KPBS.com reported the damage caused by failing to report a sexual predator. Serial rapist and certified nursing assistant Matthew Fluckiger terrorized nursing home residents in California. Between March 2017 and January 2020, at least four separate residents accused him of sexual assault. Fluckiger knew he could victimize with impunity. He told one victim: “I know
Visitor Reports The State recently reported how nursing homes in South Carolina ignored reporting requirements during COVID. The facilities claim they ere more interested in patient care than documenting that they actually provided the care. However, documentation is a necessary part of the nursing process and quality of care. Documentation allows communication among different caregivers;
Dumping and Falsifying Prosecutors in California recently brought suit against Brookdale Senior Living, Inc., the largest senior living facility operator in the United States. Brookdale gave false information to inflate their quality ratings according to California attorney general Xavier Becerra. The lawsuit against Brookdale Senior Living claims that the operator falsified staffing records in order to
Falsification Block Club Chicago reported a Chicago nursing home inspector didn’t show up to facilities for at least a year and falsified dozens of inspection reports. An “elder protective investigator” never showed up at those facilities. Instead he filed fake visit reports according to an investigation from Inspector General’s office. “The Chicago Department of Family
Quality of Care A bipartisan group on the Senate Finance Committee conducted hearings on the nursing home industry’s deadly incompetence. Approximately 185,000 residents and caregivers in nursing homes died because of poor infection control throughout the pandemic. The hearing noted significant deficiencies in nursing home safety and emergency preparedness standards. Here is a link to the
Systemic Problems The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a failure to protect nursing home residents and staff. As a nursing home lawyer for over 25 years, these failures were long-standing and systemic. Persistent problems with nursing home care existed for years. Often because of too few and inadequately trained frontline staff. Solutions do exist. Safe staffing, transparency,