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For years, people have trusted the federal Care Compare five-star rating system to provide unbiased, honest information about the quality of nursing-home owners and facilities. That trust may have been misplaced. An in-depth, nationwide investigation is raising questions about the accuracy of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) "5-star" rating system. By using...

An Alabama Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Explains One of the serious risks for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities is the spread of COVID-19. Nearly two years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, some nursing homes continue to fail to protect against the potentially deadly disease. According to an NBC News report,...

A Birmingham, AL nursing home neglect attorney provides details Families of nursing home residents and staff members seeking to hold nursing homes accountable for COVID-19-related illnesses or deaths can take legal action in cases involving nursing home neglect, thanks to a recent court ruling. An appeals court recently ruled that two nursing home neglect and...

A nursing home abuse lawyer in Alabama explains why Many nursing homes falsely diagnose residents with schizophrenia in order to prescribe powerful drugs with dangerous side effects that sedate residents and ultimately allow nursing homes to reduce staff members, according to a shocking new nursing home abuse investigation conducted by The New York Times. “People...

A recent news story by WVTM 13 News Birmingham found that over 70% of nursing homes nationwide are not being inspected each year as mandated by federal law, raising concerns that abuse and neglect could be happening in nursing facilities without families realizing what’s happening. Officially known as a standard survey, nursing home inspections must...

An east Alabama woman is accused of stealing millions of dollars in cash and property from an Etowah County assisted living resident. The woman, Lisa Daugherty, 54, of Attalla, is facing two counts of first-degree financial exploitation of the elderly, the Alabama Attorney General's Office says. Daugherty was arrested on a warrant in mid-July. The...

When the pandemic began, there were many outbreaks in Alabama nursing homes, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of residents and staff members. In response, restrictions were put in place to limit contact and reduce the spread of the virus. Now, more than a year later, some of these restrictions are being relaxed. “Fully vaccinated...

As COVID-19 infection rates dwindle, another scourge is threatening the health and safety of people at nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Staff shortages are leading to increased incidents of nursing home abuse and neglect. The situation is providing a cover for reckless workers under reduced supervision and fostering errors among good, but burned out,...

Sepsis is a life-threatening health condition that occurs when the immune system releases chemicals into the bloodstream to fight an infection. This often causes blood pressure to drop to dangerous levels and damage internal organs. The symptoms often include a high fever, difficulty breathing, significant drop in blood pressure, rapid heart rate, abdominal pain, mood...

When you chose a long-term care facility for a loved one, you reasonably expected their needs will be met. The reality, though, is you have to stay vigilant, because many long-term care facilities fail to meet their obligations. Here’s what you need to know about identifying and reporting nursing home abuse or neglect in Alabama....