State closes admissions to Golden Living Facility
Golden Living Center Mountain View, a 120-bed licensed nursing home in Winchester, was ordered Tuesday not to admit new residents.
To read the full article click here. (PDF)
Transparency is the New Black
Government public records are becoming more available or "Transparent" to citizens. This article talks about public records including nursing home inspection documents and many others.
To Read More click here. (PDF)
Monmouth County based Nursing Home
Here is an editorial about Monmouth County based Nursing Home :
Think for a moment about 85-year-old Mary and 90-year-old John, who live at the J.L. Montgomery and Geraldine L. Thompson nursing facilities. They've lived all their lives in Monmouth County, and were productive and law-abiding citizens. Now they face a difficult future, suffering from any number of serious medical conditions that require 24-hour nursing care.
At this point in their lives, Mary and John cannot eat, bathe or go to the bathroom without assistance. Fortunately, the nurses and aides at J.L. Montgomery and Geraldine L. Thompson are there when they need them.
Mary and John see less and less of their relatives and friends, and have come to view their caregivers as family. They are there for them each morning with a smile of reassurance. They bake cakes on their birthdays; they make sure they have a gift at the holidays. These caretakers, all public employees, do this even though they have more and more Marys and Johns to care for each day, and less and less time to spend with these vulnerable patients.
These caregivers are the same Monmouth County employees the Asbury Park Press criticized for being "intransigent" and trying to "extort wage hikes from fellow citizens" ("Unions remain intransigent," editorial, Jan. 31). Many have worked at J.L. Montgomery and Geraldine Thompson for 25 years or more, and yet earn barely enough to make ends meet. Their annual salaries are less than $29,000 per year.
Like the rest of us, these employees are struggling to pay rent, make car payments, support their families and stay out of bankruptcy. Their reward is the smile they get back from Mary or John once in a while, and the "thank you, dear," when they tuck them in at night.
But Monmouth County's administrators and freeholders, as well as the Asbury Park Press, have a different reward in mind for nursing home employees and other county workers. Their "thank you" is to blame the employees and their unions for the county's fiscal woes, as if the real causes of the present predicament weren't decades of patronage, corruption and overspending, most of which has been well-chronicled during the past few years in the Press.
Make no mistake about it: The measures being proposed by the administrators and freeholders are designed to get headlines (which the Press gladly will provide) and get them re-elected (we'll see). The county has taken a divide-and-conquer approach to these labor matters. Our members are being asked to give up their negotiated raises in order for the county not to consider laying off their fellow workers.
However, there is nothing preventing Monmouth County from accepting the wage concessions from workers and then turning around and laying off employees for financial reasons.
Our union also represents library workers in Monmouth County, who earn on average $31,000 per year and have advanced degrees. Our members' work in the libraries has been lauded by the public and their good deeds have been well-documented in the Press.
AFSCME Council 73 represents the lowest-paid groups of workers in Monmouth County. We are committed to speaking up not only for our members but also for Mary, John and the other citizens of Monmouth County who rely on county services.
Quick fixes got us into the current mess. Thoughtful solutions and responsible decision-making are what we need from our elected officials. But all we are getting are sound bites, sloganeering and politics as usual.
No one likes to be barked at and told that we are the cause of all the county's ills. We still are waiting for true discussions to take place in Monmouth County.
By Gerard J. Meara, APP.COM
Zyprexa and Nursing Home Residents
Here's a website link critical of the use of the drug, Zyprexa, for nursing home residents
Problems at Innova Health and Rehab
Please see attached article on the strikes at two Innova Facilities in South Jersey
To read the full article click here. (PDF)
Fosamax Attorneys Investigate Possible Claims
We wanted to inform the readers of our blog that the Mass Tort Team of Stark & Stark is now reviewing possible claims against the popular osteoporosis drug, Fosamax. Patients who used Fosamax have reported serious side effects from the drug, including Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (also known as Fossy Jaw, Dead Jaw and Phossy Jaw), low-energy femur fractures and severe and painful injuries affecting bones, joints and muscles.
If you or a loved one have suffered a severe illness or injury after taking Fosamax, you can have an experienced Mass Tort attorney from our firm review your potential case.
Capitol Call-In TODAY
The Senate Special Committee on Aging convenes tomorrow to discuss inclusion of improvements in long term care as a part of national heath care reform. In advance of the hearing, the American Assn. of Homes and Services for the Aging has organized a call-in day today. Healthcare workers and members of the public are being urged to call their representatives and tell them of the importance of reform in the long term care system as part of a broader reform platform. If you wish to participate, call 800-958-5374 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
