Nursing Home Law News

At some point in our lives, we all must deal with the loss of someone we love. The loss may come after a lengthy illness, or it may come suddenly. Our loved one may have spent months or years in a hospital or nursing home, or they may live in our home. However it happens, we must cope with the person’s absence and deal with our grief.

It is widely accepted that people move through five distinct stages as they deal with grief over the loss of a loved one. The five stages of grief are sometimes called the Kubler-Ross model after the Swiss psychiatrist who developed the theory, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. This model set forth a series of emotions people go through as they grieve, including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. She introduced this model in her book On Death and Dying. Her model was developed as a result of work she did with terminally ill patients. The stages are not a linear progression, and some people may not experience all of them, but they are a framework to understand what we are feeling when we experience a profound loss.

Denial

For over 40 years, Extendicare has built its network of nursing homes and assisted living care into one of the largest of its kind in North America. With a total of over 244 facilities in Canada and in the U.S., they have over 26,000 residents in their care. While primarily specializing in nursing care and assisted living, they also have other types of care facilities as well.

Locations

In the U.S., Extendicare is its own indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Canadian born company. Under the name Extendicare Health Services, Inc. (EHSI), they operate 160 senior care facilities in the U.S. with over 15,000 available beds. They have facilities in 12 states including Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The majority of nursing homes are in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

When nursing abuse victims fear for their safety due to threats and repeated abuse; their anonymity can be the difference between reporting their plight to authorities and choosing to suffer in silence. Illinois has indicated in the past that it takes abuse very seriously and is one of the states in the country that still allows unlimited damage limits for those who sue because of mistreatment. For profit nursing corporations are seeking to insulate themselves by backing an Illinois bill that would remove the ability of those who complain to remain anonymous and our Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys agree with many opposed to the measure that the bill would only scare abuse victims into silence.

Ways the Bill Would Benefit Large Nursing Care Companies

Republican lawmakers are overwhelmingly in support of the nursing industry backed bill, which would require anyone who complains about nursing concerns to provide contact information. They would also be presented with a warning that they could be fined for submitting false complaints or deceptive claims. Considering all of the disadvantages for complainants, it is important also to understand the advantages that nursing homes would have if this measure ever became law.