Understaffing in nursing homes is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. As the population of older citizens continues to grow, the need for well-trained and experienced nurses and healthcare workers is also growing.

Unfortunately, many nursing homes cannot provide adequate staffing levels due to financial restraints, leading to a decreased quality of care for residents. Understaffing is particularly problematic for those with chronic medical conditions or who require extensive care and attention.

Nursing home understaffing can have serious consequences for the health and safety of residents, so we must work to address this problem as soon as possible.

Pressure sores are painful wounds caused by prolonged pressure on soft tissue such as skin, muscle, fascia, tendon, ligament, bone, cartilage, or other tissues. These wounds may occur anywhere on the body where there is constant pressure among people who spend long periods lying down, especially those who are bedridden.

The Braden Scale helps identify patients at risk for developing pressure wounds. Failure to use the scale for predicting pressure-related discomfort could result in preventable skin cracks and open sores.

Did you or a loved one suffer severe skin breakdown and develop preventable decubitus ulcers? Did the nursing home fail to perform a pressure ulcer risk assessment that led to your bedsores? The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC can help hold the nursing home and medical team accountable.

Approximately 1220 long-term care facilities operate throughout Illinois, providing care and services to over 100,000 nursing residents, including the young, disabled, rehabilitating, and elderly. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Illinois Department of Public Health ensure that every facility is licensed, regulated, and inspected yearly.

However, over 250 (20%) provide substandard care (one star out of five) compared to all other nursing care homes nationwide. Among Illinois’ worst nursing homes, CMS will not rank 46 Illinois nursing centers because of the significant ongoing problems involving negligence and abuse, instead classifying them as a Special Focus Facility (SFF).

Do you suspect that your loved one’s caregiving facility is among Illinois nursing home violators putting residents in harm’s way? The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC are legal advocates representing patients injured by the negligence or abusive behavior of others in nursing care homes.

Seniors need someone else to make decisions for them when their capacity begins to decline. Power of attorney is a solution that works for many families, and it keeps them from having to go through a guardianship proceeding.

However, some people may hesitate to take on this responsibility because they do not fully understand how a power of attorney works. Here, you are just a decision maker, and you do not take on legal responsibility for nursing home bills. To make this clear, we will explain exactly how a power of attorney works.

Power of Attorney Is a Part of an Estate Plan

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs in response to an infection in the body. Prompt identification and early treatment are essential to decrease the risk of the condition progressing and causing permanent damage or death.

Many different infections can trigger sepsis. While some cases may not be preventable, others are due to medical negligence and failure to provide timely medical treatment. Residents cared for in a nursing home have a higher risk of developing sepsis due to incidences of nursing home abuse.

Have you or a loved one suffered harm or injury from sepsis resulting from negligence?

Sepsis is the immune system’s overwhelming reaction to the presence of infection. The abnormal response releases toxic chemicals into the bloodstream to fight off the infection, resulting in significant inflammation and other damaging effects.

The disease triggers a chain reaction in the body, damaging organs and destroying body tissue. Without treatment, the body responds to sepsis with a drop in blood pressure that could drastically decrease to life-threatening levels, resulting in a loss of life.

Are you the victim of sepsis that could have been avoided had the medical team follow the established protocols? Did your family lose a loved one to septic shock leading to a preventable loss of life?

Bed sores, also known as pressure sores, decubitus ulcers, or pressure ulcers, are a graphic sign of neglect at nursing facilities, hospitals, and other long-term care facilities.

The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have successfully resolved bedsore cases in all care settings in Cook County and other jurisdictions in Illinois.

Our experience litigating and resolving bedsore lawsuits has given our legal team a unique perspective to evaluate your specific situation.

Moving nursing homes can be a difficult challenge for anyone, whether you’re a dependent or independent senior, or you’re attempting to help a friend or family member move facilities. Despite the fact that a nursing home could mean improved facilities, closer distances to family, and enhanced levels of onsite care, the move itself can certainly take a toll.

Understandably, relocation stress syndrome — recognized by professional diagnosis as the appearance of anxiety, confusion, loneliness, and other symptoms during a move — is especially prevalent in older adults transitioning from one nursing home to another. The syndrome, also known as Transfer Trauma, can cause unwelcome reactions.

There are several ways that family members can help their loved ones appropriately manage thoughts and feelings before, during and after a move from a nursing home.

The closing of a nursing home facility can be traumatic or challenging for residents. If you or a loved one is a resident of a retirement community or assisted living facility, you may wonder what happens if a nursing home gets shut down.

Nursing home administrators must notify the state and supply a closure plan before delivering written notice to residents and their guardians. The closing facility is obligated to provide the same quality of care and services until a suitable new home is found for its residents. However, in these unique circumstances, it is often left to you and your family to facilitate a move to another location that meets your needs and best interests.

Why Do Nursing Homes Close?

The United States population is aging rapidly, and cases of ageism are more common throughout the nation. Americans are living and remaining in the workforce longer than ever before. A quarter of all U.S. employees will be 55 years or older by 2024, presenting age discrimination risks to workers and the businesses that hire them.

Ageism involves the unfair treatment of someone because of their age. Acts of ageism can be found in all types of work environments.

A 2019 Hiscox study on ageism in the workplace found that age-related discrimination cases filed by workers 65 years old and older doubled from 1990 to 2017. The authors of the study published some revealing statistics about how often ageism occurs and its devastating effect on workers: