These violations occurred at the Cook Nursing Home and came to light, according to the “Devil’s Lake Journal”, a newspaper in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, when a resident told staff at the facility that she couldn’t remember having her blood sugar tested the evening before.  The investigation led to the nurses, whose names haven’t been released.

According to an administrator at the nursing home, none of the residents were harmed as a result of the fraudulent reports and both nurses were terminated.

Although, this disturbing situation resulted in no injury, failing to monitor and control a patient’s blood sugar could result in dire consequences.

Patients with inadequate insulin levels are at risk for developing diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that occurs when the body cannot use sugar (glucose) as a fuel source because there is no insulin or not enough insulin.  Fat is then used for fuel instead.  When the fats are broken down, acids called ketones, build  up in the blood and urine.  In high levels, ketones are poisonous. The complications from ketoacidosis can be quite severe, resulting in fluid build up in the brain, kidney failure, heart attack and even death.

Similarly, patients who are given unnecessary insulin, may be at risk for developing a condition known as hypoglycemia.  Hypoglycemic patients can faint, fall or even go into a coma when insulin is not administered in its proper dose or is given at inappropriate times.

Not only were these nurses unprofessional, but their actions exhibited a total disregard for the health and safety of their patients.  They were fortunate in that the only result of their actions was termination from their positions at the home and not injury or even death to one of the patients.

When abuse or neglect of a nursing home patient occurs, please seek legal counsel

The original article can be read  here.

Two male administrators at the nursing center made a video for YouTube,  which depicted the two practicing for the “Tough Mudder” race, a race which was held in the valley last January.

The video runs for four minutes and takes place inside the nursing home using the same equipment that the residents of the home use for their physical therapy. There is a scene in the video in which the two employees appear to receive a jolt from the electrotherapy machine, which is a machine that assists those patients who have muscle spasms or difficulty swallowing.

An employee who felt appalled by the unprofessional behavior displayed by the two administrators, notified CBS 5 News of the video by sending them the YouTube link.

Although the behavior may be seen as unprofessional, The Arizona Department of Health Services told CBS 5 News that no laws were broken.  It is also important to note that no patients were shown in the video.

CBS 5 News was told by a company spokesman that one of the administrators no longer worked there, but also that his departure was for reasons unrelated to the video.

Read original article here.

Since mother’s day is on the 13th, it gives patients and families an opportunity to share in that celebration as well. Most nursing homes around the country will be hosting activities and different events so that families and children will all feel welcome and excited to participate. If you are unable to share in this special week, nursing home employees suggest sending cards or flowers to your loved one so they do not feel left out of the celebration. Nursing home patients want to feel like they are loved and cared for by their families and by their environment. It is also a critical time for the community to remember what a vital role the elderly have played in their lives.

Even if you do not have family in a nursing home, volunteering your time is a great way to change someone’s life. It can be very difficult for an elderly individual to transition to a nursing home life. Visitation and shared activities can help those feelings and letting your loved one know that they are not alone is making a positive step in their life.

• Repeating the same question over and over
• Losing sense of direction
• Inability to follow directions
• Disorientation
• Becoming unfamiliar with people and places
• Losing sense of time
• Loss of concern about hygiene, nutrition and safety

While some forms of dementia can be treated, others cannot.  Years of research have shown the following steps can help prevent dementia.

Read – Reading wards off dementia in two ways; it mentally stimulates the brain and it also keeps the readers mind off stressful events.

Board Games – According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, those individuals who played board games often had a substantially reduced risk of developing dementia than those who did not.

Learning to Play a Musical Instrument – This helps an individual tap into parts of the brain that are seldom used, which results in increased brain activity.

Participate in Puzzles and Thinking Games – The type of mental activity used to do puzzles and thinking games, exercises your brain by keeping the brain in a constant state of stimulation.

Take a Class – One of the most effective ways to prevent dementia is to keep the mind sharp.  Taking a class that forces you to think, rationalize and apply logic can help keep the mind sharp and the brain in good health.

Engage in Physical Activity – Exercise is not only good for the body, but for the brain as well.  When an individual exercises, oxygen saturates the blood which then travels to all areas of the body, including the brain.  This oxygen rich blood can delay the onset of dementia and may be able to reduce the severity of symptoms in individuals already suffering from dementia.

