Aventura Nursing Home Abuse Blog

Choosing a nursing home: The right facility matters

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. posted in Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

Nursing home abuse is a problem that is sometimes hidden. It can be hard to quantify how often it happens because it isn't always reported. People may fear facing repercussions if they report the abuse, and others may not have the capability to report abuse.

Elderly people deserve respect and care. Nursing homes should be able to provide that care without question. Since you're placing a loved one in care, you'll want to make sure that the home you choose can provide the standard of care that you expect.

Is your loved one at risk of financial abuse?

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. posted in Elder Abuse on Monday, April 22, 2019.

Have you heard that a lot of phone and email scams target the elderly? Not only may these individuals be susceptible to the scams, but they also have significant assets. That makes them a target for scammers.

However, it's not just phone scams. Financial abuse of elderly people can take on a lot of different forms. In many cases, people close to the elderly individuals try to manipulate them for their own gain.

Choose the right assisted-living facility with these tips

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. posted in Assisted Living Facility Abuse And Neglect on Friday, April 19, 2019.

When you need to place a loved one in an assisted-living facility, there are some things to do to make sure you find the right home for them. The right community is the key to making sure they feel comfortable and get the right care.

Before you choose a nursing home or assisted-living facility, it's important to take a few steps to find the right one. Here are three things to remember.

Is hair loss a sign of elder neglect?

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. posted in Elder Neglect on Wednesday, April 17, 2019.

Among the elderly, hair loss is fairly common. It is just part of the aging process, something that almost everyone has to deal with at some point.

However, what if you move your loved one into a nursing home and then you see a sudden increase in the rate of hair loss? Maybe they never really had a problem with it before, but they dramatically lose most of their hair in the first six months in the home. Is something else going on? Could this even be a sign of neglect?

Sanctions against Harborchase Assisted Living Facility

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. on Monday, April 15, 2019.

Harborchase Assisted Living Facility was the subject of an unannounced survey by the State of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration to determine and observe whether the facility was compliant with Florida's rules and regulations governing ALF resident treatment, care and safety.

The survey agents made several visits over a few months. The State of Florida determined that Harborchase of Vero Beach LLC, one of many Harborchase facilities listed numerous times for Florida Statute violations, was liable for five Class II sanctions. This resulted in a fine totaling $15,000, plus an additional $500 as legally allowed payment to the state for Florida State's survey costs. On March 24, 2017, the fine was issued according to law as a sanction against an ALF that fails to comply with Florida's duty-of-care mandate.

Antipsychotic drug use in nursing homes is a danger to some

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. posted in Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect on Thursday, April 11, 2019.

There is never a time when a nursing home should be using medications to sedate patients when they're just trying to make their jobs easier. Patients are people, and they shouldn't be "managed" with their medications.

Sadly, some nursing homes do use antipsychotic drugs to control their patients and make them less able to move around. For example, the use of antipsychotic drugs can make patients extremely tired or make them so relaxed that they don't move for hours on end.

Verbal abuse often involves lies

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. posted in Elder Abuse on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

It is very important to remember that people in a position of dependency can face more than just physical abuse issues. They may also suffer from verbal abuse, which can have a drastic impact on their mental and emotional health. Some experts even go so far as to say it leads to "mental anguish."

In an assisted living facility, an elderly person is entirely dependent on the staff and the caregivers. If these same people target them with verbal abuse, it can lead to depression, stress and related issues. These problems can and do take a physical toll on someone, even though the abuse itself is not physical.

Florida statutes and your rights as a nursing home resident

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. on Monday, April 8, 2019.

If you are about to enter a Florida nursing home, you and your family should be familiar with the rights you will have as a resident. Those rights appear in the 2018 Florida Statutes, Title XXIX, Chapter 400.

Here are nine examples.

What should assisted-living facilities provide?

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. posted in Assisted Living Facility Abuse And Neglect on Friday, April 5, 2019.

Assisted-living facilities are homes for the elderly or disabled that provide them with housekeeping, cooking and nursing care support. In an assisted-living environment, there may be some elderly or disabled people who do more for themselves than others.

Over time, most people who enter these homes will need increased care. For the most part, the facilities are good about recognizing when an elder needs more around-the-clock monitoring and when a transfer to a nursing home is a good idea.

Unexplained weight loss and elder neglect

On behalf of Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A. posted in Elder Neglect on Tuesday, April 2, 2019.

If your loved one is in an assisted living facility, it is important to watch out for signs of neglect. Remember that the elderly do not always have the ability to communicate to others any issues in the facility, due to either mental or physical difficulties. Your first indication that something is wrong may be a sign that you observe in the resident or the facility itself.

One potential red flag is unexplained weight loss. Is your loved one getting enough to eat? Are they being fed meals on time, every day? Do they get proper nutrition? Extensive weight loss can be very dangerous and even fatal at this age, and it may also be an indicator of other underlying problems.