Older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, including those among the first to come out as a political and social force, are increasingly apprehensive about encountering discrimination as they grow older and more dependent on strangers for care. An estimated 2 million Americans 50 or older identify as LGBT, with that number expected to double by 2030, according to the Institute for Multigenerational Health at the University of Washington. About 15,000 are estimated to live in the Washington metropolitan region. Those over 65 grew up in what their younger counterparts now see as a dark age, when doctors viewed…
Antipsychotic drugs are an important treatment for patients with certain mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia. But the Food and Drug Administration has warned that the drugs have potentially fatal side effects when used in elderly patients with dementia. Still, nursing homes use the drugs "off-label" to calm patients who are agitated or confused. Concerned about the drugs' overuse, federal regulators last year announced a national initiative to slash their inappropriate use in nursing homes, with a goal of a 15 percent reduction by the end of 2012. A new study shows that the prescription rates have dropped in recent…
The Arc of Northwest Indiana is closing all 22 of its group homes where it houses people with developmental disabilities, laying off 120 employees. The decision was made by the Northwest Chapter after the state Family and Social Services Administration said they had concerns about the health and safety of the 90 people living in the homes. Dickerson says this was mainly due to a nursing shortage. "There is specifically a shortage of nurses working with people with developmental disabilities," said Dickerson. The 90 residents have been moved to what have been described as "temporary" homes, some as far away…
Seniors who fit a particular personality profile are more than twice as likely to receive long-term care in a nursing home, according to newly published research in The Milbank Quartly. Researchers from various institutions, including the University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Public Health Sciences and the University of Chicago, examined data from 1,000 seniors participating in a Medicare demonstration project. Based on a self-report questionnaire, these seniors were classified under five personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness. These are traits commonly used as a conceptual framework by psychologists. Based on participants' healthcare use over…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states there are about 16,100 nursing homes in the U.S., with about 1.5 million residents. Meanwhile, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse, over 20,000 complaints of abuse, gross neglect, and exploitation on behalf of nursing home and board and care residents were reported in 2003. Now, according to a new state-by-state report by Families for Better Care, a Florida-based nursing home advocacy group, there is widespread abuse and neglect in our nation’s nursing homes, with an abundant lack of staffing. While Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine scored “superior” grades and ranked…
The nursing home industry is facing a major test of its lobbying clout as lawmakers weigh whether to slash its Medicare funding. Nursing homes got a pass in January when Congress approved a short-term “doc fix” for Medicare spending that left hospitals to foot the bill for the second year in a row. But there’s no guarantee that lawmakers will go down that route again, leaving long-term and post-acute care facilities at risk of a significant cut to their reimbursement rates. Anticipating the fight, two leading industry groups merged this month under the banner of the American Health Care Association…
Spring is often a time for gatherings with family and friends – weddings, graduations, Mothers’ Day. Nursing home residents often want to participate in these gatherings but may be under the impression that they will lose Medicare coverage if they leave the facility to do so. This is not true. The Medicare Benefit Policy Manual recognizes that although most beneficiaries are unable to leave their facility, an outside pass or short leave of absence for the purpose of attending a special religious service, holiday meal, family occasion, going on a car ride, or for a trial visit home, is not,…
Some would have it that seniors transferring assets to achieve Medicaid eligibility is a widespread phenomenon. Study after study has shown this assertion to be a myth, and now a new study can be added to the list. A national survey of 21,853 seniors over the age of 50 shows that between 1996 and 2008, only ten percent of the survey participants who were not already on Medicaid spent down their assets to the point of Medicaid eligibility. In addition, the survey found that 46.1 percent of Medicaid-eligible seniors never used any Medicaid long-term care services at all, even though…
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear appeals of two state court decisions that nursing home residents' descendants may bring wrongful death suits against the facilities despite the existence of signed arbitration agreements. Both cases involve daughters who signed arbitration agreements on behalf of their mothers. After the mothers died, the daughters sued the nursing home for wrongful death, and the nursing home moved to compel arbitration. In Ping v. Beverly Enterprises (Ky., No. 2010–SC–000558–DG, Aug. 23, 2012), Donna Ping was her mother's attorney-in-fact under a general power of attorney when she signed the arbitration agreement. The Kentucky Supreme…
The Department of Health and Human Services finds– nursing homes across the Nation are not meeting regulations. An investigation found nearly half of all facilities are not meeting care requirements. So, it begs the questions– how can you make sure your elderly loved ones are safe? For instance, at the Quail Creek Nursing and Rehab Center. Workers were caught on camera, abusing a patient– slapping her in the face with latex gloves and shoving them in her mouth. Whether you choose in-home care or a nursing facility, ask questions that will help you find the safest option: Ask about hiring…
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