NursingHomeChoice.com Offers Free E-Book on How to Select Nursing Home

Select Nursing Home

When a female nursing home resident was left unattended while eating, despite orders from her doctor that she be supervised during meals, she choked to death. Tragically, several hours earlier, another resident choked to death although she, too, was supposed to be supervised while eating. Cause of death: indifference.

"Despite the revenues generated by the nursing home industry, many nursing homes are understaffed or hire unqualified staff," says attorney Brad Lakin, author of the free e-book, "How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One" (www.nursinghomechoice.com). "As a result, residents are often neglected, which can lead to life-threatening injuries and illnesses." Indeed, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, there were over a quarter million complaints filed against nursing homes in 2004, over 75 percent of which involved residents' rights, resident care, or quality of life.

"How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One" was borne of the passion Lakin feels about elder abuse and neglect. His passion was ignited when his wife's great aunt, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, was not properly tended to in a nursing home. "She was supposed to be in a special Alzheimer's unit, and there was supposed to be an alarm on the door, but there wasn't and she got out. When they finally looked for her, she was 100 feet from the door where she had fallen and had suffered a brain injury." Although she lived, she became confined to a wheelchair and her quality of life suffered.

With "How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One," Lakin hopes to prevent countless tragedies by arming consumers with a comprehensive guide to nursing home care that is especially written for those who are faced with the difficult decision about how to best care for their loved ones. "Because they don't have a voice for themselves, it's important that the elderly have an advocate who can speak on their behalf," says Lakin. "This free e-book will help families research prospective nursing homes and understand their rights under the law."

"How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One" includes detailed information about locating and evaluating nursing homes and preparing a loved one for admission into a nursing home. The free e-book also contains numerous checklists and resources, such as the Nursing Home Checklist that serves as a guide for visiting potential nursing homes, the Nursing Home Residents' "Bill of Rights," and hyperlinks to nursing home ombudsmen, citizen groups, and abuse hotlines listed for every state.

Advances in medicine that enable Americans to live longer, combined with the general aging of the U.S. population, has translated into a booming business for nursing homes. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of Americans aged 65 years and older who reside in nursing homes jumped by a half million between 1974 and 1999 (the last year for which figures are available). With an average monthly charge of $4,000 per person, the 1.5 million seniors who currently live in nursing homes represent a $6 trillion industry.

You may request your free copy "How to Select a Nursing Home for a Loved One" at www.nursinghomechoice.com.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com