| News reports exaggerate Menorah Park ‘quarantine’
Local television and radio news programs broadcast reports on the evening of Thurs., Feb. 1, and the morning of Fri., Feb. 2, warning that a virus had broken out at Menorah Park Center for Senior Living and that the nursing home was under quarantine.
The reports greatly inflated and exaggerated what is a standard and common practice at the home to stem the spread of common flu viruses, says Menorah Park staff. On Feb. 1, 18 out of 66 residents on Menorah Park's Fairmount Pavilion were exhibiting symptoms of a gastrointestinal virus, so the home quarantined that pavilion.The virus "lasts maximum 24-48 hours," reports Menorah Park administrator and chief operating officer Richard Schwalberg. "Our population is elderly, so it's hard on them, but they're recuperating fast. We like to take a proactive stance.
Ventas buying Sunrise Senior properties
Louisville-based Ventas is buying 74 private pay assisted living communities in the U.S. and Canada from Sunrise Senior Living Real Estate Investment Trust for $1.8 billion including debt.
A separate company, Sunrise Senior Living Inc., will continue managing the properties under the existing long-term contract and is a minority joint venture partner in 56 of the communities.
Of the 74 acquired communities, 63 are in the U.S., clustered in metropolitan areas of California, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Colorado, and 11 are located in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. .
Doctor to generations ends 54-year career for family time
As a young doctor in Dormont, he delivered more than 1,000 babies. He started practicing medicine in an era when house calls were part of the routine, not a special or unusual service. Dr. Edward Farrell, of Upper St. Clair, eventually focused much of his attention on the elderly, enjoying a 40-year relationship with Allegheny County's Kane nursing home system. On Dec. 29, Dr. Farrell, 82, hung up his stethoscope, finishing a 54-year career in medicine in the South Hills. He has seen health care evolve in ways that he believes are giving people longer, more productive lives. "Health care has changed. The drugs we have today have made a big difference. You can do a lot more to help people," Dr. Farrell said last week in a phone conversation from West Palm Beach, Fla, where he is enjoying a three-month winter vacation.
Today's Picks: A worrying look inside care homes
Putting your closest relative into a nursing home is traumatic enough. One Panorama interviewee, whose mother had to enter a home after a stroke, describes it as the "ultimate in trust". But she was to die a terrible and painful death, because she was severely neglected. Panorama has discovered various cases in which people have been unsafe and unprotected in nursing homes. Instead of being looked after, vulnerable, elderly people were insulted, neglected, roughly handled or assaulted. A former care worker talks about nursing home residents being sworn at and physically abused, and care records for the official regulator being made up, ready for inspections.
Tonight with Trevor McDonald ITV1, 8pm
Sir Trevor visits a Dutch clinic to discover why the NHS is losing the battle against deadly infections which Europeans have eradicated.
Develop or Sell? Old Colonial site clean-up underway; future uncertain
A Hot Springs-based developer of assisted living sites answered at least one of two questions buzzing about on Main Street in Nashville: Who's responsible for cleaning up the old Forest Health Care Nursing Home building site? Well the hard workers from Countryside Nursery are ones who cut down the overgrown bushes, trimmed the tree limbs, and opened the site up for public viewing. But as to who is responsible? That would be Michael Durbin. Durbin is the owner of Durbin Properties located in Hot Springs. His company bought the two-acre site located next to Sonic Drive-In on Highway 27 south for $300,000 in September. ``Its a good site and a good building - I'm surprised someone else didn't buy the property two or three years ago,'' Durbin said.
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