Elder Abuse and Neglect Law Blog - Providing a Voice for the Vulnerable on Elder Abuse & Neglect Issues

In a sad story, Ruston Health Care in Williamsburg, Illinois has been sued for trauma to one of its residents. The mentally disabled man was supposed to have his bed guard rails raised. The rails are there for a very specific reason, to keep the resident from falling out of bed. Tragically, the staff at the nursing home failed to follow the instructions for the man's care, leaving the rail down. The man fell out of bed, striking his head hard enough to cause swelling the size of an orange. He also had blood in his urine. Visible blood in... More

California seems to be on the forefront of legislation aimed at improving the lives of nursing home residents. The legislature recently approved AB 1457, which provides transparency in the shell game of nursing home ownership and operation.  California also has legislation in place which improves on the idea of Resident Councils by creating Family Councils. Resident Councils can have any number of residents as members, and are usually facilitated by the facility. The downside of a Resident Council is that there is no check on the accountability of the system. A problem may get reported to a Resident Council but not... More