Nursing Homes Not Elderly Adults Only Choice Today

Nursing home abuse has affected millions of people in the United States because, for such a long time, nursing homes were the only option a family had when their loved one’s physical state required additional help. However, according to census data, only 7.4% of elderly Americans are living in nursing homes, a number that has fallen from the 8.1% in 1990. Many elderly people and their families, especially those 85 years and older, are now turning not to traditional nursing homes, but instead to long term care assistance at home, in-home care, and other options. This is great for the families that can afford to maintain other types of care for their loved ones. But for the 1.8 million people that still live in nursing homes, care should be adequate, training should be provided, and abuse should be prevented.

Nursing Home Care Must Be Improved

The quality of care a patient receives should not depend on how much money they have to spend, but unfortunately, nowadays, that seems to be the case. If nursing home administrators and medical providers spent more of their efforts on improving the quality of care in nursing homes and less of their efforts on their bottom lines, other unneccessary costs would be non existent. Bedsore treatment or litigation costs can be astronomical, but providing adequate and focused care can avoid the need for such spending.
              
Click for more information on nursing home alternatives

Nursing Home Abuse Laywers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you feel that your loved ones have been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. The nursing home abuse abuse lawyers at the Mininno Law Office are experienced and very skilled in earning victims of nursing home abuse the full and fair compensation that they need and deserve. Be sure to act promptly, as a statue of limitations could run out on your claim.

You may also call for a free consultation at 856-833-0600 in New Jersey, or 215-567-2380 in Philadelphia. Let the Mininno Law Office work to earn justice for you and your family.

Taishan Gypsum Victims awarded $2.6 Million – Money They May Never See

Previously, we posted a blog about foreign manufacturers who manufacture defective products without consequence; specifically, Chinese drywall manufacturer Taishan Gypsum. The company has exported an estimated 10 million pounds of drywall to the United States through ports in Florida and New York.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 3,000 complaints have been filed against the company, involving complications and property damage caused by the drywall. Tests have shown that the damage was caused by sulfur emissions from the gypsum board.

These emissions have caused significant amounts of property damage to homes built with the Chinese made material. Reported damage includes that of HVAC systems, smoke detectors, electrical wiring, and metal plumbing components. The emissions have been linked to metal corrosion. They cause a sulfurous odor that permeates the house, and may be the cause of eye, respiratory, and sinus problems.

This Thursday, April 8, 2010, U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon awarded 2.6 million dollars to 7 Virginia families whose homes will have to be virtually rebuilt due to the damage caused by the defective drywall. Judge Fallon’s summary judgment details the extensive amounts of gutting that will be required to remove traces and side effects of the dry wall. All drywall must be removed, and copper pipes, electrical wiring, appliances, cabinets, trim, molding, countertops, hardwood floors, and bathroom fixtures will need to be replaced.
Unfortunately, lawsuits were limited solely to property damages, and did not address the probable effects of sulfur emissions to the health of homeowners.

But homeowners are less concerned with recoveries only including property damage, and more concerned that the likelihood they will receive their compensation is almost non-existent. With no international laws or regulations in place legally holding Taishan Gypsum responsible for the defective drywall and the damages it caused, there is no way to ensure payment. Foreign manufacturers do not have to honor civil lawsuit decisions from the United States regarding their defective products.
Taishan Gypsum never responded to any one of the lawsuits filed against them, nor did they send anyone to represent them in the U.S. federal court. It is unclear to the plaintiffs what will happen with the money owed them. Plaintiff attorneys have proposed seizing Taishan Gypsum inventory on U.S. soil, and on ships in U.S. waters, but no decisions regarding any further action have been made.

Taishan Gypsum is just one of many cross-border liability cases that have not seen or will not see a resolution due to lack of international regulations. Defective product manufacturers in The United States are held liable for their defects, and so too should manufacturers out of the country. There is currently a motion to pass the Foreign Manufacturers’ Legal Accountability Act which would force foreign manufacturers, like Taishan Gypsum, to honor decisions made in US civil trials, and to be responsible for their defective products.

If you have suffered damage, injury, or loss due to a defective product in New Jersey, whether it be manufactured in the United States or overseas, the New Jersey defective product lawyers at Mininno Law Firm want to help you. Contact us or call (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Baby Einstein Scam:Not a Good Teaching Substitute

We have all heard the “Baby Einstein” commercials and seen the colorful, bright characters. We also have all heard and seen these videos promise that it will make our toddlers and children brighter, smarter, and help them learn faster. It turns out this is not true and this is just turning out to be a “Baby Einstein” scam.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics children under two should stay away from the television.  According to a study from the Campaign from Commercial-Free Childhood, there is a link between early television watching and problems with a child’s attention span later in life. These videos promised that our children would learn more, be brighter, and smarter later in life, not have attention and other school related problems, clearly Baby Einstein is a scam. This has led to Disney offering a refund to parents that bought Baby Einstein videos and other baby Einstein products and “teaching substitutes”.

