Earlier this month in Kansas, state officials conducted a surprise visit to a nursing home in order to inspect the level of patient care that was being provided to residents. According to a report by a local news agency, the report came back showing that several residents were being neglected and/or abused by nursing home staff members.
Evidently, the surprise visit and subsequent report were triggered by a report of inadequate resident care back in November 2013. State officials received the complaint and decided to look into the issue more thoroughly. Upon doing so, investigators discovered four instances of potential neglect or abuse. The nursing home has approximately 63 residents, 27 of which were interviewed.
The 150-page report explains all the violations found by the investigation, as well as remedial measures that the nursing home is expected to take. According to federal guidelines, the nursing home has six months to comply with the report before it will lose its Medicare funding. In addition, the home is being fined $8,2000 per day for each day between March 26 and April 13th. In addition, the nursing home will be fined $1,000 a day until it is back in compliance.
In a statement released by the nursing home, management claims that they have “taken appropriate measures to ensure the safety of the residents, including termination and suspension of involved staff.” The statement continued, “Victoria Falls Skilled Nursing is cooperating with Law Enforcement and KDADS in regards to this allegation of abuse.”
Abuse in Maryland Nursing Homes
Like nursing homes across the country, Maryland nursing homes have a duty to their clients to keep the facility safe and to provide the residents with adequate care during their stay. When nursing homes fail to live up to this duty and abuse or neglect nursing home residents, the residents have recourse in that they can take the nursing home to court, seeking damages.
Nursing home cases in Maryland are essentially based in the law of negligence, claiming that the nursing home had a duty to provide care that it violated, and that the violation caused the resident some kind of harm. The harm in nursing home abuse and nursing home negligence cases can be physical harm, but it may also be emotional or psychological harm.
Do You Have a Loved One Suffering from Abuse or Neglect in a Maryland Nursing Home
If you have a loved one suffering from nursing home abuse or neglect, they do not have to suffer in silence. You should immediately do everything you can to remove your loved one from that toxic situation. After you have ensured the safety of your loved one, you should speak with a dedicated Maryland nursing home attorney to see if there may be any liability on the part of the nursing home for their negligence or abuse. The skilled nursing home injury attorneys at the Maryland law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have years of experience helping elderly Marylanders enforce their rights. Click here, or call 410-654-3600 today to schedule your free initial consultation.
See More Blog Posts:
Nursing Home Pays Out $3.3 Million in Negligence Suit, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published June 3, 2014.
Seventeen Employees of Michigan Nursing Home Facing Charges for Patient Abuse, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published May 13, 2014.