Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys Report on New Laws to End Elder Abuse

new jersey philadelphia nursing home negligence lawyers report elder negligenceNursing home abuse has become such a wide spread problem that some states are looking to crack down on offenders. Citing an increase in abuse of the elderly and vulnerable, some state lawmakers have advocated for adding persons convicted of elder abuse to a registry of offenders similar to the registry of sex offenders. While this new law would not increase penalties or make any new conduct criminal, it could go a long way in deterring and preventing future incidents of nursing home abuse and neglect.
Unfortunately, most states do not have such laws in place and it appears that nursing home abuse is still on the rise. That is why it is important for family members with loved ones in nursing homes to pay attention to how their relatives are being treated.

What are some signs that someone I care about is the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect?

Stay in frequent contact with any relative or loved one in a nursing home. Make time to speak with them and make sure the staff knows you are present and that you care. You presence alone could serve as a valuable deterrent to potential abuse. Furthermore, carefully watch for signs of abuse: Warning sings include bruising, unexplained falls, bed sores (also known as pressure sores or pressure ulcers) and incidents of septic shock. If your loved one is a fall risk, proper precautions should be taken. Bed sores should be a rarity and should not ever advance past stage two. Septic shock, which almost always occurs from a lack of proper sanitation, should also be a rare occurrence. If a bed sore or septic shock results in hospitalization and/or extensive treatment, you are right to have serious concerns. If you suspect abuse, contact appropriate state agencies and speak with an attorney experienced in handling such cases.

Nursing Home Negligence Lawyers in NJ and PA

The Nursing home negligence Lawyers at the Mininno Law Firm are experienced in handling nursing home neglect cases. They will fight for you! Contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey or (215) 567-2380 in Pennsylvania.

Get Legal Representation: Nursing Home Abuse Still Widespread

Despite continued efforts by nursing home abuse lawyers and various governmental agencies, recent studies have shown that in some northeastern states, as many as one in seven people above the age of sixty have been subject to some form of elder abuse. In some states, as many as over 250,000 senior citizens suffer from incidents of elder abuse in any given year. These statistics are a sobering reminder for anybody who has a loved one currently receiving care in a nursing home facility.

How Do I Know if My Loved One Has Suffered From Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect?

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers neglect still widespreadFirst of, if you have any concerns, consult with an experienced attorney as well as appropriate state agencies. Telltale signs of nursing home abuse are the presence of bed sores, also known as pressure ulcers. Bed sores occur when a nursing home patient is left immobile in one position for too long, causing skin in sensitive areas to loose circulation. This causes tissue damage and eventually kills the skin cells. If caught early and treated properly, bed sores can be easily remedied. However, if neglected, a bed sore can progress past stage two, causing serious health problems for affected nursing home residents.

Another indicator of nursing home abuse is septic shock. Nursing home residents who require regular cleanings but fail to receive them are often susceptible to septic shock. This is a serious infection that is almost always preventable with proper daily cleaning. If you have a loved one who has suffered from septic shock more than once or who has been hospitalized for septic shock, there is a good chance they are not being cared for properly. Take action for those who cannot take action for themselves: Contact an attorney and appropriate state agencies to investigate. Often times abuse is not discovered until it has progressed for some time, but it is never to late to take action.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

The qualified nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at The Mininno Law Office know how to get results and make a difference in your case. They can get the results your loved one deserves. Contact the Mininno Law Office if you have any questions regarding the health and safety of your loved ones. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Septic Shock is Number One Indicator of Nursing Home Negligence

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers septic shock indicator negligenceAccording to the Nursing Home Complaint Center, a website sponsored by the consumer advocacy group America’s Watchdog to provide people with a place to report the varying nursing home abuse events they have encountered, sepsis, also know as septic shock, is the number one indicator of intense nursing home abuse or neglect.

These infections are usually preventable with normal and regular cleaning, but when they do develop, they often require trips to the hospital emergency room or even admittance to an intensive care unit. There is no excuse for this level of abuse.
If you know somebody in a nursing home who has been diagnosed with septic shock and has been hospitalized as a result, that person may be a victim of nursing home negligence. If that is the case, you should seriously consider contacting authorities, as well as an attorney.

How Do I Know if Septic Shock is a Result of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect?

