What is Nursing Home Negligence?
Nursing home neglect is a serious and ongoing form of injury. Every year in Kansas more citations are issued to nursing homes and elderly care facilities that document neglect.
Elder Abuse Takes Three forms
- Physical abuse – physical abuse may involve a staff member and an elderly patient, or it can also involve two elderly residents. If the nursing home does not do anything to prevent violence between residents, they too are part of the abuse chain.
- Mental Abuse – Verbal abuse is just one example of how people commit mental abuse. Someone may play on the fears of another, or they may degrade them by calling them names or making statements about impairments – “you are stupid”, “you are fat”, etc. They may even threaten the person with injury or death.
- Financial abuse – occurs when an elderly person is taken advantage of by someone they trust or even a stranger. Telling a sob story about not being able to buy groceries for your child so that the patient gives you money is one example. Stealing money from a purse or forging checks for cash is another example. Charging extra meals to the client that they did not order is yet another example.
Nursing Home Neglect is Not Just to the Elderly
Some nursing homes have a mixed population of younger people and older residents. Mentally impaired younger people, such as those with Down Syndrome, or who are left mentally handicapped following an accident can also be the victims of nursing home abuse.
Forms of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect
Nursing homes have the responsibility to provide food, shelter, and care. Anytime the nursing home cannot fulfill those requirements there is neglect. Those include:
- Not providing adequate food – Every resident should have a dietary plan and each meal must meet the calorie count, and nutritional goal, and be in compliance with the patient’s plan of care.
- Not providing appropriate shelter – Each patient in a nursing home has a bed space. That may be in a private room or a shared room. That space must be equipped with a call light, and be comfortable for the patient. If the space is too hot or too cold, if there is too much noise, or if roommates are not compatible, then there is a failure to provide adequate shelter.
- Improper Clothing – Not Providing Clothing that is suitable for the environment. Patients should not be made to suffer from the elements – being too cold, too hot, etc. Clothing should be provided so that each person is kept comfortable.
- Personal Care – including bathing services and facilities, medical care that is scheduled, and supervision of the patient’s medical, social, and physical well-being by qualified medical staff.
Contact Larry Wall Trial Law For More Information
Nursing home abuse is a form of neglect and personal injury. If you feel that an elderly person is in a situation of neglect or has been neglected by a nursing facility, then reach out to our team. Larry Wall Trial Law is a firm that focuses on personal injuries and elder abuse. As a personal injury lawyer, Larry Wall recognizes that each case is different, and we work with you to understand the facts and rights of every elder we help.
