Nursing Home Abuse
MedLaw Legal Team Attorneys / Physicians Law Practice - Lawyers serving
Maryland and U.S. victims of nursing home abuse
There
are approximately 17,000 nursing homes in the United States caring for
over 1.6 million older adults. In
the mid 1980’s, assisted living facilities opened, making the
demographics of nursing home residents dramatically different.
Today, most nursing home residents are older and in greater need
of medical attention.
Increasingly,
we are hearing about nursing home patients being injured or dying
because of nursing home abuse and neglect.
Reported violations have increased every year since 1996.
More
than 30 percent of the country’s nursing homes have been cited for
violations that put residents in harm’s way.
Nursing home abuse violations most often include physical or
sexual abuse and abuse from other patients -- with no staff supervision
to prevent this type of behavior. Injuries
such as fractured or broken bones, lacerations, and/or cuts and bruises
are becoming all too common.
Other
reported injuries include:
-
Untreated bedsores
-
Inadequate medical
care
-
Malnutrition
-
Dehydration
-
Preventable
accidents
-
Inadequate
sanitation and hygiene
Examples
of perhaps some of the worst care was found in a Chicago nursing home in
which dozens of residents were discovered to be in physical restraints,
many in violation of federal health and safety standards.
Also, highly publicized was a San Francisco nursing home in which
inspectors found hundreds of ants crawling over the body and in and out
of the mouth of an 83-year-old resident.
To
enforce the standards, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
contracts with the states to conduct annual inspections of nursing
homes. Individual states
are also required to investigate individual abuse complaints.
Statistics are derived from these state inspections.
Nursing
home industry representatives attribute the increase in reports to a
difficulty in attracting and keeping quality staff.
Entering the field of nursing home care is not common.
Most nursing home assistants only make an average of $7 to $9 per
hour.
Another
factor contributing to poor care may be insufficient state and Medicare
funding levels, which are felt to be very low compared to what the
residents need.
If
you suspect that you or your loved one is being, or has been, abused or
mistreated, bring it immediately to the attention of an attorney.
If the attorney so advises, you should bring the abuse to the
attention of the nursing home management.
Let them know that you are documenting the treatment received and
that you will file a report with the State Department of Health and
Licensing (or other state health agency depending on your location) if
it does not improve. Be
sure to follow up on your discussion.
If you feel that you have a personal injury or other claim after finding
that your family member was seriously injured, please contact The Medlaw
Legal Team of Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC.
Our Legal Team of nurse lawyers, on staff board certified OB-GYN,
and certified nurse paralegals will review your case.
The initial consultation is free and we are dedicated to
recovering substantial damages for our clients who have suffered from
nursing home abuse and negligence.
The
following sites have information that may be helpful to you and your
family when trying to get information online:
If you feel that you have a
personal injury or other claim after finding that your family member was
seriously injured, please contact us. Our
physician / lawyers team will review your case. The initial
consultation is free and we are dedicated to
recovering substantial damages for our clients who have suffered
from nursing home abuse.RELATED
INFORMATION:
Nursing Home Abuse
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