If someone you know has been diagnosed with septic shock infection while residing at a nursing home or long term care facility, that person could very well be the victim of nursing home negligence. Septic shock is most often caused by improper and infrequent cleaning of residents that require regular cleanings as part of their normal care. If a resident of a nursing home or long term care facility is diagnosed with septic shock more than once, or requires a trip to the emergency room or admittance to an intensive care unit, this is a major indicator that the resident is not being properly cared for. This is a clear sign of nursing home abuse and neglect. If this is taking place, the nursing home or long term care facility is simply not doing their job.

Nursing Home Negligence Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

The skilled Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing home negligence attorneys at The Mininno Law Office have years of experience and are committed to exposing and stopping the unfortunately widespread problem of nursing home abuse and neglect. Contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0060 in New Jersey or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia, if you would like to discuss a nursing home abuse case.

Cleft Lip a Possible Side Effect of Topamax Use During Pregnancy

Migraine headaches have a drastic effect on many people, including the family and friends of those who suffer from sudden attacks. Daily life and activities can be dramatically altered when people fear the onset of a migraine. Topamax has been a common and effective form of relief for the many people who suffer from frequent and painful migraines. Although Topamax has been highly successful for an extensive customer base, pregnant women should seek alternative medications. The popular pharmaceutical drug has been linked to birth defects, including cleft lip, when taken during pregnancy.

Migraines Can Alter Lives

new jersey philadelphia birth defects attorneys cleft lip migraines side effectsThose who suffer from migraines understand exactly how debilitating they can be. Headaches can be extremely draining, especially when people are constantly awaiting their arrival. It is not uncommon for people to constantly think about when the next migraine will strike and how it will hinder their lifestyle. It is also extremely inconvenient to be forced to change plans at a moments notice . Therefore, it may be in the best interest of those who suffer from migraines to lay out certain contingency plans.

It can also be extremely stressful to be forced to avoid certain foods and enjoyable environments simply due to the fear of potentially bringing about a migraine. This constant cost-benefit analysis regarding potential migraine triggers can significantly alter lifestyles and make easy activities into insurmountable chores. It is important that people seek reliable medical advice and medication to limit the effect that migraines have on their daily lives.

Topamax should not be the first choice of pregnant women who suffer from extreme headaches. Due to the fact that there are many strong alternatives, the threat of birth defects, such as cleft lip or cleft palate, are far too dangerous for women to use Topamax during pregnancy.

Cleft Lip Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you were recently pregnant and your child was born with cleft lip or other oral malformations, it is possible that you have questions regarding your use of Topamax. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Attorneys Report on Awful Abuse of Dementia Patient

As New Jersey and Philadelphia attorneys who have become experts on nursing home abuse and neglect cases, we continue to highlight nursing homes in which acts of elder abuse occur. The Delaware County, Pennsylvania nursing home that we will focus on today seems to be an example of horrible abuse by staff at a nursing facility.

Quadrangle Nursing Home Residents Caught on Tape Abusing Dementia Patient

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers report abuse dementia patientThe family of a 78 year old Lois McCallister, a patient at the Quadrangle nursing home in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, placed a “nanny cam” in view of their relative after she complained of being punched, slapped, and otherwise abused by the staff members. McCallister, who suffers from dementia, also showed signs of bruising on her left hand and wrist. The “nanny cam” caught a nursing home employee striking McCallister in the face and head. The hidden camera also caught nursing home employees laughing at and mocking the mental condition of McCallister for over 12 minutes, while she stood naked trying to cover her breasts. This is an especially egregious example of how cruel some staff members at nursing homes treat their residents. As a result of these incidents, several members of the staff at the Quadrangle nursing home have been placed under arrest.

If you suspect similar abuse in any instance, report the activity to authorities and contact an attorney.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your loved one is a resident in a nursing home or other long-term care facility and you feel the care they are receiving may be abusive or negligent, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
Act as an advocate for the safety of your elderly loved ones.

Cleft Lip and Topamax Migraine Treatment May Be Linked

Migraines bring agony and pain to those who battle with these extreme headaches. It is essential for sufferers to find an effective remedy, and for many, this remedy is Topamax.
Topamax has been among industry leaders in effectiveness as well as customer satisfaction. The problem with the pharmaceutical drug is that it has been linked with birth defects, such as cleft lip and cleft palate, when taken by women throughout their pregnancy.

