Macon, Georgia Concussions Can Affect Driving Performance Even After Symptoms are Gone Lawyer

Concussions Can Affect Driving Performance Even After Symptoms are Gone

The prevalence and consequences of concussions in professional American football have been all over the news in recent months. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed, alleging that the NFL knew about the risks of repeated concussions but hid that knowledge in order to get players back on the field faster. Currently, a settlement has been approved that could result in the NFL paying $1 billion over 65 years. Athletes across many sports and all skill levels are indeed susceptible to concussions, but they aren’t the only ones. Suffering a concussion in a vehicle accident is extremely likely and can stem from even a minor fender-bender. Falls are also a common cause of brain injury. Damage to the brain is not always immediately obvious. Becau...

Macon, Georgia When Intubation Goes Wrong Lawyer

When Intubation Goes Wrong

When a patient has difficulty breathing or undergoes certain surgical procedures, they will be intubated. Intubation is when a tube is inserted into a patient’s airway. Often, the procedure is successful and there are no complications. However, in some cases, the intubation process comes with disastrous results for patients. Intubations can go wrong for several reasons, one of which is inexperience or negligence on the part of a medical professional. Certain factors also put patients at greater risk for intubation complications. Doctors and other medical professionals are supposed to recognize those factors and act accordingly. Unfortunately, there are several intubation mishaps in medical procedures every year. A Look at the Intubation...

Macon, Georgia When Surgeons Leave Something Behind Lawyer

When Surgeons Leave Something Behind

You’ve probably heard the phrases “leaving something behind” or “putting yourself into your work,” right? These phrases suggest going the extra mile, and they’re something that many of us strive to do in our personal and professional lives. The phrase takes an odd twist, however, if you work in surgery and the thing you’re leaving behind is a surgical instrument inside your patient’s body. It sounds like something that isn’t all that common, almost as if it springs from the pages of a cheap novel or some obscure newspaper in a third-world country. But, as terrifying as it is, surgeons' leaving something inside a patient’s body is not as rare as you might think. In fact, studies suggest that - brace yourself - your avera...

Macon, Georgia Passenger Vans: More Room, More Risk Lawyer

Passenger Vans: More Room, More Risk

After a few false starts, the modern van made its first noteworthy appearance in 1983. The Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager models manufactured by Chrysler that year made these roomy vehicles a more affordable option for families. With the ability to easily reconfigure seating to handle varying volumes, vans effectively replaced station wagons in the automotive market. A popular subcategory, 15-passenger vans are widely used to carry athletes, schoolchildren, scouts, church members, campers, seniors, travelers, and other groups. But is the convenience worth the risk? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 15-passenger vans are a safety threat due to a high rate of rollover accidents. The problems stem fr...

Macon, Georgia Understanding Idiopathic Workplace Injuries in Georgia Lawyer

Understanding Idiopathic Workplace Injuries in Georgia

We spend much of our lives at work, in part to earn money to be able to enjoy whatever leisure time is left over. All those on-the-job hours means that workplace injuries are bound to happen. When they do, most fall under the umbrella of workers’ compensation, which awards financial benefits for certain injuries. Georgia law provides that an accidental injury is compensable under the Workers' Compensation Act if the employee's injury arose out of and in the course of employment. Determining whether there is a causal connection between the workplace conditions and the injury can be a complicated matter – and one that is key for compensation. As opposed to outward risks associated with employment, some risks stem from idiopathic conditio...

Macon, Georgia Questionable Nursing Home Discharge Practices Lawyer

Questionable Nursing Home Discharge Practices

Too often, residents of nursing homes are treated disrespectfully, as cases to be managed rather than as people to be cared for. The top complaints about these facilities address basic issues such administration of medications, resident/roommate conflict, poor staff attitudes, unanswered requests for assistance, and unfair discharge. In fact, improper evictions are the leading grievance against nursing homes, with complaints totaling as many as 8,000 to 9,000 every year. The problem is likely bigger than what is reported, because many patients and their families don’t realize they have rights to challenge these types of administrative decisions or that there are specific procedures that must be followed. Imagine having to go to the hospi...

Macon, Georgia Involuntary Transfers/Discharges from Nursing Homes: Patient Rights Lawyer

Involuntary Transfers/Discharges from Nursing Homes: Patient Rights

There’s a famous expression that says, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and most of us like to imagine that we fall into that category. That when situations become difficult, we react with strength and work harder to meet the challenge. The thing is, there are many instances when things get tough in which we choose instead to pass them on so they become someone else’s dilemma – and this practice is on the rise in nursing homes. Facilities are increasingly evicting “problem patients,” making space for those without diseases that demand a lot of care (like dementia) or those who bring in more money (such as a private-pay patient or a short-term rehab patient). Analysis of federal data from the Long-Term Care Om...

Macon, Georgia Nursing Home Reform Act & Basic Resident Rights Lawyer

Nursing Home Reform Act & Basic Resident Rights

Thirty years ago, a study by the Institute of Medicine concluded that residents of nursing homes were being subjected to neglect, abuse, and inadequate care. Many of the subsequent reforms that were proposed were included in the Nursing Home Reform Act, which became law in 1987. The Act was intended to help nursing home patients receive quality care so that they could achieve or maintain their "highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being.” Fundamentally, this means that residents should not experience a decline in their health as a result of the way they were provided treatment. With the majority of nursing home care paid for with federal funds, compliance with the Act was fostered by making it a prerequisite for rec...

Macon, Georgia Cameras in Nursing Homes: Privacy and Protection Lawyer

Cameras in Nursing Homes: Privacy and Protection

Most of us remember a time when taking a picture meant capturing an image to a film cartridge that we had to drop off at a drug store to be developed, the anticipation mounting for days before we could find out just exactly what we managed to photograph. Similarly, personal video cameras used to involve rummaging for blank tapes, making recordings that were cumbersome to edit and to view. Both of those technologies have now been digitalized and are accessible at the touch of a button on the ubiquitous smartphones owned by almost three-quarters of all Americans. Even closed-circuit television cameras have evolved, now replaced by high-definition cameras available for private use. Paired with a wireless Internet connection that can be monito...

Macon, Georgia CNA Registry to Include In-Home Abuse Complaints Lawyer

CNA Registry to Include In-Home Abuse Complaints

Aging is one of those universal truths, an equalizer of gender, race, class, religion, etc. It happens to us all, though its effects vary widely. Current average life expectancy is 78.8 years, but that quantity of time is no reflection of quality. Some of us develop few health problems, while others are burdened with serious afflictions. Of those who find they can no longer manage alone, most want to stay out of nursing homes as long as possible; to continue to live independently, the solution is often a certified nurse aide/assistant (CNA). CNAs can work in a variety of healthcare settings and have corresponding duties, but those who work in personal homes are generally the gatherers of vital information about the patient's medical condit...

Archives

Categories

Brain Injury and the Workplace: Protecting Your Rights in Georgia

Imagine that you are working at a construction site in Georgia on an upper level of a new building. Suddenly, a steel beam falls off a crane and hits you in the head.  You are rushed to the hospital.  A few days after the accident, you are told you suffer...