Nursing Home Cases

The litigation of neglect and abuse of the elderly in assisted living and nursing home facilities is unlike any other personal injury litigation. The second edition of Nursing Home Litigation: Pretrial Practice and Trials has been significantly expanded and will provide you with a detailed step-by-step look at how nursing home cases should be handled. The book's chapters are organized in a way that will help you with your case from pretrial to trial. The first chapter will give you tips and techniques for writing the demand letter. The following chapters provide insight for both the plaintiff's attorney and defense attorney on topics such as interviewing older witnesses, preparing staff for deposition, demonstrative evidence, voir dire, opening and closing arguments. Also included is a FREE CD-ROM of actual depositions of nurses, administrators, directors of nursing and and upper management in nursing homes.

Among the issues confronting America is long-term care for frail, older persons and others with chronic conditions and functional limitations that limit their ability to care for themselves. Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care takes a comprehensive look at the quality of care and quality of life in long-term care, including nursing homes, home health agencies, residential care facilities, family members and a variety of others. This book describes the current state of long-term care, identifying problem areas and offering recommendations for federal and state policymakers. Who uses long-term care? How have the characteristics of this population changed over time? What paths do people follow in long term care? The committee provides the latest information on these and other key questions. This book explores strengths and limitations of available data and research literature especially for settings other than nursing homes, on methods to measure, oversee, and improve the quality of long-term care. The committee makes recommendations on setting and enforcing standards of care, strengthening the caregiving workforce, reimbursement issues, and expanding the knowledge base to guide organizational and individual caregivers in improving the quality of care.

As more people live longer, the need for quality long-term care for the elderly will increase dramatically. This volume examines the current system of nursing home regulations, and proposes an overhaul to better provide for those confined to such facilities. It determines the need for regulations, and concludes that the present regulatory system is inadequate, stating that what is needed is not more regulation, but better regulation. This long-anticipated study provides a wealth of useful background information, in-depth study, and discussion for nursing home administrators, students, and teachers in the health care field; professionals involved in caring for the elderly; and geriatric specialists.

Since the late 1970s when Congressman Claude Pepper held widely publicized hearings on the mistreatment of the elderly, policy makers and practitioners have sought ways to protect older Americans from physical, psychological, and financial abuse. Yet, during the last 20 years fewer than 50 articles have addressed the shameful problem that abusersâ€"and sometimes the abused themselvesâ€"want to conceal. Elder Mistreatment in an Aging America takes a giant step toward broadening our understanding of the mistreatment of the elderly and recommends specific research and funding strategies that can be used to deepen it. The book includes a discussion of the conceptual, methodological, and logistical issues needed to create a solid research base as well as the ethical concerns that must be considered when working with older subjects. It also looks at problems in determination of a report's reliability and the role of physicians, EMTs, and others who are among the first to recognize situations of mistreatment. Elder Mistreatment in an Aging America will be of interest to anyone concerned about the elderly and ways to intervene when abuse is suspected, including family members, caregivers, and advocates for the elderly. It will also be of interest to researchers, research sponsors, and policy makers who need to know how to advance our knowledge of this problem.

"[This book is] the most authoritative assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of recent trends toward the commercialization of health care," says Robert Pear of The New York Times. This major study by the Institute of Medicine examines virtually all aspects of for-profit health care in the United States, including the quality and availability of health care, the cost of medical care, access to financial capital, implications for education and research, and the fiduciary role of the physician. In addition to the report, the book contains 15 papers by experts in the field of for-profit health care covering a broad range of topicsâ€"from trends in the growth of major investor-owned hospital companies to the ethical issues in for-profit health care. "The report makes a lasting contribution to the health policy literature." â€"Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.

Each chapter in this highly praised book has been revised and updated while new chapters have been added to expand upon even more issues in nursing home litigation. Nursing Home Litigation: Investigation and Case Preparation was written as a reference for attorneys representing either plaintiffs or defendants, with perspectives from experienced attorneys, physicians, nursing consultants, a pharmacist, and nursing home specialists.The book has been organized into four specialized sections. Part One discusses legal strategies you can utilize during the investigation and pretrial of a nursing home case. Part Two explains the liability issues that may arrise in a nursing home setting and among its staff. Part Three describes common allegations that occur in a nursing home case such as falls, skin trauma, infections and more. Part Four provides tips for the defense with information on defense stategies and what nursing homes can do to prevent injuries. This comprehensive text is a legal and medical reference that no attorney or expert involved in a nursing home case can be without. New chapters include: Investigation and pretrial preparation of assisted living cases Nursing home liability and consequences Tampering with medical records Medical defense Defense attorney Claims adjuster Infections Skin trauma Falls