One would like to think that aging service members are provided with the care and compassion they deserve as they begin to require more and more assistance with their daily routine. However, Veterans’ Administration (VA) nursing homes have been continually under scrutiny for the poor quality of care they provide residents. A recent report illustrates just a few of the horrors that VA nursing home residents across the country are experiencing.
According to a report by USA Today, in VA nursing homes across the country, veterans are suffering actual harm due to a variety of deficiencies. Evidently, private inspectors determined that residents in 52 of the 99 surveyed homes suffered some type of actual harm based on the inadequate level of care being provided by staff. A Washington, D.C. VA nursing home was among those in which residents suffered actual harm. Several other VA nursing homes were found to have put residents in “immediate jeopardy.”
One of the most common problems inspectors found was that residents in many of the VA nursing homes suffered from preventable bedsores. Bedsores develop when a person who is confined to a bed remains idle for too long. Bedsores can be prevented by frequently rotating a resident, or providing a resident with ample cushion under their body. Inspectors noted that one resident developed five bedsores in just six months. However, when inspectors went to visit this resident, they determined that no staff member had moved the man, or provided him with additional cushions to alleviate the condition.
The report covered some of the common problems seen in VA nursing homes across the country. Some of the more common problems involved:
- staff members failing to follow basic safety protocol, such as wearing sterile gowns and gloves each time they treat a resident;
- residents being exposed to hazardous conditions because staff members did not properly supervise them;
- failing to adequately clean and bathe residents, resulting in frequent urinary-tract infections;
- keeping temperatures in residents’ living areas too high;
- allowing the hot water to be so hot that it burned residents’ skin on contact;
- failing to ensure that residents got exercise; and
- failing to report serious medical conditions to a physician.
In response, the VA asserted that the level of care it provides to residents is in line with the private sector. A VA spokesperson also claimed that residents in VA nursing homes are more difficult to care for because up to 42% of them have injuries related to their service.
Is Your Loved One at Risk?
If you have a loved one in a Maryland nursing home, and you are concerned about the level of care they are receiving, contact the dedicated Maryland nursing home attorneys at the law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen, LLC. At Lebowitz & Mzhen, we have a dedicated team of compassionate injury attorneys who are skilled in bringing claims on behalf of injured nursing home residents and their loved ones. To learn more about how we can help with your situation, call 410-654-3600 to schedule a free consultation today. Calling is risk-free, and we will not bill you for our services unless we can help you recover the compensation you deserve.