Nursing homes should be places where people can feel at ease placing their aging parents to help them get the medical care and attention that they need in their final years. However, the reality of what nursing homes have come to become in our society is far from that. Partly since nursing homes operate on a for-profit model, the level of care provided to patients is secondary or tertiary to other concerns, including staffing costs.
Just as in any other business scenario, nursing homes get what they pay for when they consider whom they should hire. By hiring inexperienced nurses or those with poor records or care, nursing homes may be able to save a few dollars in the short-term but place their patients at risk. Indeed, these are the very nurses who are likely to act in abusive or neglectful ways when placed under stress.
However, working in a stressful environment is no excuse to neglect or abuse another human being who has been placed in your care. For these reasons, the State of Maryland allows nursing home residents or their families to bring lawsuits against nursing home employees and management in situations in which the nursing home failed to adequately care for their loved one.
Elderly Man Dies After Being Left Outside for Hours
Earlier this month, a nursing home in Florida was placed under investigation after paramedics reported that a male nursing home resident died as a result of second-degree burns and dehydration after he was found outside. According to one local news report covering the tragic incident, paramedics arrived to find the man outside in the scorching sun but were not immediately able to determine how long he had been out there.
The paramedics were called to the home by nursing home employees, but after seeing the resident and his injuries, they felt that abuse may have been involved. They alerted authorities, who then began an investigation into the nursing home. Apparently, the nursing home had been cited approximately five times over the course of the last 10 years for various failures related to the level of care provided and the management’s record-keeping.
Is Your Loved One at Risk for Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect?
If you have a loved one in a Maryland nursing home, and you suspect that they may be the ongoing victim of abuse or neglect, you may be entitled to monetary compensation to help you and your loved one cope with what they have been forced to endure. The skilled Maryland nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at the personal injury law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have ample experience bringing cases against nursing homes for a variety of failures, including abuse and neglect. Call 410-654-3600 today to set up a free consultation with one of the skilled attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen. Calling is free, and you will not be billed unless we are able to help you or your loved one recover compensation for what they have been through.
More Blog Posts:
Appellate Court Reverses Lower Court’s Dismissal of Plaintiff’s Elder Abuse Case, Allowing the Case to Move Forward, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published April 21, 2016.
Politicians Speak Out against Nursing Home Abuse Posted on Social Media, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published April 7, 2016.