Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Imagine His Terror': Unanswered Emergency Calls, Physical Abuse Among Issues Of Neglect Found At Georgia Senior Homes
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Unprotected: Suffering Behind The Facade
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation uncovered cases in which seniors were left in urine-soaked briefs, emergency calls for help went unanswered for hours, and residents with dementia wandered away unnoticed. Others fell repeatedly, suffering bruises, bloody faces and broken bones. Some suffered in pain for days without treatment. (Schrade and Teegardin, 9/29)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Physical, Sexual Assaults By Senior Care Residents A Risk
It is one of the hidden risks in Georgia assisted living and personal care homes. In more than 50 cases over the past four years, residents reportedly physically or sexually assaulted others living at the facilities, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found. Most of the assaults involve residents with dementia, who can suddenly become aggressive. But homes are supposed to train staff to spot warning signs of aggressive behavior, and if abuse occurs are required to take steps to ensure a safe environment, such as increasing supervision or seeking medical assessments. Facilities are also required to immediately transfer residents whose continuing behavior threatens other residents. (Schrade and Teegardin, 9/30)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Information On Georgia's Senior Care Facilities Hard To Find
Georgia’s regulators and public safety agencies know quite a lot about problems at the state’s private-pay senior care facilities. Reports of abuse and unexpected deaths and injuries. Fire safety violations. Missing dementia patients. Thefts. Outbreaks of contagious disease. Dirty dining areas. But even if you are looking for this information, you might not find it. Families facing the gut-wrenching process of placing a loved one in a personal care or assisted living home in Georgia are up against a tremendous disadvantage: a haphazard system of accountability that gives low priority to transparency and informing the public. (Teegardin and Schrade, 9/30)
