My Elder Advocate

Feeding Tubes For Elders: Benefit or Abuse?

By Jack Halpern, CEO, My Elder Advocate

Imbedded in today’s nursing home culture is a practice that has been notoriously associated with elder abuse in nursing homes. Nationwide, many nursing home residents with advanced cognitive impairment are tube fed (35% according to some studies), despite no demonstrable benefits of this intervention in this population. Studies suggest that organizational features of nursing homes are associated with this practice, but underlying reasons for these associations are poorly understood. A feeding tube in a sub-standard nursing home can be a death sentence. My Elder Advocate has been very successful in preventing this abuse from occurring in many cases, where we were called in early to advocate for clients who were losing weight in nursing homes.

Americare Home Care Agency Continues To Operate Despite Criminal Behaviour

By Jack Halpern, CEO, My Elder Advocate

When you are politically connected in New York, and you have tons of money, much of which was fraudulantly obtained, and you are billing New York State and the Federal Governement hundred of millions of dollars for elderly recepients of Medicare and Medicaid, what is a couple of million dollars in fines here and there? 

Elly Kleinman, founder and CEO of Americare, would probably tell you that $15,000,000 in fines over a 5 year period is the cost of doing business.

Wii by Nintendo: An Effective Way For Elders To Exercise and Have Fun

 

By Jack Halpern, CEO, My Elder Advocate

As I travel across the country visiting with my clients in Nursing Homes and other long-term care facilities, I find that a majority of our nursing home residents aren’t getting the proper exercise to help them maintain mobility and their health.

As you may be aware, at least 70% of our elders enter a nursing home because they require physical rehabilitation after a fall or stroke. They spend a brief time in the hospital and are quickly sent (some too quickly) to a rehabilitation center that most of the time is a nursing home.

What some nursing homes won’t do to make a buck! It’s downright disgusting!

 

By Jack Halpern

One of my pet peeves with  is that there is no rhyme or reason to how they choose their residents. The only goal is to “fill” a bed without regard to how a potential resident will get along with other residents.

Study: Popular Alzheimer's drug ineffective for mild cases - CNN.com

(Health.com) -- A drug widely used to treat mild Alzheimer's disease appears to provide no benefit to this group of early stage patients, according to a new analysis of previously conducted research.

via www.cnn.com

NOW THEY TELL YOU!