Potentially Egregious Case of Nursing Home Abuse under Investigation

A man was shocked to recently discover that his grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, received extensive facial injuries, including a gruesome looking gash on her head, while living in a residential care facility. The victim is 88 years old, and wheelchair bound.

It remains unclear when or how the woman suffered the injuries. Her family members are hoping that it was some sort of terrible accident, rather than blatantly violent abuse. Police and other governmental officials are continuing an investigation into the matter. The investigation is said to be focusing on who was present around the time the injury occurred, and will consult those individuals who might have more information.

Additionally, news sources revealed that the nursing home where the woman was living has been cited several times in the past by Texas State officials responsible for regulating the home.

Among prior offenses, the home was previously cited for the following:

April 2011: the facility was cited for providing sub-standard care, and was forced to pay a $2,405 penalty

February 2012: the facility was again cited for providing sub-standard care, and was forced to pay a $6,500 penalty. Additionally, the state agency refused to pay the facility for admissions for almost an entire month last year.

March 2012: the department verified a complaint of mental and verbal abuse against a patient, but did not require the home to pay any fines. In that case, the agency found that the employee was solely at fault, as the proper protocols and procedures were in place.

The injuries that this poor woman has sustained are shocking and terrifying. While it remains unclear how they were sustained, considering how extensive they appear to be at face value, it seems that even if there was no malicious abuse, negligence is a strong second place possibility. Nursing homes owe their patients a duty to make sure that they are safe; this is true whether they are protecting them from other patients, or even themselves. In this case, we know that the woman was elderly, may have had underlying health conditions which necessitated her being wheelchair bound, and also suffered from Alzheimer’s. A common type of negligence in this sort of factual scenario may be a failure to adequately supervise a woman who may forget she is unable to walk, and then attempts to get out of her chair, causing her to fall to the ground and suffer injuries. There must be a plan in place to ensure that these sorts of things do not happen.

If you suspect that an elderly friend or relative living in a nursing home or assisted living facility within the Maryland or the Washington D.C. areas might be suffering from nursing home neglect or abuse, contact the experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers immediately. Our attorneys have many years of experience helping families obtain compensation for injuries caused by negligent care or abuse within Maryland nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Contact us today in order to schedule your complimentary and confidential initial consultation. You can reach us by calling (800) 654-1949 or contact us through our website.

More Blog Posts:

Connecticut Supreme Court Decision Severely Limits Nursing Home Lawsuit Damages, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published June 14, 2013
Nursing Home Abuse More Widespread Than You Might Think, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published June 7, 2013