Articles Posted in nursing home neglect

During summer months, caretakers must be more wary of the potential dangers of high temperatures. Babies and young children as well as elderly adults are more vulnerable and should never be left unattended in a vehicle or out in the sun.

Caretakers should also make sure air conditioning is functional and that proper precautions are taken to prevent heat stroke. In another instance of nursing home abuse and neglect, a Florida nursing home is being investigated and could face criminal and civil penalties for leaving a 90-year-old resident outside in the heat and unattended for hours. According to reports, the patient nearly died from the heat-related injuries.

Throughout the state of Florida, families turn to nursing care facilities to assistant and provide necessary medical attention to elderly loved ones who are no longer able to care for themselves. Unfortunately, instances of abuse and neglect run rampant, as for-profit homes cut back on staffing, fail to screen employees, and are generally negligent in caring for residents. In the most severe cases, nursing home patients have suffered abuse at the hands of caretakers.

Our Fort Lauderdale nursing home abuse attorneys are dedicated to raising awareness to protect the rights of victims and their families. In addition to advocating for our clients, we are committed to raising awareness to prevent future abuse.
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Extreme cases of abuse and neglect will often result in an investigation and legal action. Despite the number of complaints filed, thousands of instances of abuse and neglect go unreported every year. According to the U.S. Department of Health Human Services, nursing homes in South Florida and throughout the U.S. are failing to report accusations of abuse or neglect as well.

The agency recently published a report after surveying nursing home facilities about how well their homes complied with federal rules of reporting allegations of injury, negligence and misconduct. According to the study, out of 209 nursing homes, 85% failed to report at least one accusation of abuse or neglect.

Those who have suffered nursing home neglect or who have a loved one who has been injured while under nursing home care should file a complaint and take legal action when necessary. Our Fort Lauderdale nursing home injury attorneys are dedicated to protecting the rights of clients and to raising awareness to prevent future abuse and neglect. In addition to advocating for victims and their families, our firm is also committed to raising awareness to prevent future abuse.
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When nursing home administrators accept patients with mobility issues, there is an inherent understanding the facility will be equipped to handle lifting and moving these patients in accordance with delivering proper physical care.

Unfortunately, our Fort Lauderdale nursing home negligence lawyers have come across far too many cases where facilities failed to draft a clear plan for safe lifting and transport of patients. In other cases, plans weren’t followed either because the facility lacked the appropriate equipment or didn’t have enough staff on hand to safely complete the task.

In the recent case of State of Mississippi v. Hawkins, it’s unclear from the Mississippi Supreme Court records whether the latter was the case. What we do know is the facility in question had a policy of requiring at least two staffers to move a patient with mobility impairment. The worker in question did not follow this policy, and it resulted in severe injuries to the patient – and criminal charges for the aide. It is likely a civil lawsuit will follow as well.
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Making the decision to place a loved one in assisted living or into a nursing home is always difficult. In addition to turning over the care and emotional well-being of an elderly loved one, you will also want to ensure that the home is safe and compliant with local, state and federal regulations. Seeking out a nursing home shouldn’t involve trial and error. You should never have to wait until it is too late to know that a facility was negligent or reckless in caring for patients. Some families will have to go through multiple tries to find the right nursing home for their loved one.

In some cases, the home may not be a match because the building or rooms are dark or aesthetically unpleasing. Perhaps the staff is unfriendly or there aren’t enough activities. In other cases, the home could be more hazardous, posing a serious threat to patients, including your loved one. Our Fort Lauderdale nursing home abuse attorneys are experienced in representing individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by nursing home negligence and abuse. Our priority is to help you and your family protect your rights and to take action against negligent nursing homes to prevent future injuries and abuse.
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Nursing home abuse and neglect is rampant in care facilities throughout Southern Florida. Whether your loved one is already in a home or you are considering finding a home for an elderly relative, the choice can be difficult. For many families, the decision is tough, but necessary. What do you do when you can no longer care for a loved one? When the dementia has become potentially dangerous? While seeking out a nursing home to handle these medical and care needs may seem like the only solution, other professional care experts are pointing to an alternative option: home health care and visits.

