When a nursing home or long-term care facility fails to care for its patience adequately, it can be held liable for nursing home abuse. This lawsuit can result from negligence screening in employees, inadequate care, improper maintenance of the facility, or inadequate supervision of its employees.
According to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), a lower ratio of nurses to residents can hugely impact the overall health care a nursing facility provides. There are five main types of nursing home abuse.
- Mental/psychological abuse: withholding mail, verbal abuse, etc.
- Physical abuse: pushing, hitting, shoving, etc.
- Sexual abuse: usings residents for sexual gratification
- Neglect: failure to periodically check-in, failure to treat bedsores, etc.
- Exploitation: manipulating residents for favors and money
Key Terms
When familiarizing yourself with nursing home abuse, you should know a few terms. These include:
Assisted living. A housing option for elderly or disabled people that provides housekeeping, nursing care, and prepares meals as needed.
Negligent. Disregarding a duty that resulted from carelessness, indifference, or willfulness. This could be the failure to provide proper medical attention, lack of adequate nutrition, or failureto provide human interactions.
Negligent Hiring. A legal term that refers to the idea of the employer being held liable for its employee's negligent or intentional act. This is often found in nursing home abuse since the employee usually cannot afford to compensate for the damages.
Causes of Nursing Home Abuse
Stealing. Greedy staff often try to target wealthy residents and steal their credit card numbers, forge checks, life savings, or other financial assets.
Understaffing. When nursing homes are short staff, it can place stress on the current employees, which can directly affect the care of the residents.
Burnout. Sometimes staff members have to work long hours. This can become draining when dealing with the residents' needs, causing them to let their frustrations out by physically or verbally lashing out.
Lack of supervision. Lack of supervision by nursing home management can cause staff members to be inattentive to the residents. This could result in the resident facing several hours or days without proper care.
Corporate. Corporations often prioritize profit maximization over the well-being of their residents, which could cause many problems. An example could be hiring inexperienced staff members at a cheaper rate with no proper training, making abuse more likely to happen.
Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys
Unfortunately, neglect of nursing home residents has become such an issue that it has become an area of expertise. Anyone suffering from nursing home abuse should consider consulting with an attorney to discuss their legal options.
After taking necessary measures with the police and prosecuting the offender, you may still be faced with strained finances or high medical bills. Working with a skilled professional helps you receive the financial compensation you may be entitled to, but it aids in gathering the correct supporting evidence and preparing to file a successful lawsuit.
When filed correctly, you could be privy to receiving cash payouts to cover lost savings and other related medical expenses. Nursing home lawyers can work on your behalf to resolve these legal issues in the shortest amount of time possible. One mishap can lead to decreased or delayed compensation amounts during the filing process.
You don't have to fight this alone. Here at, Grossman Green PLLC we have the experience to fight cases just like yours. Let us help you. Contact us today at (502) 215-3344, or visit us online and fill out a form to schedule your free consultation with a member of our team and discuss the details of your case. We look forward to hearing from you.