Jacksonville Personal Injury Blog

An analysis by USA Today finds that among 15,700 nursing homes nationally, about 20% receive low marks for overall quality, and those with the lowest ratings – one or two stars – are owned by for-profit companies.

There are an estimated 1.4 million Americans in nursing homes. About a quarter-million live in the low-ranked nursing homes. But even they must satisfy the basic Medicare requirements. USA Today examined the federal government's data from the first ratings of the homes' performance. Late in the Bush administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began assigning the Zagat-like ratings based on quality, staffing, and health inspections. The Five-Star Rating System launched at www.medicare.gov.

Among the lowest rating - one star- nursing home, there was an average of about 14 deficiencies per home, including safety violations and quality-of-life measures. Unfortunately, in many states, homes with poor ratings may be the only nursing homes for miles.

Problems include infected bedsores, medication errors, poor food, and abuse and neglect of nursing home patients. About 20 percent of the more than 37,000 complaints inspectors received last year concerned abuse or neglect of patients.

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Posted In: Elder Neglect , Law & Information , Personal Injury , Premises Liability

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Frequently our Florida Elder Neglect attorneys are asked whether hiring a home health aide to watch over an elderly loved one, in our home or theirs, is a good idea and what should someone look for.

You should treat the hiring of a home health care person with the same scrutiny as you would for your child.

First – consider what the home health care person is doing for your loved one.

If this person will be responsible for medically-related duties, he or she should be a licensed, certified nursing assistant, or CAN, who will be regulated by a state agency.

A CNA can work for a home health agency. Find out more about their qualifications: or call 850-245-4567.

However, if this person is hired to provide housekeeping, cooking and non-medical services, you may need to conduct your own background check.

In Florida, California, Connecticut, and at least 19 other states, non-medical home health care aides are not required to be licensed, certified nor regulated by a state agency. Criminal background checks are not required.

And that’s where the problems have come in. Stories of nursing home abuse in Florida and neglect of elderly patients in Jacksonville have been in the news, as have stories of identity theft or the theft of personal belongings, drugs or cash.

Be aware that most abuse and neglect cases involve non-medical aides hired to help around the house and that most victims are afraid to report the abuse.

If you are looking for a reputable, reliable home health care person, it’s probably a safer bet to go through an agency; however, be sure to ask the agency what background checks have been done and be sure they include, at a minimum, a state police criminal background check.

Make sure that the agency has run a national criminal database check to the extent it is possible. Some agencies do not have that authorization.

A Medicare or Medicaid home health agency requires training of at least 75 hours and an evaluation program. A licensed-only agency may require additional training above at least 40 hours or a competency test given by the agency.

Continue reading "Choosing Home Health Care Aides" »

Posted by Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorney | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Elder Neglect , Nursing Home Abuse

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