Connecticut

• 2 years from date of act or discovery. (§52-584 – Limitation of action for injury to person or property caused by negligence, misconduct, or malpractice.)
• Medical malpractice – 2 years from date of injury or discovery.
  (§52-584 – Limitation of action for injury to person or property caused by negligence, misconduct, or malpractice.)

• None.

• 2 years from date of death. (§52-555 – Actions for injuries resulting in death.)

• None.

• Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Connecticut Protective Services for the Elderly (PSE)
• Connecticut Commission on Aging
• Connecting Aging Services Division

• Protective Services for the Elderly (Chapter 319dd)
• Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Chapter 319aa)

• Surprise! Large Nursing Home Chains Put Profits Over The Care Of Residents

According to federal data, large, for-profit nursing home chains have lower staffing levels and higher rates of serious patient-care violations than independently owned facilities.  A Connecticut newspaper analyzed two years of inspection and ownership data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, comparing corporate owned nursing homes to their privately owned counterparts, the results are striking:

• State Surveyors Discover Medications Continually Withheld At Conn. Nursing Home

While it is the responsibility of a doctor to prescribe medications for nursing home patients, the daily task of administering the medication falls squarely on the shoulders of the nursing home staff.  Nursing home staff have a duty to both administer the proper medication-- at the interval prescribed--- to each patient.

Not surprisingly when patients get the wrong medication or it is not timely given the results can be catastrophic.  As a nursing home lawyer, I was disturbed to hear of a Connecticut nursing home where the staff withheld medications from a broad cross-section of patients at the large skilled nursing facility.

• Audio Recordings Used As Evidence In Conviction Of Health Care Worker

A former employee of a state-run group home for mentally disabled people was banned today from working in the health care industry after pleading guilty to a charge of negligent cruelty to a person. Gerald Guay,was sentenced by Judge Gary White in Superior Court in Hartford to a five-year suspended prison sentence, three years' probation and 100 hours of community service. White also ordered that Guay refrain from working in hospitals, nursing homes and other care-giving businesses.

"You can't work in health care at all," White said.

• The Need For A Centralized Department Of Aging

Seniors in Connecticut will soon have an easier time obtaining State-run services.  Under the new plan, Connecticut will have a centralized cabinet-level office on aging created by the Governor.  The new agency makes it easier for seniors to get information on long-term care and assisted living care.  

Services will range from help with basic daily chores to around the clock medical care.  The new program will provide alternatives for seniors who may have ordinarily gone to a nursing home.  68% of  Connecticut's Medicaid spending goes to institutionalized nursing home care.  

• Young, Mentally Ill Residents Pose Significant Threat To Nursing Home Residents

The Daily Herald, recently had an article on growing part of the nursing home population-- young nursing home residents.  Most of the younger people in nursing homes are admitted to the facilities, not for nursing care, but because there are few alternatives for people with mental illness.  The number of younger nursing home residents with mental illness has increased 41% in the past six years.  Currently, young residents (ages 22 to 64) make up more than 9% of the nations nursing home residents.

Many of these younger residents suffer from conditions such as: schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder which can make them difficult to control.  States are responsible for assessing each young nursing home resident in making the determination if they require the high level of care that nursing homes provide.  This determination is essential, because federal law bars the mentally ill from entering the facilities unless the individual has been determined to require the level of care provided in a nursing home setting.