Small number of cases shows why election officials say Wisconsin’s disorganized system for tracking those adjudicated ‘incompetent’ to vote needs a legislative fix.
Tag: nursing homes
Wave of rural nursing home closures grows amid staffing crunch
Nursing home closures largely stem from a shortage of workers. The problem could deepen as pandemic-era government assistance dries up and care facilities struggle to compete with rising wages offered by other employers.
Wisconsin nursing homes fail to report deaths, injuries
Attorneys for families of residents say that facilities’ failure to report serious injuries or deaths related to abuse or neglect is not uncommon. Far more often, they say, the state health department only learns about a case of alleged neglect or abuse after a family member files a complaint. Advocates for health care providers stress that incidents of neglect and abuse are extremely rare, and can come to regulators’ attention in a variety of ways.
Center’s inquiries prompt state policy changes
In response to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s inquiries into an accident involving a 88-year-old woman at a Milwaukee nursing home, the state Department of Health Services launched an internal review, which concluded that state officials did not properly respond. As a result, the department says it has reviewed its intake procedures and made changes to ensure that complaints against nursing homes are triaged appropriately and investigated in a timely fashion.
Nursing home inspections
Federal inspections have found serious deficiencies in one-quarter of Wisconsin nursing homes since 2009.
How tort reform bill changed state law
A breakdown of what changed under Wisconsin’s Act 2, passed in January, 2011.
How to find nursing home inspection reports
In January, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services began publishing state inspection reports of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other health care providers on its website. Records are available from July 2012 onward.
New state law conceals records of abuse, neglect in nursing homes
A new Wisconsin law, which went into effect in February 2011, bars families from using state health investigation records in state civil suits filed against long-term providers, including nursing homes and hospices. It also makes such records inadmissible in criminal cases against health care providers accused of neglecting or abusing patients.
What to do if you suspect neglect or abuse
Some advice on what to do if you think a loved one has been neglected or abused in a nursing home or assisted living facility.