On April 15, 2020, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-50 to provide for enhanced protections for residents and staff of long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Executive Order recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a particularly dire threat…
New COVID-19 Fact Sheet for Nursing Home Residents and Families
Consumer Voice has released a new publication, COVID-19 and Nursing Homes: What Residents and Families Need to Know. This consumer fact sheet is designed to inform both residents and their families about steps the federal government has taken to reduce…
Law-Den Nursing Home in Detroit spends its 31st month on the Special Focus Facility list
CMS created the “Special Focus Facility” (SFF) initiative to address the problem of nursing homes that have a repeated cycles of serious deficiencies. CMS identifies nursing homes that have had had a history of serious quality issues and places those…
Every Person, Regardless of Age, Susceptible to Unintentional Falls
Every year millions of Americans suffer from a preventable fall injury, and over 800,000 of those will end up in the emergency room with a fracture or head injury. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, falls are the…
Michigan Nursing Homes Receive Failing Grade from Watchdog Organization
Families for Better Care, a non-profit citizen advocacy group dedicated to keeping tabs on the quality of nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the United States, recently released a state-by-state nursing home report card. Michigan was ranked 44th, nearly…
Nursing Home Residents Have Financial Rights
The Nursing Home Reform Law of 1987 guarantees certain rights for nursing home residents. It requires nursing homes to protect the rights of each resident by caring for them in a way that promotes individual dignity, self-determination, and choice. The…
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care Hall of Flame List
In March 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ruled that nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs must have automatic sprinkler systems installed by August 13, 2013. The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care…
Sign the Petition to Protect the Elderly from Dangerous Bed Rails
Bed (side) rails are commonly found on beds in long-term care facilities and are used to keep the people from falling out of bed or getting out and wandering off. They are typically made of metal or plastic and can…
Think Twice About Using Bed Rails
Don’t be misled by advertisements anymore; there is no such thing as a safe, portable bed rail. These rails, sometimes called ‘assist bars’ are advocated by physicians and families who think they will make the bed safer, when in reality…
The Danger of Toning Shoes: Consumers Beware
Consumers should beware when considering so-called “toning shoes” allegedly intended to promote fitness. The American Council on Exercise questions the existence of any evidence to support any benefit of these shoes. There have been numerous complaints to the Consumer Products…