Washington DC Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse Attorney Services
Injuries that result from neglect and abuse in nursing homes is not a topic that people want to think about, especially when those injuries result in having to get a nursing home abuse 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 incredibly 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, or that they will need the Washington DC injury lawyers of Cohen & Cohen to represent their elderly family member against the neglect and abuse they faced while residing in the nursing facility.
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 many times results in bed sores when bed-ridden residents are not regularly repositioned and properly cleaned. Bed sores are incredibly painful, and if they’re not caught and treated can result in life threatening skin infections. Neglect is sometimes the result of underpaid and undertrained 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 abuse can also be physical, emotional, and sexual. The worst injuries are suffered by those residents who can no longer communicate their own needs.
The type of neglect and abuse that occurs in Washington DC nursing homes would have serious consequences even for healthy individuals, and many nursing home patients are far from healthy 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.
At Cohen & Cohen, our nursing home neglect lawyers have years of experience handling nursing home neglect and elder abuse cases in Washington, DC. 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 the negligence of a nursing home or other similar facility in Washington, DC, call the elder abuse attorneys at Cohen & Cohen today.