Migraine Troubles Last beyond the Headache

new jersey philadelphia birth injury attorneys Cleft Lip migraineAfter the excruciating pain that accompanies a migraines, victims wish to get back to their normal daily activities. Migraine symptoms, however, are not that understanding. The symptoms following a migraine headache can last a full twenty four hours after the migraine has subsided. A mild form of the headache can linger on for this time period, making it difficult to function. Many people also deal with extreme fatigue.

Migraines formulate with the excitement of nerve cells in the brain. These cells then release impulses to the brain’s blood vessels. Released from these nerves are substances causing inflammation and swelling of the vessels. As the blood vessels become enlarged, the pain and throbbing of a migraine begins. This is only the start of migraine symptoms which can remain for an entire day following the end of the headache, causing people to search for a viable solution. Many people find relief through Topamax, but with recent data showing the potential for birth defects, such as cleft lip, pregnant women should beware.

Birth Injuries Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your child was born with a birth defect, such as cleft lip or cleft palate, and you believe the defect may be attributed to your use of Topamax, you probably have some questions. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Nursing Home Abuse Exposé: Manhattan View Nursing Home

Today we’ve located a nursing home in Hudson County that we feel deserves mention due to its overall below average rating by the Medicare Nursing Home Compare. This Hudson County nursing home was given only 2 out of 5 stars. This indicates that, according to Medicare’s rating system, it is a below average nursing home.
As attorneys specializing in cases where nursing home abuse and neglect is an issue, we feel that it is important to point out those nursing homes that are considered average or, in this case, below average.

Manhattan View Nursing Home Has Bad Care Record

new jersey philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers expose manhattan viewThe Manhattan View Nursing Home in Union City, New Jersey is a below average facility with 127 long term care beds. This is a for profit, corporately owned nursing home as well. Between December 2008 and November 2010, this Hudson County nursing home was routinely inspected 2 times. These inspections are conducted by the New Jersey Division of Health Facilities Evaluation and Licensing. During these inspections, this nursing home was cited for 20 separate deficiencies. Manhattan View failed to store, cook, and give out food in a safe and clean way, failed to offer food within proper time intervals, failed to keep medication errors within 5%, and failed to properly prevent the spread of infection. These are just a few of the 20 deficiencies cited during these routine inspections.

It has been found that proper levels of medication and proper nutrition are very important in preventing the occurrence of bed sores and or pressure ulcers. This nursing home does not appear to have had any bed sore and/or pressure ulcer citations during this time period, but with the types of deficiencies it was cited for, bed sore development is a definite concern. Families must learn the signs of nursing home abuse and neglect that can lead to bed sores and other dangers, and they must remain ever vigilant to protect their loved ones, especially in a nursing home with a below average Medicare rating.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your loved one is a resident at a nursing home or long term care facility and you are afraid that the care they are receiving is inadequate or even abusive, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
Let the nursing home abuse lawyers at the Mininno Law Office earn you the compensation you need and deserve.

Nursing Home Abuse Exposé: Burlington Woods

Today we once again expose a New Jersey nursing home with a below average rating according to Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare. This website compares and rates nursing homes across the country and, as New Jersey and Philadelphia attorneys with expertise on nursing home abuse and neglect cases, we find this website an important resource. Today we will discuss a nursing home in Burlington County that has been given a 2 out of 5 star rating by the official Medicare website.

Burlington Woods: Not the First Time We’ve Written About Them

nj and pa nursing home abuse attorneysBurlington Woods is a nursing home with 227 long term beds. It is also a for profit, corporately owned and run nursing home. According to the New Jersey Division of Health Facilities Evaluation and Licensing, Burlington Woods was routinely inspected on two separate occasions between December 2008 and November 2010. During those inspections, Burlington Woods was cited for 12 separate deficiencies. It was found that the facility failed to make sure the nursing home was free of dangers that cause accidents. Burlington Woods also failed to keep the rate of medication errors to less than 5%. Additionally, it was determined that Burlington Woods failed to write and use policies that forbid mistreatment, neglect, abuse , and theft.

