According to data released by Medicare, over 250,000 nursing home residents are living in assisted living facilities that have once again, within a one-year period, received a "poor" rating for overall quality. The ratings are based on complaint investigations, nursing home inspections, and other information that were compiled mostly over the last two years.
USA Today reports that it is not uncommon for nursing homes to garner poor ratings from one year to the next. These facilities can be found in California, the rest of the US states, and the District of Columbia. Sometimes, these assisted facilities are the only ones that exist for miles, which doesn't leave patients and their families with many other nursing homes options. The facilities that scored the worst ratings each had an average of 14 deficiencies.
According to investigators, for-profit nursing homes are often the ones that receive the lowest rankings for performance. Meantime, the General Accountability Office says that while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service designates up to 136 nursing homes as "special focus facilities" that have to undergo more inspections, up to 580 US assisted living facilities can fall under the category of the worst nursing homes in the country.
Orange County, California Nursing Home Negligence
Our Anaheim nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers are aware that there are nursing home residents in Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Orange County, California that have suffered injuries or died because they were abused or neglected by a nursing home worker. Many incidents of nursing home abuse and neglect occur in facilities where the quality of care is poor or the workers are inadequately trained.
If you notice that your loved one who is staying at an Orange County, California nursing home is emotional agitated, withdrawn, depressed, or has rapidly lost weight or seems frightened for no reason or doesn't want to have visitors, your loved one may be a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect.
Analysis: Poor ratings persist for 1 in 5 U.S. nursing homes, USA Today, January 28, 2010
GAO: Four percent of nursing homes are troubled, Healthjournalism.org, September 28, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service
Government Accountability Office
Please call our Orange County, California nursing home abuse and neglect law firm so that we can discuss your case with you.
