Earlier this week, a man was sentenced in Washington County for the neglect of an 84-year-old woman who was placed in the care of the man’s Boonsboro assisted living facility. According to a report by Harold Mail Media, the man pled guilty to neglect of a vulnerable adult for his role in the 2012 injuries suffered by a resident of his assisted living facility when she fell through the floor in a second-story bathroom. Apparently, the manager failed to properly cordon off the second-story bathroom. The accident left the elderly woman—who also suffers from dementia—without the ability to walk.
While this accident may seem shocking, what is even more upsetting is how it was handled by the manager. The manager reported that he heard a noise and, upon investigating, found the woman lying on the floor with a hole above her in the ceiling. When police responded to a possible assault on the elderly woman a few days later, the manager told police what happened, but said the woman did not sustain any injuries. However, in subsequent talks with the woman’s doctor, it came out that she had suffered a broken ankle, several broken ribs and vertebrae, a broken pelvis and a head injury likely all caused by the fall. The assisted living manager claimed that he “panicked” and didn’t know what to do.
At sentencing, the manager was given an eight year prison sentence, five years of which were suspended in favor of probation. In addition, he was ordered to pay the victim nearly $15,000 in restitution.
Maryland Nursing Home Accidents Are More Common Than We Might Think
This story is just one example of how nursing homes and assisted living facilities across Maryland might try and cover up accidents and other instances of neglect and maltreatment. In many cases nursing home residents lack the faculties to properly explain what is going on behind the walls of the nursing home or assisted living facility. This is often because, like the woman mentioned above, they suffer from dementia or some other physical or mental handicap.
When one of your loved ones tells you that there are problems in the nursing home, whether it be nursing home abuse, neglect, or any other kind of mistreatment, you should take the claim seriously. Each year there are hundreds of thousands of nursing home injuries and deaths relating to inadequate care provided by nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Is Your Loved One Complaining About Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect?
If you have a loved on in a nursing home or assisted living facility, make sure you do everything you can to ensure that they are safe and well cared for. If you are told that the nursing home staff is abusive or neglecting them in any way, contact an experienced Maryland nursing home attorney immediately. Depending on the specific facts of the case, you or your loved one may be entitled to monetary compensation due to the lack of care provided by the nursing home. Don’t let an abusive or negligent nursing home get away with the poor treatment of your loved ones. Contact the Maryland nursing home abuse law firm of Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers at 410-654-3600 or contact the firm online.
More Blog Posts:
Egregious Case of Nursing Home Neglect Leads to Federal Lawsuit, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published December 18, 2013.
Doctor Employed by Federal and State VA skirts Federal Claims in Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published December 10, 2013.