Eat Healthy Foods – We all know that food is fuel for our bodies.  When we feed our brains the right nutrients, it will repay us by offering protection against dementia.  A study that was published in the Nutritional Research Journal stated that high-fat foods interfere with older adults’ memory abilities.  The Mediterranean diet, as well as other low calorie diets, provide the most protection against dementia.  This is believed to be from both the high level of antioxidents and omega-3 fatty acids found in the foods that make up these type of diets.

Be Social – The American Journal of Public Health cited two studies that found that people who were  older than fifty and had strong social networks were less likely to develop dementia than others their age who did not have these social networks.  Be socially active by meeting with old friends, going out and making new friends, going to movies, attending art exhibits, shopping, etc.

Don’t Smoke – Smoking is, as we all know, linked to a variety of harmful medical conditions and one of these is dementia.  Smoking during midlife and beyond can more than double the risk of developing dementia later on in life.

Lower your Cholesterol – Cholesterol deposits are not only found in our bloodstreams, but in our brains as well.  These deposits are one of the known causes for the development of dementia.  Lowering your cholesterol is proven to be a very effective way to decrease the chance of developing dementia.

By taking these steps to safeguard one’s health and boost one’s brain power, we also take steps to decrease the risk of dementia as we age.

Read original article here.

The geriatric emergency care center caters to the need of the elderly. The workers in the facility are extremely kind and offer things like reading glasses and crossword puzzles. Elderly individuals make up 15-20% of emergency care visitors, so the need to provide better care is very important.

The emergency room for the elderly feels more like a clinic with reclining chairs, and thicker mattresses so the patient’s do not get bedsores. To keep the noise level to a minimum, there are plastic rings on the curtains instead of metal ones. Elderly patients are also provided with geriPad, which is an iPad that lets patients have a two-way conversation with a nurse or a touch screen to ask for music, food or medication. Many physicians have stated that the rush of the standard emergency room care can leave room for mistakes for elderly individuals.

While some medical professionals are skeptical on the need for specialized care in the emergency room for elderly, elderly folks who have experienced it have stated how great the care was and how they would recommend the care to their loved ones.

When sleeping, healthy people move on an average of two to four times per hour.  What triggers these movements is the pain that occurs when tissue has an insufficient blood supply.  The sleeping person changes position involuntarily, which relieves the pressure point and thus prevents bedsores, which are known scientifically as “decubitus ulcers”.  However, this process does not work in people with paralysis and patients who are sedated, unconscious or suffering from high fever, or in the elderly.  By not moving, parts of the body remain under pressure too long, micro-circulation is interrupted, and, if this persists for too long, the lack of movement can result in a painful bedsore.  In order to prevent this, bedridden patients must be moved at regular intervals.

Compliant Concept based in Zurich, Switzerland, has developed a Mobility Monitor that alerts nursing staff when it is time to reposition a patient.  The system assesses and records  the mobility of a bedridden person and is part of a bigger concept for decubitus prophylaxis that is being developed with doctors and care experts.

The goal of the Compliant Concept team is to establish an entire hospital bed system that imitates the movements of a healthy person during sleep by continuously and gently moving patients.  The measuring unit is installed beneath the mattress and then connected to a display unit at the edge of the bed as well as to a light signaling system.  The monitor uses a traffic light system to show how mobile the patient is and provides valuable information to nursing staff that assists in estimating the risk of bedsores.  The system also reminds nursing personnel when the next movement is due and issues a warning if too much time has elapsed since the last movement.

This new monitoring system has been tested in care homes and hospitals and has been proven to be extremely useful.  At first, the Mobility Monitor will only be available on the Swiss market, but the developers plan to obtain an additional round of financing with hopes of launching the product internationally within the next couple of years.

Read original article here.

One nursing home patient that has been suffering Alzheimer’s for ten years is barely able to say yes or no, but when nurses play music from his past, he suddenly comes alive. The elderly man comes alive by swaying side to side and singing along to the music. Once the headphones are taken off, he is able to answer questions about his favorite music and recall memories associated with the music. Music & Memory is a non-profit organization that focuses on bringing ipods to nursing homes. The transformation that was seen in patients that were lost in Alzheimer’s disease was remarkable.

Music is able to imprint on everyone in a unique and special way. Music often is associated with memories and special moments in everyone’s life, which is why it is able to affect Alzheimer’s patients so profoundly. While music is not a cure for Alzheimer’s, it brings hope to the families who live for those moments of clarity in their loved ones. Watching your loved one suffer the side effects of Alzheimer’s can be heartbreaking. While there is no guarantee that music will help them awaken for a little bit, it is an idea to pursue or discuss with your loved one’s physician.