Avoiding tragedies: Police try to make the world safer for dementia patients

Imagine being lost at 3 o’clock in the morning, approaching a house you think is your own, and then being fatally shot. That’s what happened to 72-year-old Ronald Westbrook, a man with Alzheimer’s disease who was mistaken for an intruder in Walker County in 2013. The shooter was a homeowner who opened fire after Westbrook failed to…

Irma medical evacuees make it home safe

The last of Georgia’s medical evacuees from Tropical Storm Irma returned home Monday, Public Health officials said. “There were no public health issues that we are aware of during the evacuation or return home,’’ said Nancy Nydam, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Public Health. Hundreds in Georgia became medical evacuees prior to the storm hitting…

Medical evacuees await return; Georgians urged to be cautious in wake of storm damage

The more than 250 people in Georgia who became medical evacuees because of Hurricane Irma are expected to stay in place until Wednesday at the earliest. “We’re not looking to move any evacuees back until it’s safe,’’ said Adrianne Feinberg, director of emergency preparedness for the Georgia Hospital Association. “We really don’t have a timeline.”…

Step by weary step: Why people walk far (and near) to raise Alzheimer’s awareness 

With sore legs and a swollen ankle, William Glass reached the end of his journey early Monday morning. A journey of more than 600 miles. On foot. Glass made the trek from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s. His mother has the disease, and is a resident of an Atlanta long-term care facility with around-the-clock…

Health officials probe death of Newnan nursing home patient after alleged attack

The state’s main health agency is investigating an injury suffered by a 98-year-old nursing home resident in Newnan, whose death led to criminal charges and the arrest of a nursing assistant. The Department of Community Health said this week that it has “an open investigation’’ of Edna Warren’s death. The GBI recently arrested Hakim Ogunkunle,…

State sees pay incentives attracting more nursing home inspectors

The Legislature’s recent injection of funding for nursing home surveyors will help the state address the increasing backlog of patients’ complaints, officials said Thursday. Nurses who respond to nursing home complaints will get higher starting pay, and veteran RNs will get a salary increase, under new funding inserted into state budgets. The nursing home complaint…

House panel begins another quest for a dental hygienist law

A House committee unanimously approved legislation Tuesday that would allow dental hygienists to practice in school clinics, nursing homes and safety-net locations without having a dentist present. The passage of House Bill 154 by the House Health and Human Services Committee comes a year after the sudden collapse of similar legislation in the 2016 General…

Worst complaints about nursing homes getting swift attention despite backlog, state says

State officials say they are able to respond immediately to reports of abuse or neglect in Georgia nursing homes, despite facing a large backlog of complaints. The backlog of nursing home complaints coming from residents, families and others is roughly 140, the Department of Community Health says. That’s at or near a historic high, as…

State admits to slow pace in addressing nursing home complaints

Georgia is dealing with a large backlog of complaints about nursing homes, and also has a substantial vacancy rate in surveyors who check conditions in these facilities, a state health agency said Tuesday. The complaint situation has helped lead to “a mess’’ with federal health officials, Frank Berry, commissioner of the Department of Community Health,…