There is a rapid increase in litigation against nursing homes. A large proportion of the litigation involved chronic, long-stay residents and almost half of the claims were for wrongful death or pressure ulcers. The General Accounting Office issued a report in July 2003 which showed that the proportion of nursing homes with serious quality problems is unacceptably high. Click here to obtain the 104 page text of "Nursing Home Quality: Prevalence of Serious Problems, While Declining, Reinforces Importance of Enhanced Oversight" (GAO-03-561, July 15, 2003)

The top 5 complaints in 2000 were:

• Request for assistance
• Accidents
• Care plan
• Dignity, respect-staff attitudes
• Personal hygiene

When a skilled nursing facility is the most appropriate place to meet the medical needs of your loved one, your concerns do not stop once the placement is made.

In the study cited above, 7,550 complaints were made in 2000 for failure to follow the Care Plan.

A Geriatric Care Manager can provide monitoring of the Care Plan and advocate for quality of care. Chrysalis Case Management will participate with the facility team in the preparation of the Care Plan and visit the facility regularly.

Service rates are based on the number of planned visits.

Links to other articles on common topics of concern

Safe living at home

Planning Ahead for Long Term Care ~ How will you pay for Long Term Care?