Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse Attorney Services in Washington DC, Maryland & Virginia
Injuries that result from nursing home neglect and abuse is not a topic that people want to think about, especially when the injured is a loved one that results in having to get a nursing home attorney involved.
Most people, at some point in their lives, face the incredibly difficult decision of whether or not to place an elderly family member in a nursing home. It is an emotional choice, both for the senior being placed in the nursing home and for the senior’s family. Although nursing homes are expensive, many decide it is the best option for an elderly family member to receive assistance with their daily tasks, housekeeping and health care, as well as access to a social environment, food services, and medical resources.
Few think that their loved ones’ safety is going to be jeopardized when placed in the care of nursing home professionals. One would hope that they will never need a nursing home neglect lawyer to represent their elderly family member against a facility for nursing home neglect and abuse. Unfortunately elder abuse is all too common. When this happens it takes the family and close friends of an elderly person who is being abused stepping in to stop this horrible treatment.
The National Center on Elder Abuse reported that 3.2 million people resided in nursing homes in 2008. That number has since grown as the baby boomer generation ages. To the shock and horror of people with an elderly family member residing in a nursing home, the report also shows that 1 in 3 people residing in a nursing home are abused or neglected.
Neglect is the most common form of abuse at nursing homes. Neglect can be intentional or unintentional and results when the caretaker fails to make sure the resident’s needs are met. Nursing home neglect often results in bed sores when bedridden residents are not regularly repositioned and properly cleaned. Bed sores are incredibly painful. If they are not caught and treated they can result in life threatening skin infections.
Neglect is sometimes the result of underpaid and under trained employees who have little motivation and desire to properly care for their patients. In fact, the National Center on Elder Abuse reports that 91% of nursing homes lack adequate staff to properly care for patients. Nursing home neglect and abuse can also be physical, emotional, and sexual. The worst injuries are suffered by those residents who can no longer communicate their own needs.
Nursing home neglect and abuse that occurs in nursing homes would have serious consequences even for younger, healthy and strong individuals. Typically, nursing home patients are elderly and far from healthy and strong to begin with. As part of the care they offer, nursing homes have a duty to treat their residents’ underlying health conditions. When the nursing home is no longer capable of providing adequate treatment on site, they have a duty to take the resident to a medical facility that can give them the treatment they require. All too often, financial concerns influence patient care decisions, and the result is treatable conditions snowball into life-threatening illnesses.
If you suspect that a loved one is suffering from nursing home neglect and abuse, it is recommended that you get in contact with a reputable nursing home neglect and abuse lawyer as soon as possible.
The Washington DC injury lawyers at Cohen & Cohen have years of experience handling nursing home neglect and elder abuse cases in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. We have handled cases involving catastrophic injury, permanent injury, and even death that resulted from nursing home negligence.
Most often, nursing homes provide excellent care. But on those occasions when they do not, our lawyers hold nursing homes accountable for the pain, humiliation, and injuries they may cause through their negligence. If you or your loved one has suffered from nursing home neglect and abuse, or abuse at similar facilities in Washington, DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia, call the elder abuse attorneys at Cohen & Cohen today.
