The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "rest home" ...
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Beaten Down: Fear and Violence in Canada's Nursing Homes; Off Limits
"Beaten Down" takes a look at how seniors are being poorly treated in nursing homes and that violence had increased significantly from 2003 to 2006. There were found to be increases in all types of violence: resident to resident, staff to resident, and resident to staff. In the "Off-Limits" series, prescription medication sales data for a 24-month period were examined after Health Canada warned doctors about prescribing medication that carried an increased risk of heart attack.
Tags: Long Term Care Medical Directors Association of Canada; Ontario; British Columbia; senior citizen; elderly; abuse; mistreatment; rest home;
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Dispensing with the Truth
Mundy tells how thousands of women fell ill and died after taking Fen-Phen, a popular diet-drug combination. The dieters suffered severe damages to their hearts and lungs. Those who survived were disabled for the rest of their lives. The book reveals that the manufacturer, Wyeth-Ayerst, a division of American Home Products, was well aware of the hazards of the product, but chose not to inform the public, the doctors and the regulators. The author looks at the tragic story of Mary Linnen, a healthy young woman who was the first to die from taking the dangerous medicine, and whose family was the first to file a wrongful death suit. The book depicts the avalanche of wrongful deaths and lawsuits that came in the years after the appearance of Fen-Phen in the market.
Tags: BOOK; heart disease; pulmonary hypertension; pneumonia; dieting; Food and Drug Administration (FDA); medicine; drug manufacturers
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Just Deserts? Arizona's Rural Sprawl: Fast Growth Spans Wildcat' Subdivisions
The Wall Street Journal reports on rural sprawl in neighborhoods near Tucson, Arizona. The areas are known as 'wildcat' subdivisions-"sprawling tracts of land divided by a succession of owners in a way that leaves them exempt from basic county building requirements, such as putting in roads, sewers, and sidewalks . . . The problem has spread like cancer through Arizona, largely because of the tremendous demand for land here, and state law that prevents county officials from clamping down on wildcat growth." In addition, "while wildcat residents pay the same property tax rate as others in the county, the per-capita revenue from wildcat areas is far lower " due to the value of lots and the inequality of mobile homes versus Tucson houses. County officials in the area say that "bringing wildcat subdivisions up to code, including land surveys, roads, sewers and all the rest, could cost as much as $55 million a year. . . money the county doesn't have."
Tags: rural sprawl; subdivisions; neighborhoods; lot-splitting; homeowners; county requirements; developers
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Broken Trust
This Charlotte Observer multifaceted investigation examines the shortcomings of the North Carolina mental health care system. The reporter has found that "from 1994 to mid-1999 at least 34 people under the care of NC mental-care facilities have died suddenly or in circumstances that could raise questions about their care." Among the major findings are the facts that North Carolina "allows individuals with little or no training to open mental health facilities" and that "the state offers little oversight." The reporter details examples of felony patient abuse and neglect, resulting from the loose hiring and training standards set by the state. The series also explores "the lack of children's mental health care and how patients who can't afford care often seek devastating loophole in the law: giving up custody for their children." "The four state-run psychiatric hospitals provide only vague reports listing patient deaths ... N.C. law doesn't require private facilities to report deaths at all." Another part of the investigation focuses on the problems of the rest homes and reveals that they "too often fail to provide appropriate care to patients with mental disabilities." The investigation has found also that "the state's effort to build independent housing [for mentally ill people] is a frustrating series of stops and stalls." The investigation reports on the efforts of the state lawmakers to overcome the problems, but concludes that "political wrangling and funding constraints have stifled a years-long campaign to improve the system."
Tags: hospitals; children; custody; housing; poverty; Division of Mental Health; Medicaid; federal government; funding; rest homes; drugs; abuse; neglect; caregivers
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Nursing Home Investigation
An Extra investigation of Oklahoma nursing homes reveals that they fail to do criminal background checks. The reporter "assumes the identity of a three-time convicted felon and applies for jobs at nursing homes. Only one out of eight does the required criminal background check and refuses to hire Chuck. All of the rest place their patients in harm's way needlessly."
Tags: TAPE TRANSCRIPT elderly care criminal background checks Tulsa Christian Care Center
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Into the Future
The News of Buffalo, NY, reports about "The Class of '96, onward to the rest of their lives...Because they're typical of Western New York young people, The News singled out the Sweet Home High School Class of '96 to survey, and to follow for four years, until 2000... Getting to know these Sweet Home graduates tells us a lot about today's teens and about the future of Western New York. We hope you'll come along as we explore their worries, their plans, their regrets and their hopes."
Tags: Youth; attitudes; aspirations; hopes; dreams; plans; young people; Generation
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A State of Neglect
Evidence of substandard care at a chain of rest homes is represented in this story. It is noted that many of the problems stemmed from cutting costs and accepting questionable residents in an effort to achieve a profit in excess of 40 percent. It is also pointed out that the problems were not isolated examples, but rather an indication of the problems that could be found in rest homes throughout North Carolina. The stories show that the state's regulations were terribly outdated for an industry that is changing rapidly and becoming increasingly corporate.
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Gray Gold
The reporters examined why inadequate care in rest homes and nursing homes is so widespread in a state-regulated industry.
Tags: None
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Colonias: Rural Development on the Border
The Monitor reports how the "Colonias, maligned as border slums by the rest of Texas, have become an enduring part of the border landscape, defying solutions even as they beckon more families searching for a piece of land and a home of their own. In the Rio Grande Valley, an estimated 887 colonias dot the region, multiplying even as officials struggle to control their growth... these random collections of mostly rural subdivisions too often fall short of basic needs: Electricity. Safe drinking water. Indoor plumbing. Drainage. Paved roads."