Many nursing homes are managed and staffed by caring, well-trained professionals. However, as more and more of our elderly live in assisted living facilities, there is a greater amount of institutional and individual abuse, mostly in the form of neglect. Undertrained and overwhelmed, some well-meaning staff may not be able to meet the needs of your elderly loved one leading to emotional and physical neglect. There are also unfortunate cases of deliberate physical, mental, and emotional abuse.
Cases Brought Against Nursing Homes
Some 30% of nursing homes have had cases brought against them for abuse. In a government study, nine thousand patients were victims of nursing home malpractice and five thousand of these patients’ deaths were related to malpractice.
Some signs of nursing home malpractice may include:
- Bedsores
- Dehydration
- Malnutrition
- Untreated pain
- Infection
- Depression
- Confusion
Minimum Standards of Care for a Nursing Home
Following the afore-mentioned study in the 1980s, the United States government passed an act providing the minimum standards of care for a nursing home. The act was meant to focus on the patients’ quality of life and investigative resources were set aside to hold assisted living facilities accountable.
Many Nursing Homes
Many nursing homes exceed the government mandated level of care, but if you suspect your loved one has been maltreated by a care professional or as a result of a facility-wide problem, you may well have a case.
Call Kravitz Law Group today at (813) 626-1234, to share your loved one’s experience, to discuss the evidence, and to learn of your rights. No one should ever have to be a victim of nursing home negligence.
We believe that our elders deserve dignified care and are ready to represent your case with tenacity and strength.