                Clearly, this baby Einstein scam has become a wakeup call for many parents who have yet again realized that television and other technology products are not always a good teaching substitute and parents should always supervise their children and help them as they learn and grow to be an active part of their learning process. Yes, the Baby Einstein scam is bad and should not have happened especially since it affects children and their education now and in the future, but maybe this will again reinforce that these products as well as others are never good parenting or teaching substitutes and parents still need to look out for their children’s education and their needs. A child’s education is very important and should not just be looked over by having them watch Baby Einstein videos or other products. Children’s education should also include active learning with both the child and the parent.

                For more information on the baby Einstein scam and other children’s educational products, you may visit: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/the-great-baby-einstein-scam-531147/

If you feel that you and your child have been mistreated because of improper warning labels due to the baby Einstein scam, you should contact a defective product attorney right away. They will help you advocate for your rights and those of your child.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Concerned about Off Road Vehicle Safety

The Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association was created to help promote the safety and proper use of off road vehicles and better conditions for everyone. ROVs are a new type of off road or Highway vehicle and they are best suited for outdoor recreational activities and one or more passengers. However, due to the rising death toll and serious injuries related to these modes of transportation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted on October 22, 2009, to push for advance notice of new rules being made for these ROVs. The CPSC believes that the rules that are in place right now for these products, do not adequate address the problems and injuries or collisions facing the consumer. These vehicles may be inadequate for lateral stability, steering ability, and finally in protection for people during a crash. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is in charge of protecting the public from unreasonable risk or serious injury and by making sure people are aware of this problem, they are showing commitment to the safety of all consumers.

For additional information on ROVs and other off road vehicles and safety, you may visit:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10020.html

http://www.rohva.org/

If you or a loved one has been injured due to an off road vehicle accident, please contact a personal injury attorney right away. They will help make sure your case is heard and you get the care you need and deserve.

New Malpractice Idea: Will it Help or Hurt Patients?

President Barrack Obama is willing to consider alternatives to medical malpractice lawsuits by replacing them with such alternatives like appointing neutral experts for both political parties to look at medical appeals and allegations. The goal for this new idea seems to be to address medical liability and to cut malpractice insurance premiums for doctors. Okay, maybe it is a long process to go through a jury trial with a lawyer but weren’t the courts and justice system created for just that purpose to bring justice to the party that has the injury or suffered from medical malpractice. It seems to be that this new idea is only favoring doctors who are afraid of being sued later. All trial lawyers are trying to do is see that their clients, who are former patients of these doctors received the proper care possible. Once again this new idea seems to be in favor of only saving money and not actually helping the patients who need proper medical care. If so many doctors worried less about how much money everything was costing and focused more on proper medical care for all their patients then they would not have to worry about medical malpractice lawsuits. If though however, a medical error or problem does occur then in this country by law that person or patient is entitled to a trial and entitled to justice being done for them and their families. This new idea seems to be taking away trial rights in favor of saving money for doctors and insurance. People should continue to come first; money needs to stop doing all the talking.

For additional information on this new malpractice idea and the health care debate, you may visit this link

 

If you or a loved one has suffered due to a medical error, please contact a medical malpractice attorney right away. They will help make sure your case is heard and you get the medical care you deserve.

Lasik Eye Surgery may help you see more clearly, but how safe is it really?

The Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday October 15, 2009 that it will start looking into the negative effects associated with corrective laser eye surgery. Some of these negative effects may include blurred vision and dry eyes. The FDA is going to work with the National Eye Institute and the Department of Defense to investigate the amount of people that experience negative side effects after having this corrective eye surgery. This research will include patient questionnaires and clinical trials to help keep track of patients who have had the surgery. These procedures by the FDA will hopefully help in be able to better understand the effects of laser eye surgery and its long term safety, because it is still unknown. Approximately six million Americans have had this Lasik eye corrective surgery which reshapes the cornea, but the long term safety has been unknown. It is good that the FDA is investigating the negative side effects that people could experience, but it may have been better if they would have done this before six million people have had the surgery. There were years of complaints from patients and the FDA just now decided to step in and look at the problems. Part of this reason seems to be because these types of surgeries cost between a thousand to five thousand dollars to perform. It seems like yet again, money is put before patient care and safety. This is not the way it should be. Maybe the FDA should take a better look at its policies too. Patients should always come first.

For additional information on the effects of corrective laser eye surgery you may visit: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/SurgeryandLifeSupport/LASIK/default.htm

If you or a loved one has experienced negative side effects due to laser corrective eye surgery, contact a medical malpractice attorney right away. They will help you advocate for the medical care you deserve.

Animal Safety Tips to help protect your Children

Animals are a wonderful thing and can be very good for children. They can teach them how to be responsible, how to be gentle, how to be calmer and not yell around the animals or scare them. Finally, it can be a really rewarding learning experience for the whole family. Too often though, children do not know to behave around animals and they end up getting diseases or bites from animals. Due to these problems the Center for Disease Control or CDC has recommended some basic safety tips for parents and children for good animal care for them and the animals. These tips include:

  • Children under five years need to always be supervised while with animals
  • Do not allow children to kiss animals or put their hands near their mouth or eyes after touching animals
  • Make sure children wash their hands well with soap and water after touching animals
  • Animals such as snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs and other similar animals should be handled with special care around children due to the spread of disease

So many children and other family members get bite by animals and get other diseases due to lack of knowledge about animal safety. These simple tips can help prevent these situations now and in the future.

