Fresno Personal Injury Lawyer - Nursing Home & Elder Abuse

Nursing Home Neglect Leads to Death Suit

David Rowell — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:01:14 GMT

The family of George King has sued the nursing home where he was a resident, claiming that neglect by the nursing home staff led to the victim's death. King, who suffered from dementia, wandered away from the nursing home and onto nearby train tracks where he was struck by a train and killed. King's family filed a wrongful death suit agains the nuring home company, Health Care and Retirement Corporation of America, claiming that staff knew King was confused and might wander away, and that they failed to properly moniter him to prevent him from doing so, or to properly discover that he had left or to sarch for him once he was gone.

These allegations, if true, are an example of only one type of nursing home neglect. Nursing home abuse and neglect can take many forms: physical abuse, emotional abuse or, as alleged here, a failure to supervise which allows a confused resident to be placed at risk.

The families of nursing home residents, and those needing placement in a nursing home, should investigate carefully before making a choice. Many resources are available; consumers may want to start with "A Citizen's Guide to Preventing & Reporting Elder Abuse," available from the California Department of Justice. More information is also available here on the InjuryBoard site.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

Nursing Home Abuse Report Leads to Closure

David Rowell — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:19:16 GMT

Following recent reports of an increase in nursing home abuse and neglect, state and Federal agencies may be increasing their surveilance and inspection efforts. A round of such surveys by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and the federal Department of Health and Human Services found widespread abuse at the Key West Convalescent Center, and led to an order for closure of the facility.

Reports called the survey results "damning," and the responsible agency stated that a "system failure jepoardized all the residents in the facility."

Nursing home abuse or neglect is a serious problem, one that is likely to grow worse as the American population ages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans 65 and older is expected to reach almost 90 million people by the year 2050.

Nursing home abuse or neglect can occur in various ways: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and others. Signs of abuse or neglect can be obvious or subtle, including bed sores, bruises, welts and other skin damages, anxiety, agitation or emotional withdrawal, weight loss and other signs of poor nutrition or poor hydration, and many others.

Like other victims of abuse, abused nursing home residents may be reluctant to speak out, and this problem can be worsened by the potential for retaliation by the abusive staff member.

If you suspect that your loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, you should first ensure that your loved one receives prompt medical attention. You should consider contacting the State agency charged with nursing home oversight; you may want to contact a lawyer who is familiar with this area of law.

For more information about nursing home abuse and neglect, check the InjuryBoard Help Center on this topic.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell

Allegations of Nursing Home Abuse Surface in Pastor's Death

David Rowell — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:00:30 GMT

The family of Reverend Dennis Graham claims that nursing home abuse led to the minister's death. Dennis Graham died in September 2007 and, according to his family, the cause of his death was abuse and neglect from the nursing home where he was beilng care for. Sherry Cooke, the victim's sister, says that "what happened [to him] there was inhumane and would not be allowed to happen to animals." The family contacted Adult Protective Services about the care and, according to the family, "they found a lot," including caretaker neglect, many instances of the patient's feeding tube improperly being turned off, and nuerous medication errors. Facility administrators declined to be interviewed regarding the case.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Nursing Home and Elder Abuse.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Rowell