Senators Release List of Nursing Homes with Poor Care: Five Are in Utah

Trusting a nursing home facility to care for your elderly loved one can be extremely worrisome, and for good reason. According to the World Health Organization, 2 in 3 nursing home staff admit to abusing residents within the past year, and an estimated 1 in every 6 people aged 60 and older will experience some type of abuse.

Apart from elder abuse and neglect, basic sanitation, accurate prescription dosing and monitoring, adequate nutrition and sufficient nursing and physician care are all concerns for families seeking a facility placement for a loved one. In light of this serious issue, U.S. senators have released a list of nursing homes that have been flagged by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a “persistent record of poor care.” Of the 400 facilities named throughout the United States, five are located in Utah.

The federal government has kept tabs on nursing homes with records of poor care, repeated citations, complaints, and other issues, but they hadn’t shared their ongoing list with the public—until now. The list is compiled by the CMS, who inspects facilities and investigates allegations against nursing homes of systemic issues with quality care, sanitation and other patient complaints..

Some of these care centers are on a “special focus facility” program, which means they are closely monitored and are in danger of losing Medicaid and Medicare funding if their care does not improve.

The Utah nursing homes included in this list are as follows:

• Pine Creek Rehabilitation and Nursing, Salt Lake City
• Rocky Mountain Care - Hunter Hollow, West Valley City
• Copper Ridge Health Care, West Jordan
• Mountain View Health Services, Ogden
• Lomond Peak Nursing and Rehabilitation, Ogden

Do You Have A Nursing Home Case?

Sen. Pat Toomey said he released the list of questionable nursing homes because families “deserve to know if a facility under consideration suffers from systemic shortcomings,"

Unfortunately, if your parent, aunt, uncle, or other elderly relative is already receiving care in one of the facilities named in the CMS list, they might already be victims of abuse. Signs of elder abuse can be difficult to spot sometimes, and they will vary with what type of abuse they are suffering, whether it be negligence, sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, or financial manipulation. In any case, if you suspect your loved one is suffering, you need to take immediate action to protect their wellbeing and their legal rights. 

If someone you love was harmed in a dangerous nursing home facility, our experienced attorneys at Cutt, Kendell & Olson are prepared to help. We have ample experience with nursing home abuse cases and we are dedicated to providing our clients with reliable, zealous legal advocacy. Whatever your family is going through, we want to help.