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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the poorest-performing nursing homes in the country will now face tougher federal penalties for future violations of regulations designed to protect the health and safety of residents. The announcement affects 88 nursing home facilities throughout the country that have been designated a “special focus...

Stand up for your loved one's dignity and independence We trust nursing homes not just to care for our loved ones' basic needs but also to respect their dignity and maximize their remaining quality of life. Unfortunately, for some families in Alabama, that's not what happens. Too often, nursing homes make use of unlawful or...

Victims of nursing facilities that value profits over people deserve accountability and justice. When it comes to avoiding nursing home abuse and neglect, ownership matters—a lot. According to University of Pennsylvania research, nursing homes owned by investment firms are more lethal to residents than normal facilities. "Going to a private equity-owned nursing home increased individuals'...

Nursing home abuse happens far more often than you might realize. For instance, an estimated 5 million older Americans are abused every single year, according to statistics compiled by the National Council On Aging. However, another study found that 25 percent of nursing home abuse cases are never reported to local, state, or federal authorities....

Facilities need enough staff to provide high-quality services. Labor shortages are affecting many industries in Alabama and throughout the country, but few have been hit as hard as the nursing home industry. As AARP noted in an article on the staffing crisis, U.S. nursing homes have lost roughly 15 percent of their workforce since March...

Nursing home abuse comes in many different forms. Different warning signs may lead you to believe that a loved one is being abused or neglected, but they're often difficult to identify. However, bedsores are one of the telltale signs that a nursing home or assisted living facility is failing to provide appropriate care for a...

Victims and families can hold nursing facilities accountable for injuries One of the most common causes of injuries or death in nursing homes is falling. About half of the 1.6 million residents in nursing facilities fall each year, according to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Of those who fall, about 1 out...

This has the potential to protect nursing home residents — if facilities use it In an important step forward for Alabama's seniors, Gov. Kay Ivey recently signed Shirley's Law, which creates the nation's first elder abuse registry. The new law creates a registry of people who have been convicted of elder abuse or had protection...

A nursing home known nationwide for its lack of standards has, apparently, gotten worse. A new state investigation alleges gross neglect of residents at the same facility where, in 2020, police discovered an onsite makeshift morgue. NJ Advance Media, which claims to have gotten a copy of the Health Department report, provided investigation details. One...

An Alabama nursing home abuse lawyer explains how staffing impacts safety Placing a loved one in a nursing home is a big decision. We are trusting the facility to make sure that our loved ones stay healthy and safe. Unfortunately, many residents suffer because of nursing home abuse and neglect. One of the factors that...