California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Hypertension is a Primary Cause of Death in Older Adults

January 28, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

There are many health issues that affect the older adult population in the United States. Cardiovascular diseases are the primary causes of death among the elderly—especially, hypertension. Hypertension is essentially high blood pressure and it is currently one of the most important public health problems in developed countries. Not only is it extremely common, normotensive people at age 55 have a 90% lifetime risk of hypertension. There are many effective treatment options. However, if an older adult with hypertension is left untreated, this can significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular events such as strokes and ischemic heart disease.

Elderly Patients In For-Profit Nursing Home Facilities Receive Lower Quality of Care and Have Higher Rates of Mortality

January 27, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

It has been found that states like Maryland have some of the worse for-profit nursing home chains in the nation, ranking lowest in family-reported quality of care ratings.

Nursing Homes Must Take Greater Action to Prevent Residents from Falling—Especially for Those with Dementia

January 25, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Falling is a serious issue in nursing homes and leads to deleterious consequences. Every year, 4% of falls result in fractures and 11% result in soft tissue damage. Patients who fall experience functional loss, self-imposed functional limitations due to fear of falling, and restraint from activity imposed by care givers.

Antipsychotic Drug Use Negatively Impacts Dementia Patients

January 22, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Making the decision to place a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility is a complex task. It is normal to fear the outcome of care for your loved one, especially regarding the use of medications and the possible abuse against the individual.

Antipsychotic drugs are a major concern in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia. Antipsychotic drugs are approved to treat serious mental illnesses, such as, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but are not regarded as a treatment for dementia. Unfortunately, many dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease patients are given antipsychotic drugs to help reduce agitation, anxiety, and aggression, all emotions associated with dementia.

Slow Walking Speed is a Strong Indicator of Future Depressive Symptoms in Elderly Patients

January 18, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Psychomotor activity is a strong indicator of mood disorders. Psychomotor slowing in adults with depression may indicate a dimension of symptoms that can facilitate the process of diagnosing the depression subtype and deciding on the best treatment. Due to age-related factors, psychomotor activity pertaining to both cognition and gait speed can significantly decline.

New Studies Show That Stress is More Harmful to Health Then One May Realize

January 15, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Stress is an integral part of everyone’s lives, whether it comes from work, school, financial issues, relationship problems, etc. Statistics show that an estimated 75% of Americans reported feelings of moderate to high levels of stress within the past month. Although most people are aware that stress can take a toll on sleep quality, cause headaches and increase the risk of depression, but studies have found more surprising effects stress can have on our health.

Care Providers Must Assess Burdensome Symptoms and Care Practices Potentially Deleterious to End-Of-Life Patients

January 14, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

As the older adult population continues to escalate in North America, so does the elderly population residing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities toward the end of life. Most older adult residents in long-term care are predicted to die in a nursing home (an estimated 80%) or to be discharged or transferred to a hospital right before passing away. The duration an older adult stays in a nursing home is not long: 20 to 25 months on average in Canada and 5 to 33 months on average in the United States. The quality of death these elderly residents experience as a primary component of late-life quality of life is clearly critical. Unfortunately, many long-term care residents near the end of life are victims to burdensome symptoms and potentially deleterious care practices.

Care Providers Must Help Elderly Patients Maintain their Mental Well-Being

January 12, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

With the welcoming of the New Year, most of us have probably made at least one resolution for 2016. While resolutions that revolve around the improvements in physical health are important—such as going to the gym more often and losing weight—resolutions that focus on the improvement of mental health are just as important, too. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Mental health is an integral part of health; indeed, there is no health without mental health.” A large number of studies support this statement. According to a study from 2012 published in The BMJ, for example, poor mental health is highly associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular illness and cancer. Another study reported by Medical News Today showed that mental illness was significantly associated to higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Older adult residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are vulnerable to declines in mental health and must be given the proper care to maintain every aspect of their quality of life.

Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility Staff Must Properly Care for Patients At Risk of Falls

January 11, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Many older adults are at high risk of falls that can cause serious injury and debilitation. Impaired lower extremity function increases the likelihood for falls, hip fractures, sarcopenia, and loss of independence. Given that the elderly population has been experiencing major growth worldwide, interventions to prevent functional decline and the impending undesirable and costly consequences are in critical need.

An Increasing Number of Older Adults are Dying from Cardiovascular Disease

January 8, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) 2016 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease and stroke are the two top contributors for deaths worldwide. Although efforts have been made to reduce the rates of death from heart disease and stroke, the numbers are still very high. More than 800,000 American people died in 2013 due to cardiovascular diseases, including more than 370,000 deaths from heart disease and almost 129,000 from stroke. There are seven factors associated with cardiovascular health that people should be aware of: smoking, exercise, diet, body weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.