Nursing Home Neglect Or Abuse

As our population ages, more and more facilities are being built to meet the increased demand for nursing home care. In many cases, the owners of these facilities are large corporations that are primarily motivated by the desire to realize profits. Unfortunately, at times, the goal of increased profits is reached by the road of cutting costs and cutting corners. When this happens, the quality of services declines and patients suffer.

If a loved one has been injured as a result of nursing home neglect or abuse, claims for monetary compensation may be brought against the nursing home and its employees based on theories such as negligence, breach of contract, assault and battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In addition to civil remedies, there are criminal sanctions available against nursing homes and their employees for the abuse and mistreatment of patients.

What To Look For

Some common nursing home injuries which may be an indication of neglect or abuse are:

Other types of cases involve the failure to properly medicate or over medication, the failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of a serious medical condition and/or outright physical abuse.

A recent government study found that over 90% of the nation’s nursing homes have too few workers to take proper care of patients. Keep an eye out for such things as sloppy record keeping, lack of proper heating, inability to explain a patient’s condition, refusal to allow visitors to see patients alone and patients wondering off the premises. Some facilities may take a relaxed attitude towards reference and background checks on workers, thus permitting people with a history of violence or abuse towards patients to work in such facilities.

Suggestions For Selecting A Nursing Home

When choosing a nursing care facility, it’s important to investigate and ask the right questions At the very least, you should consider the following:

In Massachusetts, the Department of Elder Affairs provides regulation and oversight of Massachusetts facilities. They can be reached at One Ashburton Place, Room 517, Boston, MA. Their telephone number is (617) 727-7750.

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