Articles Posted in Nursing Home Abuse

A nurse who physically abused a patient in a New York nursing home will spend 30 days behind bars with five years probation. She also will have to surrender her certified nurses’ aid certificate. Sarina Francis (picture) who was working for the Hudson Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Albany, NY at the time of the event pleaded guilty to one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person or an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the Second Degree in violation §260.32(2) of the Penal Law, a class E felony. As Francis was taking the resident to her room, the elderly woman struck her in the face. In response the nurse twisted the arm of the elderly woman so hard that it resulted in a bone fracture.

Read the Complete Press Release from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The Hudson Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Albany, NY ranks among the worst nursing homes in New York in the Medicare ranking with a much below average overall rating of one star only, a much below average health inspection ranking of one star, a much below average staffing ranking of one star and an above average ranking of quality measures of 4 stars.

Nursing home negligence such as substandard treatment, inadequate monitoring of patients or failure and delay to provide necessary care are the main causes of preventable adverse events and temporary arm events for patients requiring post acute care in a skilled nursing facility according to a large study conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.

The study looked at a sample of 653 Medicare beneficiaries discharged from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) for post-acute care and who stayed at the nursing home no longer than 35 days.

The study found that 22% of Medicare beneficiaries experienced at least one adverse event during their stay. A small percentage of patients experienced 2 to 3 adverse events during their stay.

Nursing Home Neglect may have caused the death of two residents at the Suffolk Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, a Long Island nursing home.

Thomas Bischoff died of sepsis after bedsores grew so large on his body that a human fist could fit inside some of the holes in his skin. Bedsores of that size are a sign of nursing home abuse.

A few months after Thomas died , Raymond Curiale another resident accidentally hanged himself. According to his plan care, Curiale who suffered from dementia was to be checked on every 15 minutes. After the staff forgot to check on him for 57 minutes, he was found slumped against his wheelchair, the seat belt around his neck, strangled.

To protect your loved one from potential abuse or neglect, when choosing a nursing home it is important to carefully consider your options. The Best Nursing Homes ranking is a trustable source for information that provides data and information on care, safety, health inspections, staffing and more for nearly every nursing facility in the U.S. Each facility’s profile displays health and fire violations, performance in important clinical categories and how much time nursing staff spends with residents. The ranking for 2014 was published Yesterday.

210 New York City area Nursing homes received a global overall five star ranking. The ranking is then divided into 3 categories: Health Inspection, Nurse Staffing and Quality Measures.

Very few nursing homes in the New York City area were actually able to obtain five stars in all categories.

Low rated New york City nursing homes accumulate complaints of abuse and neglect and little is being done to improve the situation. Unlike other states, New York does not have a mandated minimum staff ratio or a minimum amount of hours that nursing staff is required to devote to nursing home residents. These staffing deficiencies can lead to horrific situations of nursing home abuse and neglect. The Gotham Gazette recently published five articles that looked in depth at the inspection reports, complaints and court reports for five of the lowest rated nursing homes in the city.

The Mosholu Parkway Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is so understaffed that it threatens the health and well-being of its residents. A few years ago, a resident who was supposed to be supervised when he smoked put his wheelchair bed sheet on fire and was engulfed by flames for 4 minutes until the fire was extinguished. He died from his injuries after a year of pain and suffering. Physical abuse of residents by other residents is also common at this nursing home where residents with violent behavior are not properly monitored and managed. Inspections in recent years show serious deficiencies in healthcare as well as 12% of residents suffering from bedsores, double the national average. The place is badly managed and disorganized.
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An elderly patient with dementia was sexually abused in a Bronx nursing home last night. A male nurse at Manhattanville Health Care Center in the Bronx, NYC, was caught in the act of raping a 64 year old patient who was suffering from dementia. 42 year old Nanic Aidasani was picked up by the Bronx police and charged with rape.

For more info see video.

An obvious lack of security puts patients at risk of abuse at the Rebekah Rehab and Extended Care nursing home in the Bronx, New York. Tuesday last week at 3:00 am an unidentified man walked into the nursing home and into the room of an 83 year old female patient without being identified. The man flashed his genitals at the woman and left. Read more at CBS New York

New York Nursing Home Regulations mandate that it is the responsibility of the Nursing Home to provide residents with safe surroundings and protect them from any kind of harsh and abusive treatment.

When choosing a nursing home or other long term care facility it is always important to make sure that the facility is providing a safe environment for the resident, that personal belonging are secure in the residents rooms and that the nursing home is locked at night.

A Bronx nursing home aid physically abused an elderly woman by pushing her out of a room into the hallway. The woman banged her head against the door and sustained lacerations requiring stitches. Video surveillance captured the whole scene that led to the arrest of the abusive nurse’s aid.

Read more in the New York Daily News