted lawyers alleging major failings and indignities suffered by their loved ones, including patients left in soaking sheets or dying without food or crucial medication.
Soaring numbers of patients die with bedsores and infected wounds - Telegraph:

Attorney General's office reviewing citation against nursing home

A state citation against a central Kentucky nursing home is being reviewed by the Kentucky Attorney General's office. The citation stems from how staff at Charleston Health Care Center in Danville responded to allegations that a male nurse's aide was mistreating patients, according to the Lexington Herald Leader, which obtained the citation through an open records request (http://bit.ly/sNFSlB).
It says abuse allegations weren't immediately reported to administrative staff, weren't thoroughly investigated and weren't reported to all the appropriate state agencies.
Nursing home attorney Lisa Hinkle says the facility is appealing the citation and challenges the factual findings of the Office of Inspector General. She says no allegations of elder abuse have been substantiated and the home has "provided quality nursing-facility care to its residents for a very long time."
The type of citation issued means that a resident's life or safety was put in danger. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services sends all such citations to the Attorney General's office, which decides whether it should be referred to local prosecutors.
According to the citation and other documents, a resident who was admitted in 2010 with a head injury and schizophrenia accused the aide in July of abuse. The citation says the resident told nursing home staff that the aide "placed a pillow over the resident's face in an attempt to suffocate the resident, and then hit the resident four times, twice on each side of the head."
The nursing home's written response to the state says the allegation appeared to be untrue because of the "resident's mental status and frequent statements that did not reflect reality."
An administrator also told investigators that the resident recanted, according to state documents.
However, a certified medical assistant told investigators that the resident had a small facial bruise that wasn't there before the allegations were made, documents said.
She says no allegations of abuse have been substantiated and the home has "provided quality nursing-facility care to its residents for a very long time."
In addition to those allegations, the citation says investigators interviewed six staff members who accused the aide of behaving inappropriately with residents from February through August. The citation says staff witnessed the aide being "physically, mentally, and verbally rough with residents" and saw him kiss them.
One of the witnesses was the home's human resources director, who told investigators that she had counseled the aide and informed the director of nursing, state documents said.
But according to the citation, "there was no evidence these allegations had been investigated and reported by the facility. In addition, there was no evidence the facility protected residents from further potential abuse."
Ky. Attorney General's office reviewing citation against Danville nursing home The Republic
http://www.kentucky.com/2011/12/12/1991539/state-attorney-general-to-review.html#ixzz1gKaRro37

Minnesota allows elder care jobs to former criminals

During the past six years, Minnesota has granted more than 15,000 waivers to people with criminal records seeking employment in nursing homes and other state-regulated care programs, state records show.
Under state law, people are automatically rejected for those jobs if background checks reveal they have committed any crime on a list of disqualifying offenses. But through a little-publicized appeals process allowed under the law, former criminals who request a second chance usually get their wish.
The most forgiving state agency among the two that grant waivers is the Health Department, which approved 75 percent of 10,000-plus appeals with little public scrutiny, records show.
More than 5,000 waivers went to people who wanted to work in nursing homes or home care agencies. Those applicants were convicted of misdemeanors to felonies, including assault, fraud, false imprisonment, forgery, robbery, theft and making terroristic threats, as well as drug and alcohol offenses, records show.
State regulators said they don't know how many of those ex-criminals actually went to work in nursing homes and other facilities because they don't track that information. They also don't follow how many of those individuals subsequently harmed their vulnerable clients or committed additional crimes
State OKs care jobs for former criminals StarTribune.com
see also: http://www.startribune.com/projects/124663134.html

Mandatory Arbitrations in Nursing Homes Hurting Elders

Hamill Law - YouTube

Final rule gives providers and beneficiaries access to quality data - McKnight's Long Term Care News

A final rule issued Monday will allow Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries access to information about costs and quality of care information about various providers including nursing homes, regulators say.
As required by the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a proposed rule designed to help beneficiaries make more informed decisions in June. The final rule, effective Jan. 6, 2012, gives qualified organizations and beneficiaries access to reports about providers, such as nursing homes, hospitals and physicians. The reports will be a combination of private sector and Medicare claims data, and patients' identities will be protected.
According to the rule, “qualified entities may receive data for one or more specified geographic areas and must pay a fee equal to the cost of making the data available.”
See Rule: final_data_rule_7685.pdf
Final rule gives providers and beneficiaries access to quality data - McKnight's Long Term Care News

Neglect common in Michigan nursing homes

Michigan issues thousands of violations against nursing homes each year, but the number of documented cases of outright abuse is much smaller, though exact numbers are hard to come by.
Four of five Michigan nursing homes in a three-year period were cited for some form of nursing home mistreatment. But that label covers everything from an aide striking a resident to more passive lapses, such as failing to conduct a background check on an employee or an aide's failure to report an unexplained injury.
For example, Tendercare in Kalamazoo County was cited in November 2010 after an aide pinched and slapped a 100-year-old woman who used a racial slur while resisting going to bed, an inspector wrote. A co-worker said the aide then walked away like nothing happened.

Neglect common in nursing homes, but state seldom cites outright abuse Detroit Free Press freep.com

Depression and stress prevalent in low-wage earning nursing home workers

This study reveals findinfs that are NO surprise to anyone familiar with American Nursing homes: The prevalence of depression is common among low-wage nursing home workers — who also experience higher levels of stress than other workers — a new Harvard study finds. In one case I handled against Kindred Healthcare, the CNA accused of abusing 4 Elders with Alzheimers had worked an incredible 105 hours in one week.
“The high burden of work-family stress and depression in this group has important public health implications for the nursing home workers and their families as well as for the quality of care delivered to nursing home residents,” said Harvard School of Public Health researcher Cassandra Okechukwu.
Okechukwu and her team surveyed 452 workers, mostly women, to investigate the link between depression and stress at home and work. Participants were asked about stressors such as financial hardships, lack of food and whether they worried about work-related issues during non-work hours. Investigators found that these stressors were double the rate in nursing home workers than other professions.
Okechukwu and her team, which released their findings earlier this week, said they hope to use this information to develop interventions aimed at improving work-family problems among nursing home workers.

Study: Depression and stress prevalent in low-wage earning nursing home workers - McKnight's Long Term Care News