Dan Frith

Each year, vulnerable adults die from exposure after walking-away from their homes, as well as their assisted living and nursing home residences. Long-term care residents and family members with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, those who are confused, or who tend to wander are especially vulnerable.It is not enough to simply watch…

Family members often arrive in our offices to complain about the horrible resident care and conditions at the Sleepy Time Nursing Home! They tell me their mother has resided at the facility for several years and has suffered from malnutrition, dehydration, decubitus ulcers, and violent attacks from other residents. They…

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is making encouraging moves to strengthen its regulation of drugs that are already on the market. But the changes fall far short of what’s needed to protect millions of unsuspecting patients whose adverse effects may show up only after years of use. The agency…

In April 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed reports of an outbreak of Fusarium keratitis, a harmful eye infection. Research linked the source of these outbreaks to the use of Bausch & Lomb’s ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution.…

Next time you take medicine, consider the surprisingly lucrative and circuitous path of that scrap of paper known as a drug prescription form. After the pharmacy fills your order, it sells information about your drug and doctor – though not necessarily about you – to a health-data company, such as…

There is a need for more long term care services with people living longer. The goal should be to help senior citizens be more comfortable and that means in their own home. Many senior citizens are turning to a new type of “nursing home.” They are staying “at home” and…

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has started a monthly video news show for healthcare professionals called Patient Safety News (PSN). It covers significant new product approvals, recalls and safety alerts, and offers important tips onprotecting patients. Read the complete stories and watch or download the video program at…

New guidelines, published in December by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, urge caution in anesthetizing children. Doctors and dentists who sedate children should be specially trained and use age-appropriate equipment. The special equipment should include emergency “crash carts” stocked with drugs and devices…

An assisted living facility is not a nursing home. It doesn’t provide medical care and rarely has trained nurses on site. Assisted living facilities are not inspected by or supervised by the federal government. Typically, such facilities are monitored by a state agency – and they are doing a terrible…