Burlington Woods was also inspected 9 additional times, based on complaints. This led to another four citations. These inspection results are a part of why this nursing home received an overall below average rating by Medicare. Again, these types of issues are those that can lead to abuse and neglect in a nursing home. The fact that there wasn’t a policy in place regarding how the patients should be treated to stave off abuse and neglect is, itself, very disconcerting. This is the type of nursing home that may lead to injuries and health issues such as overdoses, malnutrition, and bed sores. We urge all individuals to carefully review any nursing home before placement in order to assure a safe environment for their loved one.

Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your loved one is a resident at a nursing home or long term care facility, and you fear the care they are receiving is inadequate or borderline abusive, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia. The nursing home abuse attorneys at the Mininno Law Office are dedicated to helping families protect their loved ones from the sometimes totally egregious conduct of long term care facilities.

Birth Injury Attorneys Warn Against the Use of PPIs During Pregnancy

A study of 200,000 women in 2010 has revealed that women who take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) during the first trimester of their pregnancy are twice as likely to deliver babies with birth defects than women who have not taken the drugs.

PPI’s Can Cause Cardiac Defects

new jersey philadelphia birth injury attorneys warning PPIs during pregnancyPrescription proton pump inhibitors include Nexium, Dexilant, Prilosec, Zegerid, Prevacid, Protonix, and AcipHex. Current over-the-counter proton pump inhibitors include Prilosec OTC, Zegerid OTC and Prevacid 24HR. The drugs are approved to treat disorders like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach and intestinal ulcers, and esophogeal inflammation.

The study was executed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, and led by Dr. Andrew D. Rhim. Rhim commented on the research he and his collegues presented at Digestive Disease Week just a year ago:

“We feel that our data … can have a large public health impact given the fact that GERD is so common during pregnancy.”

GERD is, in fact, very common during pregnancy, as 50% of women will suffer acid reflux during the gestational period. And while the prescriptions help an uncomfortable and painful condition, their safety regarding fetuses has never been definitively determined. As a class, PPIs work by stopping the release of stomach acid, which, without the assistance of a PPI, can rise up the esophagus and cause what we all know as the sensation of “heartburn.” A number of infants whose mothers took the heartburn medicines were born with cardiac abnormalities that included septal defects, left ventricular defects, and right ventricular defects.

Rhim offered an alternative to PPIs, after releasing the results of his study:

“One way to use this data to impact care would be to make sure that if physicians see pregnant women who complain [about GERD], they make sure those women are taking folic acid. That’s the only thing we know of that can decrease the risk of having a baby with cardiac birth defects.”

Birth Injury Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your child was born with a birth defect, or suffered birth injury due to delivery room negligence, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia. Let the birth injury lawyers at the Mininno Law Office work to earn you the full and fair compensation you need and deserve.

Birth Injury Attorneys Get Wind of Life Saving New Technology

A new and experimental technology being used in neonatal units across the country is helping reduce the occurrences of birth injury and permanent brain damage in babies who are deprived oxygen during child birth.

Umbilical Cord Compression Causes Oxygen Deprivation; Cooling Blanket Turns Everything Around

Sara was in the middle of a very difficult labor with her sixth child, Yehuda, when the umbilical cord became compressed and he was no longer receiving oxygen. At that point, it became a necessity to remove Yehuda from the birth canal as quickly as possible; so quickly, that even a C-Section would have taken too long.

With the use of forceps, the doctor was able to extract Yehuda, but the infant was limp and unresponsive. He had little to strength, and the outcome looked grim.

new jersey phildelphia attorneys birth injury saving new technology
Infant being treated with brain cooling.
A few hours later, Sara and her husband were offered a new option, one that had only been used on a child at the Hackensack University Medical Center once before; a new technology called cooling therapy. The therapy involved wrapping the infant in a cooling blanket to lower his temperature. The theory is that lowering a newborn’s temperature will slow the brain’s metabolism, brain inflammation, and the release of harmful toxins that can occur after brain injury. Slowing the process is key, as oxygen deprivation takes an extended period of time to do most of it’s damage.

For three days, Yehuda remained in the cooling blanket. After the treatment, “He was amazing,” his mother said. He had minimal bruising on his head, and other than that, was a healthy baby boy.

And while not all babies will respond as Yehuda did, many lives can be saved with this new and quite safe technology.

Birth Injury Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your child suffered a traumatic brain injury due to negligence in the delivery, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia. Let the birth injury lawyers at the Mininno Law Office work to earn you the full and fair compensation you need and deserve.