Law Firm Resources & News

I bet if you think about it, some member of your family, or a close friend, has had to deal with Virginia’s Mental Health System. Either a child with severe disability needs to attend a state or private school, a teenage girl with suicidal thoughts, young adult male with schizophrenic delusions – many more than…

I always pull for the underdog! I am suspicious of Big Business and those who work to make sure Big Business avoids accountability! Take the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision (Riegel v. Medtronic) on preemption – the concept that federal law controls over applicable state law – should concern us all. The court ruled that…

Knowledge is power….. and there are few areas where knowledge is more important, than the law, legal rights, and resources when making long term care decisions. Dr. Gary Oberlender, board certified geriatric physician, joins the Frith Law Firm in presenting a FREE SEMINAR, June 24, 2008 – at 5:30 pm. We have applied for CLE…

You may have never heard of it but we often see this (until now) undocumented condition. When does Surviving Spouse Syndrome occur? When one spouse dies leaving the surviving spouse to fend for themselves. What happens to the surviving spouse who develops this “syndrome”? Their health declines quickly and they need help. The likelihood of…

What often happens to the nursing home resident who falls? They break a bone in their leg or arm or hip. Not all residents end up with bone fractures when they fall. Is there a way to determine which of these residents are at “increased risk” of bone fractures? The answer is YES. The bone…

Many of the elderly in America’s nursing homes are taking a long list of medications…for conditions like hypertension, elevated blood sugars, pain control, blood thinners and the list goes on and on and on… The one type of drug which may be given for reasons other than a medical need are medications known as antipsychotics.…

The e-journal, ScienceNews, published an interesting article this week concerning the affects of lead on children who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. The article is alarming! Mothers of the studies’ participants were recruited from 1979 to 1984 from neighborhoods in Cincinnati with a lot of old, lead-contaminated houses and historically high rates of childhood lead…

The Washington Post reported this week, that older people with dementia who take anti-psychotics, are more likely to end up in the hospital or even die, new research shows. So what are families to do – accept sometimes dangerous aggressive behavior, or use anti-psychotic medications? Many would argue there is no need to chose between…

Many families need assistance for elderly parents during the daylight hours….when the grown children are at work and there is no one to care for a parent who needs supervision. Here is where “Adult Day Care” facilities come into play. Adult Day Care provides a safe and caring setting for adults. Programs are designed to…

I just read an article about a Memphis Tenn. nursing home resident that received 3rd degree burns when hot coffee fell on her. Did the CNA mean to pour hot coffee on the lady? I seriously doubt it- but her carelessness, caused the resident great pain – physical and emotional, damages, and sadly, she died…