Category Archives: Nursing Home Contracts

COVID-19 Maryland Nursing Homes

We understand that there is a lot of anxiety regarding nursing homes during this COVID-19 pandemic.

But, just as before COVID-19, seniors are still failing in their health. Many of them will need 24-hour care that can be provided through a live-in aide (very expensive) or through placement at a nursing home.

If Your Loved One Needs Nursing Home Care During COVID-19

However, as of now, many nursing homes in Maryland are not accepting new residents. While nursing homes are taking precautions by separating the COVID-19 residents from those who do not have COVID-19, many facilities are still not admitting any new residents.

As a result, some hospitals are keeping their patients longer than normal because they can’t locate an available nursing home. If a patient has a delayed discharge from the hospital for this reason, then issues can arise with Medicaid and with who is paying for that extended stay.

If Your Loved One Starts Nursing Home Care During COVID-19

For those nursing homes accepting new residents, they will be asking for information relating to your family’s level of assets and income. Be prepared to provide that financial information, as well as providing a copy of the financial power of attorney and advance directive.

If the nursing home wants you to sign the nursing home contract, no matter how nice the director of admissions is, tell them that you need your elder law attorney to review the contract first before it is signed. This is a normal request, and it will help you avoid potential problems in the future, such as having your loved one get involuntarily discharged from the nursing home, or having the nursing home seeking immediate payment from you if the Medicaid application is denied.

If Your Loved One Stays in a Nursing Home During COVID-19

For existing residents of nursing homes, there is a very real issue of staff shortage to address current needs. Staff shortage can often lead to nursing home negligence issues.

Because most nursing homes are not open for family visitations, there is a very real concern of family members not being in a position to determine if the nursing home is still properly caring for their loved one.

One possible solution to this is that many nursing homes will allow for private duty aides/attendants to visit your loved one to provide their care. This is normally a welcome solution for a nursing home that is dealing with a shortage of staff. This can also provide a direct link of information that normally would not exist. This could include not only insight for medication and care, but also open up the possibility for telephone or video calls. Some nursing homes only extend the visiting privileges to certain nurses/aid agencies, while others have less stringent requirements.

We’re Here to Help During COVID-19

We understand that these are uncertain times. Now, more than ever, is when your loved ones need you to be their advocate in planning for the future.

As an experienced elder law firm in Maryland, we’re happy to guide you through the issues of nursing home cases. Please call us at (410) 296-8166 x292.

Another Win!

We have another nursing home win! In this matter, the nursing home worked with the client (before we were hired) to file the Medicaid application for her disabled husband. Client knew little of what was involved with the Medicaid application and relied on the nursing home to complete the application and file it. During the application process the nursing home kept on telling the client everything was fine.

After being denied twice for Medicaid and 9 months later, the nursing home gave the client a bill in excess of $100,000 and told her to pay it or else they would discharge her husband. In a move even bolder than that, in a moment of crises as he was being taken to the hospital, they literally had her sign a form as she was rushing out the door to the hospital. That form was an acknowledgement of discharge that could bypass all of the Federal and State regulations for discharge.

Next was the suit by the nursing home against client and her disabled husband in excess of $100,000. Never mind that it was entirely the nursing home’s fault that the nursing home application was denied, and the fact that client did not sign the nursing home contract, the nursing home and their attorneys still sued the disabled husband and client. We immediately filed a motion to dismiss and asked for sanctions. A few days before the motions hearing, the nursing home attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the matter (with prejudice) and paid our attorney fees. I would consider that to be a win!

Falls at a Nursing Home

Standard of Care to Prevent Falls

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are under a duty to care for their residents.

This includes a standard of care when it comes to their residents who are at risk of falling. When a nursing home or assisted living facility breaches that standard of care and a resident is harmed, there may be a legal case against that facility.

Often the fall was completely avoidable and should have been prevented. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are being paid lots of money to take care of loved ones. It is their responsibility to mitigate falls. It is their job. A single fall can be a life altering event, affecting a person’s quality of life for the rest of his or her life.

The Grand Bargain

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are supposed to be safe havens for our parents and loved ones when living in the community is no longer viable. In essence you are trusting the facility to take care of your parent at a time when you cannot take care of them yourself. It is a grand bargain: the facility is paid handsomely for their care in return for taking every precaution to make the living arrangements safe. In some case, unfortunately, that trust is blatantly violated.

Nursing Staff Negligence

At some nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the nursing staff and aides are underpaid, untrained, overworked, and have high turnover. Mistakes are often repeated and not corrected. Their mistakes only comes to light when disaster strikes and a family member is willing to fight back and say that is not right.

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities want to limit their exposure to “accidents” and will want the resident to sign an arbitration clause to avoid a court trial. Do not sign the arbitration agreement. Signing an arbitration clause is akin to insuring less of a recovery and less accountability for the facility. Often times the facility will ignore the problem, pretend the issue does not exist, or blame the resident. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities know that their residents often suffer from dementia, are weak or physically unstable. These are not unknowns to nursing home or assisted living management, and they are obligated to take measures to address these risks.

Taking Legal Action for Nursing Home Neglect

How do you know when it is time to get an attorney involved? The nursing home or assisted living facility has to have breached their standard of care to the resident (i.e., it was their fault, their staff was negligent in their action or inaction, etc.). Next, the resident has to be harmed to a significant extent. How much harm is enough? The harm at issue does not have to be permanent but must be significant.

Nursing home and assisted living facilities are big business in Maryland with the average cost of assisted living facilities at $4,000–$6,000 per month and nursing home costs at $8,000–$11,000 per month on average. Sometimes the facility does not hold up their end of the deal. Do not let the nursing home or assisted living facility get away with their behavior. For the sake of your loved one and countless others at their facility, someone needs to take a stand.

Recommendation #1: Document Everything

Take diligent notes of the negligent behavior (dates, names of those involved, witnesses, etc.). Unfortunately, not everyone has a photographic memory. Always document the issue. This helps establish your case when a judge gets involved.

Feel free to give our office a call for a consultation.

Should I Sign the Nursing Home Contract?

A very common situation for my clients (or potential clients) find themselves in is the chaotic situation of transferring their parent from a hospital to an area nursing home for rehabilitation. It is in this situation, when emotions are high, people are tired, that the nursing home will, at the last second, wants the son or daughter admitting the parent to sign a 60+ page nursing home contract. Of course, the nursing home contact (usually the nursing home admissions director) is very friendly and advises that “don’t worry” this is just for your parent’s assets and does not obligate you to use your own funds for nursing home expenses. Often times the nursing home will demand that the contract be signed before admission (even if the hospital is in the process of discharging from the hospital). Often times this is an extremely hectic situation and the last thing that is on the son’s or daughter’s mind is a careful review of the nursing home contract. To be clear: under no circumstances should the contract be signed until an elder law attorney reviews the contract. It is a very routine question to ask the nursing home to allow time for their elder law attorney to review the contract. No matter how friendly the director of admissions person is, if there is a shortfall in payment or the Medical Assisstance application goes awry, the nursing will look for however signed the contract to pay the nursing home bill in full. I had a recent case where the nursing home assured the son that there was nothing to worry about and had him sign the contract in his name. The nursing home handeled the Medical Assistnace application. Unfortunately, the Medical Assistance application was denied. The next day, the nursing home delivered an invoice to the son for immediate payment for $100,000 for unpaid nursing home bills. Nursing home contracts are sophisticated documents with good attorneys hired by the nursing home that will use this contract against you. It is absolutely critical that an elder law attorney review that contract as soon as possible. If the contract is already signed, then the situation becomes more complex. In either event, a competent elder law attorney should be immediately contacted.