Archive for the ‘Sean Patrick McDonough’ Category

How do we prevent Pennsylvania nursing home abuse & injuries?

• Assessing patients after a fall to identify and address risk factors and treat the underlying medical conditions
• Educate staff about fall risk factors and prevention strategies
• Reviewing prescribed medicines to assess their potential risks and benefits and to minimize use
• Making changes in the nursing home environment to make it easier for residents to move around safely. Such changes include putting in grab bars, adding raised toilet seats, lowering bed heights, and installing handrails in the hallways.
• Providing patients with hip pads that may prevent a hip fracture if a fall occurs.
• Using devices such as alarms that go off when patients try to get out of bed or move without help.

Each year, a typical nursing home with 100 beds reports 100-200 falls. As many as 3 out of 4 nursing home residents fall each year. Many of these go unreported. About 5% of adults 65 and older live in nursing homes, but nursing home residents account for about 20% of deaths from falls in this age group. Patients often fall more than once. The average is 2.6 falls per person per year. About 35% of fall injuries occur among residents who cannot walk.

How serious are these falls?

• About 1,800 people living in nursing homes die each year from falls.
• About 10% to 20% of nursing home falls cause serious injuries; 2% to 6% cause fractures.
• Falls result in disability, functional decline and reduced quality of life. Fear of falling can cause further loss of function, depression, feelings of helplessness, and social isolation.

By 2020, Pennsylvania’s 60 and older population is expected to be 25% of the total population to more than 3 million people. By 2020, the number of people age 85 or older is also expected to increase 10% to more than 360,000 residents. (2007 Census) Pennsylvania’s long term care cost is higher than the national average. Medicaid pays an average of $7.50 per hour for care services in nursing homes. Nationally, the average annual cost for a private room in a nursing home is $74,806. The average annual cost for a private room in a Pennsylvania nursing home is $77,646. In the greater Philadelphia region, the cost is higher for a nursing home private room, at $91,954 annually (Genworth Financial 2007 Cost of Care Survey).

What is the difference between medicare and medicaid? Watch the video to learn more:

At separate meetings in Newton Township, Lackawanna County Pennsylvania and Dallas Township, Luzerne County Pennsylvania local government officials met and heard testimony by local residents regarding gas drilling operations in their respective communities.  Residents voiced support for the gas industry along with concerns over water, environmental, safety, home values and other issues.  Local officials listened and are considering local regulations of the gas drilling industry.  The twelve lawyers at Dougherty Leventhal , Price LLP–DLP–PENNSYLVANIA TRUCK LAWYERS and PENNSYLVANIA GAS DRILLING RIG INJURY LAWYERS, continue to follow this and other Marcellus Shale Gas drilling issues in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.

Attorney Sean McDonough, head of the nursing home litigation section of Dougherty Leventhal & Price LLP–DLP—recently spent three (3) days in Nashville Tennessee securing testimony involving a nursing home neglect case.  Attorney McDonough is currently handling nursing home/personal care home neglect cases through Pennsylvania and other states.

Gaovernor Tom Corbett has endorsed a natural gas drilling “impact Fee” for gas develepers in the Marcellus Shale Industry in Pennsylvania.  Governor Corbett has opposed “taxes” on gas drillers, but now looks to obtain monies to pay individual Counties and local municipalities for the extra costs spurred by the expanding gas industry throughout the Commonwealth.   Legislation will be introduced shortly in Harrisburg for implementation of the “impact fee”.  The twelve lawyers at Dougherty Leventhal & Price LLP–DLP–PENNSYLVANIA GAS DRILLING INJURY/TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYERS–continue to monitor this and other Marcellus Shale gas drilling issues.

Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale gas drilling/truck accident lawyers Dougherty Leventhal & Price LLP,  DLP  continue to investigate several serious gas drilling truck accident cases in Susquehanna and Bradford Counties Pennsylvanaia.  The twelve (12 ) attorneys at DLP have handled significant truck accident cases throughout Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania for the past twenty five (25) years.

Reports note that a tanker truck/water truck has crashed on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  There is at least one fatality and the road is closed to holiday travelers.  the twelve lawyers at Dougherty Leventhal & Price LLP, PENNSYLVANIA TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYERS, continue to follow this story..

Dougherty Leventhal & Price LLP,  DLP, is proud to announce that partner Cal Leventhal is the only named Super Lawyer* residing in and with principle office located in Wayne County Pennsylvania.  Attorney Leventhal heads the DLP workers compensation department.  He also was the first plaintiff lawyer to obtain a verdict in excess of one (1) million dollars in Wayne County history.  Attorney Leventhat can be contacted at his office in Honesdale, Pennsylvania

*As selected by Philadelphia Magazine

Dougherty Leventhal & Price LLP,  DLP, are Pennsylvania gas drilling rig workers compensation lawyers.  Attorneys Cal Leventhal, Tom Cummings and John Finnerty head the DLP Northeastern Pennsylvania and Central Pennsylvania workers compensation department.  DLP handles injured workers cases in Bradford, Susquehanna, Tioga, Potter, Wyoming, Sullivan and Wayne Counties Pennsylvania.