The Nursing Home Abuse Podcast

How many feet can a resident’s room be from the nurse’s station? Where do handrails need to be installed? Federal and Georgia law answer these questions. In this episode, we discuss Georgia nursing home building requirements, otherwise known as “physical plant standards,” and what they mean for the residents' well-being.

On this episode, we go in depth on the role of the attending physician in a Georgia nursing home.

Activities of daily living in nursing homes include grooming, bathing, toileting, transferring, and mobility. Each resident must be assessed on the level of self-care involved for each, and if necessary, how many persons are required to perform the activities. This week on the podcast, we discuss activities of daily living in nursing homes and the link to quality of care.

Federal law states that a resident who is continent of bowel or bladder receive necessary services and assistance to maintain continence, unless it is not clinically possible. But what are the necessary services? How are the services to be assessed? In this episode, we discuss how nursing homes can be liable for injuries arising from improper continence care.

Under Federal guidelines, an avoidable accident at a nursing home means that the facility failed to identify a hazard and assess the resident’s specific risk to that hazard, eliminate the hazard or implement interventions to reduce the likelihood of problems, or monitor the effectiveness of those interventions. This week on the podcast, we discuss how and when a facility is responsible for injurie...

If a Georgia family is awarded a settlement as a result of a settlement payment, medicaid may be entitled to a portion of that money. But, in some cases, the amount can be reduced or even eliminated. In this week’s episode, we explore how much Medicare could be rewarded in a nursing home injury case.

If a Georgia family is awarded a settlement as a result of a settlement payment, medicaid may be entitled to a portion of that payment. But, in some cases, the amount can be reduced or even eliminated. In this week’s episode, we explore how much Medicaid could be rewarded in a nursing home injury case.

Families with a loved one in a Georgia nursing home have several types of estate planning documents to consider. Advanced directive for healthcare, power of attorney and the physician’s order on life-sustaining treatment. In this week’s podcast, attorney Scott Fields goes over each of these documents, and share his insight into why its vital for families of nursing home residents.

Nursing home owners make vital decisions that impact the lives of residents who live in nursing homes. The decisions they make trickle down to how residents are treated, the level of care residents are given and how the operation is running. In this week’s episode, Richard Mollot explains how nursing homes are a reflection of the ownership.

Nursing homes are filled with vulnerable people who need specialized care. The quality of care given to nursing home residents can be linked to the abilities of the nursing team.  In this episode, Dr. Mary Ellen Dellefield explains the years of research she has conducted to come to this conclusion, and what families can do to learn more.

The Delphi Panel of Long-Term Care Clinicians may not be a household name, but the work they do will save the lives of people who are living in nursing homes during a global pandemic. Our special guest, Dr. Michael Wasserman explains what this panel does, and how they are shaping the care given to our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

Certified nursing assistants play an important role in the quality of life of a nursing home resident. They provide important information to nurses who then assess forms of treatment. How are CNA’s trained, and how is their job different from a regular nurse? In this week’s episode, special guest Dr. Elizabeth Halifax discusses those issues.

Antipsychotic medication is highly regulated in nursing homes. Research shows these types of drugs have various side effects, especially on people with dementia. In this episode, special guest Dr. Nancy M. Birtley, DNP describes why regulation of these drugs is so strict, and why they are commonly prescribed.

Hotels have a rating system, to give potential customers an idea about the hotel’s level of quality. Nursing homes have a similar ratings system in place, to help families in search of a residence for their aging loved ones.  In this episode, our special guest Dr. Niam Yaragi explains how this 5-Star rating system for nursing homes work.

Pressure sores. Pressure ulcers. Bedsores. They are all the same thing. But how they are treated can mean the difference between life and death. In this episode, Ingrid Sidorov, RN, answers questions about how the types of support surfaces that are available to nursing home residents who develop these specific types of ulcers.

Culture change is not something often considered when families look for a nursing home for their loved ones. But in this episode, we explore why this could make a huge difference for someone who is making the transition into a nursing home. In this episode, our special guest Carmen Bowmen helps us understand what a culture change is, and how it can benefit nursing home residents, and their familie...

Almost all studies, including those cited by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, conclude that increased nurse presence in nursing homes lead to fewer negative outcomes. But why is that? This week on the podcast, we welcome Dr. Haizhen Lin to bridge the link between nursing care and quality of care in nursing homes.

Pressure ulcers are a common killer in nursing homes. Causing infection and disease, these injuries are a painful scourge that needs to be reduced and eliminated. In this week’s episode, we talk about the top ten things that you might not know about pressure ulcers.

Whether you can sue a nursing home for a UTI will depend on whether the infection was avoidable and whether the nursing home’s negligence was the direct cause. But there is much more to it than this. In this week’s episode, we explore lawsuits against nursing homes for causing UTI injuries and death.

Care plans are required for every nursing home resident. Care plans are the blueprint for care and treatment. But what else? In this week’s episode, we shine the light on ten things you might not know about nursing home care plans.

Georgia nursing homes are regulated by Federal and Georgia laws. Facilities are overseen by the Department of Community Health as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In this week’s episode, we dig deeper into the regulations and agencies in charge of enforcing them.

In Georgia, the term ‘wrongful death’ means the claims brought by family members against the party responsible for causing a death. But, who holds the claim, when can the claim be brought, and can families bring wrongful death claims against nursing homes? In this week’s episode, we explore wrongful death  lawsuits against Georgia nursing homes.

Nursing homes may be liable for injuries and death resulting from pressure ulcers if the injury was avoidable. This means that the nursing home failed to either assess the resident correctly, develop a proper care plan, or revise the plan along the way. If a nursing home does not check all these boxes, then the resident may bring a lawsuit. In this week’s episode, we take a deep dive into a nursin...

Sepsis is consistently in the top ten causes of death every year. Why are nursing home residents susceptible to sepsis and septic shock? When is a resident who has been hospitalized or killed by sepsis allowed to sue a nursing home? In this week’s episode, we talk about this deadly illness, precautions that nursing homes should to take, and when a lawsuit may be filed in Georgia.