When your family places a loved one in a nursing care facility, you do so with the expectation that he or she will receive quality care. It can be devastating to learn that your loved one may be experiencing care that does not meet appropriate standards, and in fact,...
Nursing Home Abuse
How nursing homes can help prevent patient falls
Patient falls in nursing homes remains a serious topic. Even minor spills among older individuals sometimes lead to injuries, and sharper falls can result in long-term health complications. Care facilities can do plenty to reduce the frequency of tumbles that happen...
4 signs of a “flight risk” resident in nursing homes
A potential elopement episode is one of the most common fears of families when placing their loved ones in Maryland nursing homes. This is a resident’s unsupervised act of wandering or leaving the facility, making them a “flight risk.” They often do this as a...
Can incontinence increase the risk of nursing home bedsores?
Any adult child will naturally feel profound frustration upon learning that their elderly loved one endures sitting on soiled clothing due to nursing home negligence. After all, the facility has broken their trust when they expect nothing but dignified care. Adding...
How does osteoporosis impact your loved one’s nursing home fall?
Sometimes, suffering hides in silence. Referred to as the “silent disease,” osteoporosis quietly develops as it weakens a person’s bones. The bones’ brittleness goes unnoticed until a spine, hip or wrist fracture happens. Your elderly loved one may be particularly...
Bedbound: Fatal complications of bedsores in nursing homes
Anything left untreated can only worsen and develop fatal complications. From a minor softened tissue area and shallow skin loss, bedsores can turn into a crater-like open wound, which progresses into infections deep enough to penetrate several areas of the body....
What can you do to prevent wheelchair falls in nursing homes?
Maryland has laws in place to hold nursing home staff accountable for preventable falls. Nursing home supervisors must implement risk reduction strategies and ensure staff are always attentive to the needs of their patients. Evaluate how much assistance a client needs...
What are the top three predictors of nursing home falls?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 50% to 75% of nursing home and assisted living residents in Maryland and across the country suffer one or more falls annually, which can lead to serious injury. Helpfully, recent studies...
What is Maryland nursing home elopement?
Nursing home elopement in Maryland is when a resident leaves a nursing home without supervision or permission. It’s a dangerous and life-threatening issue that puts the resident at risk. Nursing home elopement occurs for several reasons, including confusion, wandering...
What are pressure ulcers, and why do they happen?
Individuals confined to their beds or with limited mobility are particularly susceptible to pressure ulcers, commonly known as "bedsores." This type of skin injury occurs because of prolonged pressure on the skin and exposure to moisture, friction and skin pulling. In...