Advocates Warn California’s Nursing Homes No Longer ‘Safe Havens’ For Elderly
As nursing homes take in more and more young patients with mental health issues and drug abuse problems, the shifting population is leading to a "dangerous mix" that's creating turmoil for the facilities.
The Sacramento Bee:
Shifting Population In California Nursing Homes Creates 'Dangerous Mix'
David Thompson was living at the Midnight Mission on Los Angeles’ Skid Row when he secured a bed several years ago at a South Pasadena nursing home. For a man who had been homeless for 35 years, the arrangement seemed like a stable step forward. Instead, he discovered that South Pasadena Convalescent Hospital was visited regularly by local police, summoned to the facility to break up fights or investigate alleged drug-dealing and thefts by residents. Thompson, injured decades earlier in a car wreck, recalled how the nursing home had lots of younger patients with no apparent disabilities. (Lundstorm and Reese, 4/3)
In other news from around the state —
The Daily Breeze:
South Bay On Cutting Edge Of Fight Against Newest Deadly 'Superbug'
It’s microscopic, deadly and spreading quickly. But South Bay researchers may have found a sure-fire way to quash the exponential spread of Klebsiella — or CRE for short — the latest antibiotic-resistant bacteria to vex physicians. Like its cousin MRSA, Klebsiella’s preferred breeding grounds are health-care facilities, and its danger to neighboring communities and healthy individuals is very low. But there is no known cure and projections show an exponential spread if the problem isn’t contained quickly, according to South Bay researchers on the front lines of the worldwide medical war against CRE. (Mazza, 4/2)
Eyewitness News:
Kern Sees Dramatic Increase In Number Of Babies Born With Syphilis
Kern County has seen a dramatic increase in the number of babies born with syphilis over the last three years. For decades, cases of congenital syphilisin the county have been fairly low or nonexistent. It is a problem that has county health officials stressing the importance of prevention, detection and treatment. (Elkalla, 4/1)