Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Law Firm

If Nursing Home Neglect Happens To You

It is a very difficult decision to make when confronted with the necessity to move your loved one into a nursing home or other long-term care facility. You want the best care possible for your parent or other family member and it seems that you are no longer able to provide this care yourself. You trusted the facility you chose to provide him/her with sound medical support and loving professional care. But as time passes, you may notice a few things concerning their care that disturbs you. It may seem that the facility is understaffed and you may notice that your loved one is not receiving even adequate care.

This sad story is becoming a true story for many people today. Reports of nursing home abuse and neglect are constantly in the news. Many government-funded nursing homes simply do not have the money to provide enough nurses and nurses' aides to provide good care for each patient.

At present, there is no federal legislation that requires a minimum nurse/patient ratio but many states have regulations that government funded nursing homes must meet. In these cases, the nursing homes are concerned about meeting minimum hours of nursing care per day, usually around 3.75. But this includes the time it takes to prepare nurses and nurses' aides work schedules as well as assigning other duties and so the actual time spent giving care is much less. In one facility in 2006, it was reported that nurses and nurses' aides were signing off on care that they did not actually provide and tasks that they did not perform .So with this common standard of care, the problem of nursing home neglect and abuse will likely continue.

One nurses' aide at a facility in California stated that patients should be turned every two hours and given showers at least twice a week, but that was impossible when they are responsible for anywhere from 30-60 patients each shift. A study prepared by the Department of Human Services and released in 2002 showed that 9 out of 10 nursing homes lacked funding for adequate staffing. The report was sent to Congress and it stated that understaffed nursing homes were more likely to house patients that were experiencing bedsores, malnutrition, dehydration, pneumonia and serious blood-borne infections.

If someone you love is suffering from any type of neglect or abuse from a nursing home facility, you may be eligible for compensation. Take a moment and fill out the "Quick Contact" form on the home page of this website and let the professional team of lawyers and medical experts at Napoli Bern Ripka Law Firm evaluate your case. Don't let your loved one suffers in silence.