According to a report in USA Today, the number of facilities which use nursing home restraints has dropped from 21.1% in 1991 to only 5.5% in 2007. This decline demonstrates the growing recognition that the use of physical restraints can diminish the quality of life for the elderly and ill,… Read more.

Last week, the federal government released a new nursing home rating system which assigns an overall score to every facility inspected by Medicare and assigns one to five stars for staffing, quality and health inspections. While the nursing home industry has raised concerns about the public posting of these ratings,… Read more.

According to a new government report, the occurrence of bedsores in hospitals has increased nearly 80% since 1993. These serious open wounds were mainly found among elderly patients, and can have a devastating impact on their overall health and quality of life. The medical malpractice lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk,… Read more.

Six teenagers working at a Minnesota nursing home face criminal charges for abusing nursing home residents over a period of several months earlier this year. The criminal complaint indicates that they harassed, assaulted, groped and even spit in the mouths of residents suffering from conditions like Alzheimers and dementia. These… Read more.

Many families who notice suspicious bruises or sudden changes in the behavior of their loved ones may suspect that nursing home abuse is the cause, yet they are often left with no proof. However, one family in Kentucky recently took matters into their own hands, setting up a hidden camera… Read more.

There are two recent news reports about nursing home residents who were found dead after they wandered from the facility where they were living. While many families may not initially suspect that nursing home neglect resulted in these situations, the facilities have an obligation to exercise reasonable care, depending on… Read more.

Class action Extendicare lawsuits have been filed by lawyers in Minnesota and Washington as a result of widespread nursing home neglect and claims that Extendicare places profits before people by failing to consider their ability to care for residents before admitting them.

According to the Fifth Annual Healthgrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study of 2008, there are over 270,000 hospital deaths every year that could be prevented. These hospital malpractice mistakes should not occur if doctors, nurses and hospital staff follow the proper standards of medical care, and there are several… Read more.

According to a recent government report, residents at nursing homes owned by for-profit companies could be at greater risk of nursing home neglect and abuse injuries. In each of the past three years, 94% of for-profit-nursing homes were cited by inspectors for deficiencies, compared with only 88% of non-profit nursing… Read more.

Research suggests that between 550 and 650 people are affected every year by surgery fires, and many of these sudden fires result in severe and disfiguring burns. A combination of electrosurgical tools, oxygen and paper hospital drapes could cause a sudden fire to ignite in the operating room. However, there… Read more.