Law Firm Resources & News

We have previously written about the increasingly popular gastric bypass surgery for the morbidly obese patient. Now, surgeons at Duke University Medical Center have developed a “scoring system” based upon 5 risk factors to predict which gastric bypass surgery patients would be at the highest risk of death during or following the procedure. Are you…

What is it like waking up everyday in a nursing home? Take a minute to read an article entitled “Embedded” published in the December 9th American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) on-line magazine. The link is http://www.aarpmagazine.org/health/embedded.html.

The patient, age 65, went to his doctor in Florida in order to stop smoking. The doctor ordered, among other tests, a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Test to screen for prostate cancer. The test revealed a PSA level of 119 – a high level and very suspicious of prostate cancer. The patient was not informed…

If you have a family member or loved one in a nursing home / rehab or assisted living facility, you may need to watch them A LITTLE CLOSER during the holidays. Watch the resident for depression, sadness and as a result, nutrition etc. If someone leaves and comes home with you for the day –…

The cornea is a part of the eye that helps focus light to create an image on the retina. It works in much the same way that the lens of a camera focuses light to create an image on film. The bending and focusing of light is also known as refraction. Usually the shape of…

Obviously, there are a number of safety issues with any nursing home. However, here are two simple but important areas not to be overlooked: 1. Ask the Director of Nursing or Administrator if the staff receives annual flu shots. Vaccinating employees of nursing homes against influenza helps protect residents, even those residents who have also…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120400029.htmlA group of pediatricians have called for a change in advertising to kids. Their motivation – all the fast food, tobacco, beer ads (etc.) are harming children and shaping the way they act, choices they make. Well good job doctors – I agree. Although I am all for the free market, I do not think…

Most people assume that having bed rails on a nursing home or hospital bed is a good thing. The assumption is that bed rails will prevent the patient from falling out of bed and suffering serious injury. This assumption is wrong – sometimes dead wrong! Bed rails can increase danger in two ways. First, the…

The title of today’s article is not boastful – it is accurate and truthful! The National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) is the best, most effective advocacy group for nursing home residents in America. NCCNHR was formed because of public concern about substandard care in nursing homes and is the outgrowth of work…

Methadone (also known as Dolophine) has long been prescribed by doctors for patients with intractable and chronic pain. These patients often suffer from traumatic injuries and back pain which proves unresponsive to other pain medications. Now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to doctors and patients about the life-threatening dangers presented…

Nine employees of the Hollis Park nursing home were arrested after hidden cameras uncovered patient neglect. New York Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, says one camera inside a resident’s room in the Queens, NY nursing home revealed weeks of neglect. See the developing story here. The use of video cameras in nursing homes is a hot…

You know the old saying – “the wheel that squeaks the loudest, gets the oil?” Well – in our health care system – the wheel that squeaks the loudest – helps everyone. Read this article in the Washington Post today: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400985.html So many times people will call our office and say they don’t believe in…