Many families seek out a care facility because it sounds safer and less costly than home care, but recent studies suggest that this may not be the case. With a rising number of abuse and neglect cases to put loved ones in harm’s way, home health care and visits may give you additional control over the quality of care—at a fraction of the price. Our Fort Lauderdale nursing home abuse attorneys are dedicated to raising awareness to prevent nursing home injuries throughout the state of Florida. In addition to staying abreast of legal developments, we are also dedicated to advocating for victims and their families.
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Bedsores are a leading injury risk for neglected and unattended elderly patients. Bedsores, also known as pressure sores or pressure ulcers, are a significant problem in U.S. nursing homes. According to reports, more than 2.5 million Americans will develop ulcers ever year and of those patients, 60,000 patients die of pressure ulcer complications. Patients and their loved one should be aware of the risk of bedsores and know what to look out for to prevent painful and dangerous complications.

Nursing home facilities are responsible for ensuring health, safety and well-being of patients. In addition to meeting nutritional requirements, preventing accidents and falls, and providing medical care, nursing homes must properly attend to patients to ensure they are getting moved often enough to prevent bedsores.

Our Fort Lauderdale nursing home injury attorneys are experienced in representing individuals and families who have suffered because of nursing home care and neglect. We will investigate any case involving abuse, neglect or other injuries that occurred while under nursing home care. In addition to representing clients, our firm is abreast of health and legal issues that impact nursing home residents.
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A recently-filed wrongful death lawsuit alleges nursing home staff failed to act in an expedient manner to save the life of an elderly resident who was in critical condition.

Panzier v. VIP Manor LLC stems from the staff’s reaction to finding the woman unresponsive, gurgling and with an oxygen saturation rate of just 80 percent. Rather than emergency transfer to the hospital, the staffers waited nearly a half hour before contacting an ambulance. Even then, they did not indicate it was an emergency. By the time paramedics arrived, she was blue, had clumps of food in her mouth, had extremely low blood pressure and was not responsive.

Despite receiving CPR, she died at the hospital.

Hollywood nursing home abuse lawyers have seen numerous cases wherein victims suffered because staff either was not properly trained to respond to a medical emergency or failed to follow the facility’s protocol.
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A new study published in the journal Neurology found that Alzheimer deaths are vastly under-reported. Researchers calculated that some 500,000 people in the U.S. die from disease every year, which is five times more than the number tallied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If true, that would make it the third leading cause of death among Americans.

What’s more, our Broward nursing home abuse lawyers recognize that this is a disease we are going to confront with increasing frequency in the coming decades. For one thing, the size of our elder population is growing rapidly as the baby boomer generation ages. For another, there is a heightened awareness about the disease, and therefore a greater level of diagnosis. While it is estimated that 5.3 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease today, that figure is expected to balloon to 7.7 million in 2030 and 16 million by 2050.

Contrary to common myth, neither Alzheimer’s disease nor any other form of dementia is a “normal” part of aging. The myth is perpetuated by the fact that so many people suffer from it. As relatives, close friends and loved ones, we are left not only to help oversee their care and comfort, but to shield them from those who might seek to exploit them.
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Many elderly patients in nursing homes, especially those who suffer from dementia, may stray away from a care facility. While facilities are responsible for preventing such hazards, failure to supervise, inadequate staffing, and failed alarm systems all contribute to the risk of “walk-away” patients. This is a rising trend and a leading cause of injury and death for patients in nursing homes, especially among those who suffer from dementia.

Wandering is a significant challenge, for caregivers as well as nursing home facilities. Patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s, memory loss, or other forms of dementia are at a higher risk of injury or death when they become lost or wander away from a care facility. Our Vero Beach nursing home injury attorneys are dedicated to representing victims of nursing home care negligence, including patients and their loved ones. In addition to providing experienced counsel in these complex cases, we are also committed to raising awareness concerning the potential risks faced by the elderly population.
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The ailing, elderly veteran hadn’t paid his nursing home bill.

For this, he reportedly almost died.

According to news reports, he was driven by nursing home staffers to an empty, unfurnished apartment. He was not given any food, water, medication or phone. At the time, he was reportedly suffering from a life-threatening blood infection. He was also a diabetic, dependent on insulin, and was suffering congestive heart failure and other problems.

Our Sunrise nursing home abuse lawyers are appalled at the actions of the staffers at the Iowa facility and its corporate management. Apparently, such actions violate the company’s standards for protocol as well, with a spokeswoman for the agency quoted as saying that her firm doesn’t condone the actions and that it was an “unfortunate situation.”
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