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The Covid-19 pandemic has “stoked” the spread of elder abuse, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal. Citing findings by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a study by Yale University researchers, the report observes that “the number of elder-fraud victims increased 55% between 2019 and 2020,” while more than 20% of […]
Elder Population Studies
Dry Harbor Nursing Home Cited over Pressure Ulcer
DRY Harbor Nursing Home received 25 citations for violations of public health laws between 2015 and 2019, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on December 19, 2019. The Maspeth nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of three inspections by state surveyors. The violations they describe include the following: 1. The nursing […]
US News & World Report: Top-Rated New York Nursing Homes
US News & World Report released their annual rankings for 15,000 nursing homes across the country. The ratings are calculated using data on staffing, success in preventing emergency room visits and repeat hospitalizations, the rates of pneumonia and flu immunizations, antipsychotic use, and other factors. Rankings for each nursing home are calculated both for “short-term” […]
New York Knew of Nursing Home’s Leaky Roof for Seven Years
New York nursing home regulators knew an upstate nursing home’s roof leaked for four years before finally forcing the owner to fix the safety hazard. According to Syracuse.com, the state Health Department inspection records show reports of “water-stained ceiling tiles” and “a hose running down from the ceiling of a resident’s room into a rusty […]
Study: Veterans with TBI are Twice as Likely to Develop Dementia
A recent study of veterans with traumatic brain injuries (or TBI) are twice as likely to develop dementia later in life. The expansive study by the United States Military showed that traumatic brain injuries can be more harmful than previously thought. According to the CDC, a traumatic brain injury is “a disruption in the normal […]
Despite Record of Poor Care, New York Approves Nursing Home Owners
New York State routinely allows nursing home owners with a record of poor care and government fines to operate more long-term care facilities in the state, according to a report by The Buffalo News. Speaking to the upstate newspaper, Toby Edelman at the Center for Medicare Advocacy described the problem as a “disturbing but all-too-familiar […]
Corporate Takeover of Nursing Home Industry Causing Bankruptcies, Closings, and Poor Care
The nursing home industry continues to reshape itself as small, independent nursing homes focused on providing high-quality care are rapidly replaced with corporate conglomerates seeking to maximize the profits. Predictably, the harmful effects of the profit-seeking model have only amplified in the last year. According to industry analysts, the ownership structure of nursing home conglomerates […]
Criticism Grows Over New York Department of Health’s “Oversight” of Nursing Homes
Only two weeks after putting a Buffalo nursing home under conservatorship, the New York Department of Health announced that Emerald North and Emerald South Nursing and Rehabilitation Center will be closing their doors. The closure follows a long line of missteps and scandals by the formerly for-profit nursing homes, according to The Buffalo News. In […]
Elderly a Common Target for Scammers, Financial Abuse
According to Consumer Reports, approximately 500,000 senior citizens lose over $36 billion each year to scammers who target them for financial abuse. Despite the widespread problem and illegality, only 5,000 confirmed cases were reported last year to states. With the population of America aging, authorities expect the problem to grow even worse and hope to […]
Medicare Cracks Down on Nursing Homes with High “Boomerang Hospitalization” Rates
According to the Kaiser Health News, an average of 21 percent of nursing home residents are readmitted to the hospital within 100 days of returning to their nursing home. Now, Medicare plans to crack down on these nursing homes who either allow nursing home residents to return too quickly or fail to properly administer the […]
Financial Abuse of Elderly Steals $37 Billion a Year
A recent study estimates that financial abuse of elderly Americans defrauds these vulnerable citizens of almost $37 billion each. The report finds that almost 5 million senior citizens in America are victims of elder abuse each year. In New York alone, financial abuse of the elderly costs at least $1.5 billion a year. While the […]
Individuals with Mental Health Problems Have Difficulty Accessing Top-Quality Nursing Homes
A recent report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) found that individuals with mental health or behavioral problems are more likely to be denied access to higher-quality nursing homes throughout the country. The study relied on data from 3.7 million admissions in 15,600 facilities across the country and found that, while elderly […]
Northern Manor Geriatric Center Cited for Use of Antipsychotic Drugs
Between 2013 and 2017, the Northern Manor Geriatric Center in Rockland County, New York received more than double the average number of citations by the New York Department of Health, the entity responsible for performing yearly inspections at all nursing homes in the state. Compared to the statewide average of 34 citations- relating to either standard […]
Martine Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Cited for Failing to Conduct Background Checks on Employees
The Martine Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, previously the Schnurmacher Center, in White Plains, New York received 60 complaints and 15 citations for violating New York and federal law, according to the New York State Department of Health. The Department of Health inspects each nursing home facility in the state every 9 to 15 months […]
Overmedication Still a Problem at Nursing Homes
According to a recent report released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), almost 16 percent of residents at long-term nursing homes are being treated with antipsychotic medications. While down from 24 percent in 2011, the CMS report and many doctors question the efficacy and necessity of these powerful mind-altering medications. According to […]
NPR: Home Care Agencies Fail to Help Chronically Ill
Home care agencies in New York and across the country are routinely denying chronically ill patients access to their services, according to a report by Kaiser Health News and NPR. In many instances, the home care agency will falsely state that Medicare does not cover home care for chronic illnesses. in order to find out […]
As N.Y. Nursing Home Chain Prepares to Grow, Mistrust Remains
After reaching an agreement with the Attorney General, a New York nursing home chain is prepared to grow throughout the tri-state area. The Brooklyn retirement home chain, Allure Group, came under heavy criticism after purchasing a retirement home and assisted living facility for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and then subsequently selling the properties to […]
Dumont Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Cited for Failing to Meet Standards
The Dumont Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care has received 65 total citations over the four-year period between November 2013 and October 2017, according to the New York State Department of Health. With 65 citations, the nursing home and assisted living facility in Westchester County has almost twice the number of citations for the average […]
Studies: Low-Quality Medicare Advantage Plans Harm Elderly
A recent study by Health Affairs shows that elderly Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans are more likely to end up at a lower-quality nursing home or assisted living facility, compared to senior citizens with traditional Medicare coverage. A Medicare Advantage health insurance plan is an increasingly popular alternative to traditional Medicare plans. A Medicare […]
Government Report: 25 Percent of Nursing Home Abuse Never Reported
A scathing report by the Office of Inspector General shows that 25 percent of nursing home abuse cases go unreported. Of these unreported cases, 80 percent involved an allegation of sexual abuse or rape of an elderly person. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has promised to do more to identify abuse and […]
New York City Comptroller Report Calls for Long-Term Planning for New York City Seniors
As the number of senior-citizens in New York City is expected to rapidly increase in the near-future, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer is calling for a city-wide, long-term plan to meet the needs of New York’s senior population. Between 2005 and 2015, the number of senior citizens (those over the age of 65) rose […]
Six Individuals Arrested for Stealing from Nursing Home Residents
On October 18, 2016, six individuals were arrested in New York for exploiting the financial vulnerability of nursing home residents; defendants are from Bronx, New York, Queens and Suffolk Counties. The five New York City defendants stole personal identity information from residents in order to secure cash or credit they were not entitled to; and […]
Study Suggests Cure to Alzheimer’s May Be on the Horizon
An experimental drug may have led researchers one step closer to preventing Alzheimer’s disease. The drug is called ‘aducanumab’ and was developed by Biogen, a pharmaceutical company based in Massachusetts who also funded the study; results were published on Wednesday on Nature.com. In patients with Alzheimer’s, scientists have found an abnormal structure called ‘plaques’ in […]
