Ms. W was admitted to the Evergreen Health and Living Center nursing facility in Southfield Michigan for rehabilitation after having surgery on her fractured left arm. She was recognized to be at risk for falling and required one-person assistance for…
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 Dangers of Falls and Hip Fractures in the Elderly
Our firm has represented many elderly nursing home residents – or their families – who have suffered debilitating hip fractures after a preventable fall. Often times, those hip fractures caused a rapid and crippling decline in our clients’ health and…
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…
Facial Fractures from a Fall Result in Death of Elderly Foster Care Resident
It was made clear in her care assessment that Mrs. D could not move around without the assistance of her walker because she tended to shuffle her feet, and she had poor balance. Caregivers at Crystal Haven, an adult foster…
Defining Adult Foster Care
The Michigan Department of Human Services defines adult foster care facilities as: Residential settings that provide 24-hour personal care, protection, and supervision for individuals who are developmentally disabled, mentally ill, physically handicapped or aged who cannot live alone but who…
Donna MacKenzie Authors Bedsores: Do These Things Still Exist? Attorney at Law Magazine
Bedsores are a lay person’s term for decubitus ulcers. Bedsores are injuries to the skin or underlying tissues that result from an inadequate blood supply caused by prolonged pressure on the skin. In many instances, bedsores occur at points of…
Nursing Home Residents’ Rights; Restraint-Free Care
Under the 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law, nursing home residents are guaranteed certain rights. The law states that nursing home residents are guaranteed the right to be free from physical or chemical restraints imposed for the purposes of discipline or…
Nasty Hip Fracture Ignored by Adult Foster Care Home Staff
Negligence on the part of nursing staff at Heaven’s Open Door Senior Living, an adult foster care facility in West Bloomfield, Michigan, resulted in a nightmare for an elderly resident who fell and broke her hip in four places. Mrs….
Elder Abuse and Neglect: Defining and Combating a Growing Problem
Elder abuse. It is a buzz phrase being used all across the media. Every day there are news reports of the elderly being mistreated by family members, or nursing home staff responsible for their welfare. These senior citizens are being…