Law Firm Resources & News

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is examining whether Eli Lilly & Company provided it with accurate data about the side effects of the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa, a potent medicine that has been linked to weight gain and diabetes. The FDA has questions about a Lilly document from February 2000 in which the company found…

A new report from the Alzheimer’s Association says there are more than 5 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease today. That is a substantial increase, from the estimated 4.5 million people with Alzheimers in 2002. (see http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=65701).Researchers estimate that number will climb to 14 million people by 2050, unless a…

I know, not a topic you want to research, hear about or blog about… but it happens, and more than you think. Sadly, with elderly patients there is a very low level of reporting and subsequently, few criminal charges filed. Why is that, you may ask? If the individual has Alzheimers or Dementia, they may…

There is some new technology on the horizon for women. For many years the gold standard for breast screening has been the mammogram. However, while many doctors believe the mammogram has saved lives the biggest problem has been the discomfort which results from the required compression of breast tissue. A new technology called digital breast…

Today I read about an Oklahoma Nursing Home who received a new resident from the state penal system when he was found incompetent to stand trial. Not a joke, a younger man charged with 4 homicides is now living on the Alzheimer’s unit of a nursing home facility with someone’s grandmother. http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6416844. Are you shocked?I…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported in 1998 that nursing homes repeatedly harm residents without facing sanctions. Unfortunately, a new report due out next week reaches the same conclusion. The Bush administration rarely uses its authority to deny payment to homes with a history of compliance problems and typically imposes fines far less than the…

What is a restraint? Well, I am certainly not going to try to define what a restraint is as facilities and health care providers may disagree on a clinical definition – but, I can tell you the purpose of a restraint in a skilled care setting like a Nursing Home or Hospital. A restraint is…

According to an article in USA Today, one in three adults over 65 fall each year and half of people over 80 fall each year. These falls typically occur when the person is doing an everyday activity. They may trip over a loose rug, take a misstep on the stairs, or slip on an icy…

The corporate owners of America’s nursing homes complain loudly that they are losing money! The CEOs say that the Medicaid payments, which pay for about two-thirds of their residents, are not enough to cover operating costs. Is this claim true or false? I don’t have the answer but do find it curious that these corporations…