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This summer, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services called for closer scrutiny of nursing homes. They are asking health inspectors in Chicago and nationwide to be on the lookout for errors by nursing homes in dispensing the blood thinner Coumadin and related anticoagulants. Nursing home abuse comes in many forms, and even essential…

When Chicago residents move their loved ones to assisted living homes, their biggest fear is often elder abuse. Typically, there are common signs of abuse and neglect, including bedsores, bruises, malnutrition and other physical indicators. Emotional abuse, on the other hand, is a much tougher to spot. But there are specific signs of this…

We recently wrote about proposed legislation to install cameras in nursing homes in Illinois to prevent elder abuse. The Illinois Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Long-Term Care governs nursing homes and their compliance with state law. But several state and federal agencies combine forces to license, regulate, inspect and certify Illinois nursing homes….

Surveillance cameras seem to be everywhere you go in Chicago, but one place you will not find them is in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. That might soon change if the governor signs legislation making Illinois only the fourth state to legalize audio and video monitoring in residents’ rooms. State officials supporting the…

Even if an Illinois family lives close to a nursing home in which a loved one resides, the time spent with that person at the location can be limited. Without the ability to monitor around the clock, a family must have a level of confidence in the care facility before leaving a loved one…

Nursing home abuse is a problem that can affect elderly and disabled people in Illinois. As the population continues to age, there are more cases of nursing home abuse and neglect being reported. To combat this problem, some states have instituted new legislation to increase penalties for those convicted of nursing home abuse and…

Nursing homes in Illinois are expected to provide different standards of care depending on how they are classified. Facilities classified as intermediate care facilities or skilled nurse facilities must offer higher standards of care than facilities that are classified as adult boarding facilities or residential care facilities. However, all nursing homes have a legal…

As Illinois residents know, more disabled and elderly individuals are receiving home care instead of in a nursing care facility. This nationwide shift is largely a result of state economic pressures and the desire the elderly or disabled individuals to remain at home as opposed to living in an institution, according to sources. The…

Illinois families with elderly relatives may be interested in learning more about nursing home abuse, as described by the National Center on Elder Abuse. The term elder abuse was first defined by guidelines issued by the federal government in 1987, but each state still has its own regulations and statutes governing these types of…

There are approximately 1.6 million residents in nursing homes in Illinois and around the country. Several studies indicate that problems due largely to inadequate staffing plague some of the 17,000 nursing homes in existence. In 1987, a federal law was passed aimed at ensuring that nursing home residents receive adequate nutrition. Despite this, about…