For more information on animal safety tips and recommendations, you may visit: http://www.cdc.gov/HEALTHYPETS/child.htm

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to an animal, please contact a personal injury attorney right away. They can help you get the medical care you and your family deserve.

Bayer Warned by FDA for YAZ Testing Problems

The birth control Yasmin or Yaz has caused much controversy and concerns since it was first brought on the market back in March. Many people are concerned about the serious side effects of the pill and how Bayer seemed to have made these side effects not seem as serious as they are. Another thing that Bayer was warned about by the Food and Drug Administration or the FDA that they did not think was a serious problem was the testing of the quality of the pills. It measured the quality of its ingredients based on an average of several samples instead of reporting the individual test results of each sample like they should. Bayer then continued to ship eight batches of pills tested using this unapproved method to the U.S. The drug patches were reviewed after the FDA’s warning to Bayer, but Bayer says the batches shipped between 2007-2009 were not affected by this unapproved testing method. Since this warning, the FDA now requires that Bayer provide a full list of the shipments to the U.S. that may have used this average testing method and to require Bayer to come up with a plan to prevent the problem from happening again.  Bayer has produced many important medications that many people use and depend on daily. Maybe this method has not caused any real problems, but when it comes to the medicines we give ourselves as well as those we love, double checking does not hurt. It seems like this time Bayer may have gotten overwhelmed by the money they were making that they overlooked some safety measures. Safety however always needs to and should come first each and every time.

For more information on the Bayer testing methods for Yasmin, you may visit: http://www.app.com/article/20090915/NEWS/90915067/FDA+warns+Yaz++Yasmin+manufacturer+over+testing+problems or www.fda.gov

 

If you or a loved one has suffered possibility due to the side effects of Yaz or Yasmin, please contact a personal injury attorney right away. They will help get your case heard and help you get the care you need and deserve.

Chamber of Commerce Attacking Legal System through Radio Ads

In this country, we all have the right to hold another person or party, or even corporation responsible for their acts of negligence, malpractice and other cases of harm. Recently, the Chamber of Commerce has entered the radio advertisement arena in an attempt to protect its high standing members from these lawsuits and claims of negligence. They claim that this is to protect people from meaningless lawsuits, but these ad campaigns are supported by the same people that the Chamber of Commerce is trying to protect, including oil, tobacco, and insurance companies. It seems to like the Chamber of Commerce does not really care about proper care and practices for individuals and Americans, it seems like they care more about protecting their highest paying and loyal supporters. Once again money is put before rights and in this country people have fought for those rights and they deserve the chance to exercise them when the situation calls for it. People’s rights and needs should come first before money, but once again, this is not the case. If people listen to the ads of the Chamber of Commerce than people will not be able to sue for neglect or abuse of a loved one in a nursing home, or a injury due to a product defect or the injuries that can error due to improper label of products. If the members of the Chamber of Commerce were injured due to malpractice they would want to have the right to sue, so other people deserve this right as well.

For additional information on the Chamber of Commerce radio campaigns, you may visit:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28211.html

 

If you or a loved one feels you have been injured due to medical negligence, please contact a malpractice attorney right away. They will help you get your voice heard and your rights protected.

Bathtub Safety Tips that may save Your Child’s Life

Every summer parents and guardians sit by the pool and watch over their children as they swim because they are worried about the possibility of drowning. Not many of us consider that the same thing can happen indoors in bathtubs, bath seats and even buckets every year. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 2003-2005, about ninety children younger than five years old drowned in bathtubs, bath seats, buckets, pails, and other landscaping and yard products.  In 2005-2007 there was an average of thirty-nine submersion incidents with the same products involving children less than two years of age. It is important that we remember to always supervise our children in and outdoors while they are around or in these products. Some safety tips recommended by CPSC for parents and caregivers include:

  • Never leave your child alone even for a second while they are near or around water.
  • When in a bathtub always make sure the child is within arm’s reach or take them with you if you leave.
  • Do not let another child watch a younger child around a bathtub or other sources of water.
  • Do not leave buckets with water unattended even if it is a small amount of water.
  • Take a CPR class which can help save children’s lives.

 

It is important that we remember to watch our child the best we can at all times and follow all safety advice and recommendations possible. These things may just help us to save the life of our child or other children.

 

For additional information on child indoor water safety you may visit: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10008.html or http://www.cpsc.gov/library/FOIA/FOIA09/OS/nonpoolsub2008.pdf

 

If you or someone you love has been injured or harmed in anyway by a personal product or unsafe product, you should contact a personal injury attorney right away. They will help you advocate for your rights and the care you deserve.