Would You Provide Some FAQs About Nursing Home Abuse in Tennessee?
Yes. When we make the decision to place a loved one into a nursing home, it is without a doubt that we are well-intentioned and trying to do the best we can to ensure that he or she receives the best care possible. However, this does not always come to fruition. Unfortunately, abuse to nursing home residents is a serious and growing problem in the United States, which has caused unnecessary pain and devastation to thousands of families nationwide who have been affected by it. With this in mind, we have complied a list of important questions that many prospective clients ask when considering whether they should file a lawsuit against those that caused harm to their loved one. Our goal in listing these questions is to provide you with a basis of information to help you realize that you may have legal options worth pursuing. Accordingly, these questions are as follows:
Q: Is nursing home abuse and neglect common?
There are over 2.1 million Americans that reside in nursing homes located throughout the United States. According to the United States General Accounting Office (GAO), approximately half of suspicious deaths in nursing homes were likely due to neglect, e.g. dehydration and malnutrition. The GAO further concluded nearly one in three nursing homes may be guilty of posing “serious or potentially life-threatening care problems.” These problems are not occurring in one particular location. They are happening across the country, and statistics suggest that the issue continues to worsen and intensify.
Nursing homes are subject to regulatory inspections, but these inspections do not always pick up on problems or occur on a frequent enough basis to detect and report instances of abuse. As a result, the family members of nursing home residents are the ones most likely to successfully monitor residents’ care and treatment to ensure it measures up to the standards our elderly deserve. Without a doubt, regularly visiting a nursing home resident can help prevent the issue, but it is not guaranteed to completely eradicate the problem.
Q: Why does nursing home abuse and neglect happen?
Nursing homes are profit-minded businesses and as such, are interested in lowering costs to increase the money they bring in. In an attempt to realize this goal, many nursing homes do not hire enough staff to properly care for their residents. Even worse, staff members in nursing homes hire often lack the necessary qualifications to take care of residents, many of whom suffer from serious health conditions. Lastly, another contributing factor is the fact that staff can end up being undertrained, leaving them to address situations without the proper level of skill necessary to meet a resident’s needs.
Q: In what ways do nursing homes most commonly commit neglect and abuse?
Nursing home abuse and/or neglect often impacts a resident’s physical, mental and/or psychological health and well-being, which can occur in a number of ways. The following are the most common forms of nursing home neglect and abuse that we have addressed on behalf of our clients:
failure to provide proper nutrition and hydration;
lack of assistance with personal hygiene;
over-medication or under-medication;
inadequate precautions to prevent falls;
slow, or no response to calls from residents;
lack of regular turning and movement for bedridden residents (which results in bed sores);
failure to take residents to the toilet (leaving them in soiled garments or beds);
physically abusing residents, e.g. hitting, shoving, kicking, or punching;
using physical and/or chemical restraints when unrequested and unnecessary;
inflicting verbal and/or mental abuse on a resident, such as name calling, isolating them from other patients, threatening them, etc.;
Exacting revenge/retaliation on a resident in response to a complaint;
lack of adequate precautions to prevent injuries;
lack of appropriate medical care;
the infliction of sexual assault or rape of a resident; and
the theft/exploitation of a resident’s money or other personal property.
Q: How can I tell if nursing home abuse is taking place?
When visiting a loved one at a nursing home (or any other health care facility), pay attention to the appearances of the other residents – not just your loved one. Take note of whether there are foul odors or stains in the facility. Also be on the lookout for any strange conduct by the staff as well as any abrupt behavioral changes in your loved one. For instance, many residents who have communication restrictions often demonstrate signs of dementia when abused, such as rocking back and forth, sucking their fingers, and mumbling to themselves. Lastly, there are ways of researching nursing homes in terms of sterility, client treatment and other important factors by visiting www.medicare.gov/NHCompare. Specifically, this website operated and maintained my Medicare, rates all nursing homes that accept Medicare and Medicaid.
If you have a loved one that is the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, you should consider contacting a Tennessee nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible. The Memphis nursing home abuse lawyers at Greer Injury Lawyers, PLLC can help fight for justice for the innocent people affected by this devastating form of abuse. Call us today locally at 901-680-9777 or toll free at 888-470-9143 for a free case consultation and to learn more about your legal options.